In 2015, Royal Dutch Shell was given permission to drill for oil in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska. The company planned to lease a terminal in the port of Seattle for its Arctic drilling fleet. A “ShellNo” protest was then organized: dozens of men and women in kayaks, calling themselves “Kayaktivists” planned a risky confrontation with Shell’s gigantic oil rigs in their tiny craft. What happened?
> 1. What are the six indicators that a “cost” is actually a “harm,” where use of foreign labor is concerned? What does Shue mean by describing a harm as “unavoidably undetectable”? 2. Who is responsible for safe working conditions in US firms abroad?
> 1. Why do you think Dawn Brancheau was willing to risk her life to train killer whales? Assuming she had a complete grasp of the risks involved, is it ethical to interact with whales as she did? For this, use the frameworks for ethical decision-making in
> 1. What challenges to OSHA does Michaels highlight? How is OSHA trying to address them? 2. Elsewhere in his testimony, Michaels argued for increasing the monetary penalties--raised only once in 40 years--and enhancing criminal sanctions. The 2015 Budget
> 1. Why does the US treat agricultural workers differently? Who are the stakeholders? Consider it from the perspective of free market theory, utilitarianism and deontology. Research: Find out about current debates involving U.S. farmworker health and safe
> 1. How do Hershey’s alleged wrongs harm the plaintiffs in this case? 2. What evidence do the plaintiffs provide to support their claim that they have a right to investigate the corporate records? 3. Plaintiffs allege that Hershey directors may have viola
> 1. What are the primary market forces favoring the growth of benefit corporations? 2. How are traditional corporations and benefit corporations similar? What are the main differences between them? 3. Find a company that has been certified by B Lab. What
> 1. “Gender norms” that keep women down. 2. This report was published in 2013. Has anything happened since to address the issues raised by it? Has the United Nations been involved? The U.S. government? Civil society?
> 1. What rules does Justice Kennedy say Bakke, Grutter and Gratz set forth? Why would Justice Thomas not “take them as given?” 2. U.T. uses a multi-step admissions process under which each applicant is ranked from 1-6 based on essays and a "full-file revi
> 1. If you had been on Hazleton’s City Council, would you have voted for or against this ordinance? Why? 2. Find out if your state or municipality has recently adopted any immigration laws. What are they? 3. Should undocumented immigrants be protected by
> 1. Is the FMLA well-crafted to respond to congressional findings? 2. FMLA policy and Windsor. 3. Does Congress address any stereotypes about caregivers in the FMLA? How responsive is the law to changes in our ideas about family? Who benefits from the law
> 1. How does Philadelphia Police Directive 78 differ from the “No beards” policy at issue in the Fraternal Order of Police case? Why is that difference legally significant? Does it seem ethically distinguishable to you? Why or why not? 2. You are the hea
> 1. According to Spector, people of color have been in the forefront of the "growing resistance to substandard working conditions"--from the Justice for Janitors campaign in the 1990s to more recent strikes by fast-food workers and domestic worker organiz
> 1. What does “pretextual” mean? How does Judge Robertson, who heard the evidence at trial, explain that the reasons given by the Library for not hiring Diane Schroer were pretextual? 2. What similarities does Robertson see between the Price Waterhouse ca
> 1. Identify the different stakeholders in this class action. Identify the interests each would have. What would a utilitarian analysis of the settlement look like? A deontological analysis? 2. Why does the majority judge view the settlement as fair? Why
> 1. Which judge gives the statute a “broad” reading, the other gives it a “narrow” one? Which is which? What tools do the two judges use to interpret the law? Which interpretation do you think is most in keeping with the intent of the legislators? 2. What
> 1. What are the functions of privacy, as described by Westin? For each, can you think of examples from your own experience? 2. Which functions of privacy may have been served by Nurse Ehling's Facebook posting? 3. Ethics of privacy in Smyth v. Pillsbury?
