trident ETH501 module 2 case and slp

Since he is the world’s wealthiest man, it is not surprising that Bill Gates is the subject of much controversy. As a businessman, he has been described as brilliant and innovative on one hand but also as ruthless and cutthroat in his business practices. Criticisms have included both the atmosphere he created in the workplace as well as the tactics he has used to try to beat his competitors. And while some have questioned the tactics he used to become the world’s richest man, he is also donating a huge portion of his fortune to charity. But his charitable activity has also been criticized as he brings some of his business management style to his charity work.

You won’t have any trouble finding articles about Bill Gates, but try to find several articles both positive and negative about him and a balance of information both about how he has run Microsoft and how he has run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or other charities. Compare and contrast what you’ve read about him with the various virtues and vices that you read about in the background readings such as Brusseau (2012) and Velasquez et al. (2008). Think carefully about which virtues and vices apply to Gates’ business and charitable activities.

There is plenty of information on Bill Gates out there, but here are a few articles to get you started on your research that will give you some idea of the controversies surrounding the man:

McCullough, J. (n.d.) Bill Gates. Americans that matter. Retrieved from http://www.americansthatmatter.com/bill-gates/

McIlvaine, A. (2016, February 4). Bill Gates’ ruthless management style of yore. HRE Daily. Retrieved from http://blog.hreonline.com/2016/02/04/bill-gates-ruthless-management-style-of-yore/

Piller, C. (2014, August 24). How the Gates Foundation’s investments are undermining its own good works. The Nation. Retrieved from https://www.thenation.com/article/how-gates-foundations-investments-are-undermining-its-own-good-works/

Case Assignment

After doing some research on Bill Gates, choose at least two virtues and at least once vice that are mentioned in Brusseau (2012) or Velasquez et al. (2008). Also, make sure to thoroughly review the materials on critical thinking in the background readings. It is very important to use critical thinking in this paper, especially for Question 2. Once you have finished your research on Bill Gates and are clear on what critical thinking is, write a 4- to 5-page paper with the following:

State the virtues and vices that you will focus on, and give the definitions of these virtues or vices using a reputable online dictionary (e.g., http://www.merriam-webster.com/). Note that this part of the assignment doesn’t require much critical thinking – you are just giving some definitions.

Using a section heading for discussion of each of your chosen virtues or vice, discuss how each virtue/vice applies to some ethical issue raised in your readings about Bill Gates. For example, you might want to describe how Bill Gates lived up to these virtues or vices or how he might have better handled a situation through use of one of these virtues. This is the main part of the assignment and requires a lot of critical thinking. Don’t just summarize information, instead explain based on the definition of each virtue and vice how they apply to Bill Gates. And use information from the articles to support the article. Don’t just blindly summarize information from the articles, instead point out how specific actions by Bill Gates embody or not embody the virtues and vices you have chosen to discuss. And remember to divide your paper into clear sections with headings based on each of the virtues and vices you are discussing.

Conclude your paper with one or two paragraphs giving your overall evaluation of Bill Gates and his ethics. Any final thoughts on why a “cutthroat” or “ruthless” business man also became one of the world’s most generous philanthropists?

Assignment Expectations

Be sure to use at least two sources from the library to support your discussion and analysis (choose sources that are not included in the Background section of Module 2).

Follow The Student Guide to Writing a High Quality Academic Paper guide.

Don’t forget to properly cite your sources—both in-text and as end references!

You are expected to demonstrate evidence of critical thinking—as defined in the readings above on critical thinking and the grading rubric. Remember that this means your paper should not be just a summary of the articles and book chapters that you read, but rather an expression of your own opinions and analysis.

SLP 2

For this assignment, first choose a controversial ethical issue that interests you. This can be any controversial ethical issue as long as you can find articles expressing opposing opinions on this issue. This issue could be something from the business world such as drug-testing of employees, Facebook gathering private information from their users, etc. Or you can also choose other controversial issues such stem cell research, the death penalty, etc. The purpose of this assignment is to apply some of the concepts of critical thinking and argumentative writing from the background readings to an ethical issue of your choice.

Once you have chosen the issue you want to write about, find at least three articles on this issue including two articles that take opposing views on this issue. Then write a 2- to 3-page paper that makes an argumentative in favor of a position on this issue. You should not just summarize the articles you found. Instead, choose the viewpoint you wish to argue in favor of and use the information to support your point of view. Use the template from the Classic Model for an Argument reading in the background materials.

You don’t need to worry about whether or not your professor agrees with your point of view. What you do need to focus on though is whether or not your paper is just a summary of information (in which case your professor will not give you a high grade) or is a genuine argumentative paper where you make a solid case for your point of view on one side or the other of a controversial issue. Your grade will be based on the quality of your arguments and your ability to analyze rather than just summarize information that you find.

SLP Assignment Expectations

· Be sure to cite articles in favor of each of the two sides of the controversial issue you are writing about. Don’t choose a topic unless you can find articles supporting both sides of the issue. You should cite at least three articles total.

Follow the guidelines in The Student Guide to Writing a High Quality Academic Paper

You are expected to demonstrate evidence of critical thinking—as defined in the Module 2 background materials and the grading rubric.

Save your completed paper, and upload your assignment before the due date.