Stand Your Ground: Topics to Consider

1. There are several factors that need to be considered when deciding whether it benefits a business to use full-time employees over contracted workers just to avoid paying higher payroll costs. I chose this topic because I believe that having a combination of both types of workers is a good business decision and is not an unethical business behavior. It is very common in most businesses now-a-days to have both types of workers. Full-time employees provide a level of stability and engagement that is hard to obtain from a contractor. The disadvantage of having too many contractors is that a business may have a higher turnover rate which would mean hiring and retraining contractors numerous times. On the other hand not all employees want to be full-time, many like the flexibility and the leverage they can use to obtain higher salaries. One aspect that I do believe is unethical business practices, is hiring employees and setting them up as contractors just to avoid paying for benefits. My guess is, particularly in smaller businesses, there are some employees that are set up as contractors but are actually full-time employees. There are strict labor laws in place which many times these small businesses ignored due to the high cost of benefits for those employees. Tere Puron

2. 3. Receiving a high executive bonus based on dramatically improving and/or turning around company performance and stock price—even when one of the primary strategies used is to lay off many long-term workers—is both good business practice and ethical business behavior.

2.1. In a capitalistic society, sometimes it is necessary to lay off a large number of employees for the company to succeed and this type of decision should be left the discretion of the Executives. While this may be a difficult and painful choice for the Executives and long term employees, I do not believe there is anything unethical about it. Executives have a responsibility to not only the employees, but to all stakeholders including shareholders. After conducting addional research in this class, I feel I will be "in favor of" this stance. -Michael Smith

2.2. 3. Leonel: I picked No. 3 because while high executive pay is justifiable based on profits and overall performance, it may not take into consideration human suffering caused by an executive decision to lay off long-term workers. I picked this topic because I have been at the end of a mass layoff and can only guess with some certainty that the executives who ordered the downsizing were well compensated for their work. And it is work. I can't imagine it being easy to tell someone he or she is no longer needed and that they are now on their own. Is the executive justified in believing that he or she deserves a raise based on the hard task of laying off workers? I also think of the added work taken on by the employees and how that affects overall quality and productivity.

3. 4. It is both good business practice and ethical behavior for tobacco companies to heavily promote e-cigarettes.

3.1. As the demand of cigarettes diminishes due to alternate options such as electronic cigarettes surfaces, the tobacco companies are forced to conform and adjust their tactics based on demand. I picked this topic because I can relate personally. My husband owns a small business selling electronic cigarettes and vape supplies. I have had my reservations with the type of business, but he has convinced that it is a better alternative to cigarettes. I am very interested in what I will find as I continue to understand electronic cigarettes and their business model. I think that I will be for it because my inclination is hoping that big tobacco has made a turn for the better. Perhaps it is wishful thinking. - Linda Hoang

4. 1. Letting the marketplace set the price of prescription drugs-even when the result is that many persons who need the drug will be unable to afford it-is both good usiness practice and ethical behavior

4.1. I chose this topic in light of the prescription drug controversies that have occurred in recent years. Mylan and their monopoly on the epipen showed a cost that ballooned from $100 to $608 over the past decade. Probably the biggest story had to do with Martin Shkreli, the Diapram CEO who hiked the cost of the AIDs medication from 13.50 to $750! I do think it's unethical when people in developing countries or poorer populations are unable to afford medicines that these pharmaceutical industries create simply because of patent protections where one pharma company monopolizes the market and therefore has the ability to set an excessive price point. I do not agree that driving excessive econmic profitability is an acceptable justification for not providing poor and impoverished populations with the necessary medicines - Ryan Warnock

5. 2. Using contract workers as a way of lowering total payroll costs by avoiding paying benefits is both good business and ethical behavior.