> 1. What are the primary arguments advanced by Justice Kennedy, writing for the majority, against the reasoning of the Austin case and against the restrictions of BCRA? What arguments does the dissent use in defending BCRA? 2. Summarize the differing view
> 1. Do you think Ronco did the right thing in sharing Nurse Ehling's wall posts with his supervisor? Once MONOC had access to the postings, do you think it did the right thing? 2. How did Judge Martini resolve Ehling's Stored Communication Act claim? Her
> 1. What are the advantages for the whistleblower to report internally as opposed to externally? To the organization? 2. According to the authors, what are the problems with organizational hotlines or “open-door” policies? 3. Under what circumstances do
> 1. What is civil society? What are the benefits of a thriving civil society? 2. What are the three main pillars of Public Service Motivation? 3. In explaining why public employees are more politically involved and more likely to vote than other employees
> 1. Where public employee speech is found to be pursuant to official duties, it lacks First Amendment protection. How does the majority argue in favor of this new requirement? What arguments do dissenters make for alternative methods of analysis? 2. What
> 1. According to the writer, a change in our law – a new duty to rescue – might change the way people think, heighten their awareness of one another as members of a community, and lead them to be more responsive to one another. Do you think law can have s
> 1. What happened in this case? If Yania couldn’t swim, then why did he jump? 2. Identify each of the arguments made by Yania's widow. For each, explain how the judge dealt with it. 3. According to the judge, Bigan would have been liable in this case und
> a. Do you agree with the author that there are significant downsides to this time of “The Great Privacy Give Away?” Explain. b. Consider the example of Congressman Weiner. Using the author’s arguments, how did his self-disclosures go against deontology?
> 1. Violated GINA scenarios? a. Predictive cancer gene: b. Family cancer: c. Medical leave documentation: d. Obituary: e. Drilling company and toxic chemicals: f. Mandated testing: 2. Fabricut and GINA 3. Discovering the identities of those in the Human
> Domestic workers who clean house and care for children, the elderly and disabled in private homes are among the most poorly paid American workers. Some 95 percent of them are women; 46 percent are immigrants. Research: Find out what efforts are being mad
> When Stephen Morris and Kelly McDaniel went to work for Ernst & Young they were required to sign agreements not to join with other employees in bringing legal claims against the company. Instead, they agreed to pursue any legal claims through individual
> Should NCAA players be allowed to organize and bargain collectively? Do you see any differences between basketball and football players at Division I schools like Ohio State University and the University of Alabama, and students who play on women's volle
> The FLSA exempts from its minimum wage/maximum hours laws people who provide "companionship services" (babysitters) and those who live in a home where they care for the elderly, ill, or disabled. According to a 2013 DOL regulation, this exemption would n
> In 2015, Abercrombie and Fitch stopped requiring workers to be on call for shifts that were frequently cancelled with little notice. Still, the New York Times reported in August of 2015 that the state attorney general was investigating 13 larger retailer
> 1. What is the legal basis of the challenge to the Idaho law? 2. Break down the judge’s analysis of Idaho’s challenge: (a) Does the Idaho law outlaw speech based on its content? (b) Was there a compelling reason for the law’s passage? Why/why not? (c) Wh
> Retailers that rely on software to track the flow of customers have been criticized for using that data to schedule their employees in uneven and unpredictable ways. Responding to public pressure, in 2014 Starbucks announced that it was revising the way
> Task Rabbit allows potential clients to post a job request and be matched with workers ("task rabbits") who are able and willing to do the job. Upwork is similar—but the projects are computer-based. Suppose Andi uses Upwork to accept a job creating a web
> In August 2016 Arizona became the first in the nation to pass a "Declaration of Independent Business Status," allowing, but not requiring, independent contractors to sign a statement acknowledging that they operate an independent business, are not entitl
> In 1998, Coca-Cola held a contest inviting high-school students to devise promotional ideas for the company. A prize of $500 would go to the school with the best PR strategy. Greenbriar High in Evans, Georgia, was the winner. On “Coke Day,” students were