5.1. I chose this topic because it is often times an issue our company has to deal with. Currently, I argue FOR the use of temporary contract workers as a means of keeping costs low. After conducting more research I think I will still be for the use of hiring contract workers. As business cycles flow up and down, the cost of supporting large workforce's (and contrary, small ones) during periods of fluctuation, are very hard. Companies have a hard time trying to hire outside of using contract companies, like temp agencies, because it is often times too difficult to fill the position quickly. The cost of health insurance is extremely high, and having to hire an individual for a short time and give them health insurance which only kicks in about 3 months after they are hired anyways doesn't make sense, especially if the term of employment for the employee is for a few months. -Brent McCarter

5.1.1. The stand your ground topic I have chosen is using contract workers as a way of lowering total payroll costs by avoiding paying benefits is both good business and ethical behavior. I chose this topic because for the better part of 20 years I worked with companies to not only hire their regular full time staff but also their contingent workforce. I also spent more than a year as a substitute teacher working part time with no benefits. So I have insight into both perspectives. The question is not whether contract workers fill a need. From both an employer and contract worker perspective they do, it is the original “Gig Economy.” Some workers prefer to work as contractors, it affords them flexibility and when companies have projects, but do not have capacity to add headcount those contract workers fill a need. The question is, using contract workers as a way of lowering total payroll costs by avoiding paying benefits is both good business and ethical, and my response would be that is not good business and that it is not ethical. So I am against this. - Nick Wolf

5.2. I also chose this idea, but from an entirely different viewpoint. In the government we often are directed by higher authority (Presidents Budget) that the "push" from this administration (or that one) is to either hire civil servants or to contract the work that will be done. What we have found is that once an administration eases up or another one comes in that we can now hire civil servants into those areas (like Information Technology (IT) which we have vacancies for civil servants in right now and also a massive centralized contract for some of the other IT work). What I have found at numerous duty assignments with the Department of Defense (DoD) is that I as a manager have been able to essentially "test drive" the contractor employees and when we do have actual permanent vacancies I have chosen the contractors that excel to come back to work permanently for us. As I research this topic I am interested to see it from the reverse (a "down" side), but, for now I have only seen a positive in being able to first see folks from temporary worker perspective before offering them a permanent position. Thank you. Scott Trulove

5.3. Taylor King- I chose this topic because I used to work in contingent worker services at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Talent Acquisition. The biggest problem I see with contingent workers is the liability issue to the business. Contingent workers need to be handled quite carefully, because if they are doing the same work as a regular employee, and are getting treated as a regular employee, they can file a law suit. I do see the value of contingent workers, as many of our contract employees get converted to full-time. It does lower the costs of paying benefits, but the turnover rate is so high, the price to get someone back in the role is expensive. I think that if the work is for a short period of time, then contract workers are a great way of lowering total payroll costs. However, if the role is more long-term, and the business is hiring a contract worker because they do not have the physical head count allocation, then it is wrong.

5.4. I chose this topic because I was a Sound Engineer of a live sound company and the business was very competitive and challenging. I have seen the benefits of using contract workers as a way for a business owner to survive (as a ways and means) to stay in business and not get burden down with regulations that would eventually cause the business to go under. Additionally, the benefits of contract workers gives the business owner the flexibility to examine the contractual relationship and determine whether or not the individual can be a fit for the company, eliminating lengthy rehiring processes. Financially, a company can determine the length of the contract and can coincide that decision with the perspective workload. It may not be in the best interest of the company if there is no work for employees but the company or business owner still has make payroll. This allows the business owner to gauge the workload frequency and plan accordingly without putting the company at risk. It is complex situation which I will definitely like to explore some more. Overall, the treatment of the contract worker may be the underlining factor which determines the ethics of the decision, however, I am seeking to explore this topic much further - Darnell Forde

6. I choose topic #4 "It is both good business practice and ethical behavior for tobacco companies to heavily promote e-cigarettes." The reason I choose this topic is because so much scrutiny that is put upon the tobacco companies. I believe that many companies make good and bad ethical business decisions. Even the harshest of companies must portray a good image to the customer. In this case I do agree that is is a good business decision for tobacco companies to promote e-cigarettes.I would like to discuss the reasons why it is a good ethical business decision to promote e-cigarettes. I also believe this is a good starting point for tobacco companies to educate its consumers of a better alternative to the products they sell. I would also like to argue the better image this will bring to the tobacco companies because they will fulfill the wants and needs of its consumers. Like other businesses tobacco companies have the ability to make changes and encourage other to try their products. Age is a real issue when it comes to the selling and advertising to minors,. By arguing for this business decision I can further explain the economic implications for economic growth and company profits. I would also use this opportunity to explain and educate myself and others about this product and the positive outcomes that could occur with this business decision. - EVELYN V. LOMELI

7. [Lindsay]: I have selected this issue because it has been so topical throughout the presidential election. We know that Trump is in favor of moving jobs back to the U.S., and I'm not sure how realistic this goal may be. I would also relate this to the recent move of Lockheed Martin's San Diego facility to Colorado, a move that will save the company in operations costs, but resulted in many lost jobs in San Diego. It is my expectation that my research will bring me to the conclusion that moving a facility to an area with lower cost operations is a good business practice. It is harder to predict whether I will conclude that it will also be considered ethical behavior. It is easy to see how it will both harm one group of people and benefit another.

8. I selected this topic because it is one I have only had an onion about but never researched. It is a topic I just felt very strongly against but I would like to research the details of this type of issue to see it from the perspective of the company. I am a person that believes intention is more telling in action than the action itself. I believe I will conclude this action is not good business practice because it does not benefit the community for greater good and is more harmful than good. (Stephannie)

9. 6. Paying bank executives millions of dollars in annual bonuses, soon after the firm received penalties for admitted fraudulent sales practices, is both ethical behavior and good business practice.

9.1. (Susan) I chose this topic because I fully believe in executives receiving bonuses, and am always one to stick up for them deserving financial compensation for their performance within a company. Where I draw the line is if these bonuses are due to unethical means. If an executive receives a bonus after the firm is receiving penalties for fraudulent practices it is extremely unethical. With the importance of their role, they should be the first ones to take ownership when the company does something unethical. They also get to reap the rewards exponentially more than their employees when they are doing things right. This practice is not ethical behavior or good business practice.

10. 7. It is good business practice and ethical business behavior for a firm to cuts costs to improve profitability by shutting down operations in its home community, terminating hundreds of workers, and then moving the business to a low-wage location in another country.

10.1. I would like to research this issue for two reasons. One, I have lived in two countries from which companies hire workers for outsourcing and I have seen the benefits to the foreign countries with my own eyes. And two, with the recent election, Trump is going to attempt to bring back jobs and productions to the US and I am interested if this will be made possible. At the moment I am a believer that outsourcing or shutting down operations in a home community for foreign communities is a good business practice. However, I am torn if it is an ethical practice or not. At this point, I would like to think of it as ethical or unethical on a case to case basis. This meaning, that the scale of it being moral or not would be determined on if they are helping workers get jobs in foreign countries or just exploiting them with bad work conditions and extremely cheap labor. -- Taylor Wetherell

10.2. 7.1 I will be discussing why it is good business practice and ethical behavior for a firm to cut costs to improve profitability by moving operations to low-wage locations in other countries due to my firm belief that for us to succeed as a human race here on Earth successfully enough to reach out to travel the stars, we must globally join together to achieve a global community and government. Part of that process would need to include growing trade partnerships and open borders, driven by open-mindedness and acceptance of others. All these combine in a truly free market economy to say that if someone else is willing to do the work for cheaper elsewhere, we as a corporation should take advantage of that, but still need to be mindful of the needs of the workers we have here. In doing so, we would work to provide transition plans, long-term education efforts to bring those workers into the jobs that are available, and training to take advantage of the strategic advantages we have locally. In the end, I hope to confirm this stance through open discussion of potential impacts, alternatives, and effective means of implementation. - Chris Will

11. 5. When conducting business outside the U.S., it is both good business practice and ethical behavior to participate in forms of bribery to facilitate business deals, if the custom of the country allows/expects this practice.

11.1. Having worked for Rockwell Automation which operates in many countries around the world I had the experiences of seeing a similar situation play out first hand. A member of an international team was rewarded for not participating in bribery even though it was acceptable in his work location. From an Rockwell perspective with headquarters in the U.S. I can see why the company rewarded this man, but part of me thinks that perhaps one should adapt to the customs of a work country and move to secure business for your company in a manner that aligns with local customs. I predict that after research I will end in opposition to the prompt but am excited to see if that changes. - Stuart Malingowski

11.2. With the new TPP executive order I'd ike to research and discuss doing business outside the US and determine which cultures and countries ethics are strong or weak. I think there are certain practices that are more likely to be done more in one culture than another but exploring what each countries "ethics" entail will be an interesting learning experience. How are the best deals made? why are they made with bribes? I'm interested to find out alternatives that will get the job done while still being ethical. - Evelyn Ramirez,