> What role should advertisers play in reflecting and supporting a more inclusive society? (a) According to the 2010 census, mixed race marriages have grown by 28 percent over a decade, and a 2012 Pew Research study reveals that almost two-thirds of Ameri
> Will shoppers pay more for products that are marketed as sustainable, or manufactured in ways that are aligned with certain labor and social measurements? Recently, major clothing manufacturers have suffered considerable negative media exposure associate
> According to Pew Research, in 2011 the pharmaceutical industry spent more than $25 billion marketing to physicians. But at this point one in five doctors will not see pharmaceutical sales representatives in their offices, and the industry has turned to n
> In April 2016 Prevention Magazine announced that it would no longer take ads. Although in the traditional print magazine, advertisements are the lifeblood, Prevention anticipates saving money with this move, as it can cut its sales staff. The price of th
> What kind of legal challenge would each of these situations give rise to? Research: Find out what happened in each. (a) Uber ads state that its services are 30 percent cheaper than taxis. An Uber rider claims this is not true, and that the company fails
> In August 2015, Kim Kardashian posted to Instagram “OMG. Have you heard about this?” Pregnant herself at the time, she went on to enthusiastically recommend to her tens of millions of followers the drug Diclegis for morning sickness. What legal actions m
> 1. Who funds ALEC? What is its operating budget? What is its stated philosophy? What other legislative templates has ALEC drafted? 2. Who funds GAP? What is its operating budget? What is its stated philosophy? What kinds of initiatives is GAP now pursuin
> In 2012 the FTC laid out revised “green guides,” rules for claims that a product or process benefits the environment. These rules state that any organization issuing green certifications must be independent, and must disclose any “material connection” to
> In the spring of 2015, an ad posted throughout the London subway system created controversy. Designed to sell dietary supplements, it showed a very young, very thin model in a bright yellow bikini looking sexily at passengers, with the tag line, “Are you
> Most Americans support the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and want to see it strengthened. But some want it weakened or repealed. Find out why.
> Locate a shareholder resolution dealing with environmental issues. Did it make it onto the proxy statement for voting? If so, with what result?
> In 2016, dozens of Thai villagers sued their government for failing to consult, assess impacts and disclose information about the Xayaburi project to be built in neighboring Laos. Research: Find out what happened when the Supreme Administrative Court in
> There are more than 1,000 oil wells within the city limits of Los Angeles. Cancer rates and chronic health problems like headaches, asthma and nosebleeds are common in the communities where oil drilling goes on, often very near homes and playgrounds. Fin
> In 2016 federal district court Judge Skavdahl blocked the Obama administration’s Interior Department regulation on the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on public lands. The rule would have required compliance with federal safety standards, and woul
> Do you think divestment of fossil fuel stock by a college or university is an effective tool in the fight to address climate change? Who are the stakeholders in this situation? What ethical issues arise? Research: Find out the differing views on the dive
> In 2015 several of the most well-known global corporations--Walmart, Starbucks, Proctor & Gamble and Goldman Sachs, for example—announced they had set long-term goals to switch entirely to renewable energy. What would a free market ethicist like Milton F
> 1. How would the Sullivan case have been decided if New York had enacted this statute? How would Dr. Pierce have fared under it? Michael Winston? 2. What parts of this law seem to benefit employees? What parts of this law seem to benefit employers? 3.
> Find out whether the EPA has blocked the Aleknagik mine under the Clean Water Act.
> In 2015, the Obama administration completed its Clean Power Plan, requiring power plants to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by the year 2025. These rules, which will benefit companies that have made major investments in low ca
> OSHA has recently warned that companies should not automatically subject employees to post-injury drug testing, but rather should limit drug tests to situations where drug abuse likely caused the incident. What reasons could be given to defend OSHA's adv
> In October 2015, workers at Hansae Vietnam, a plant from which Nike sourced its university logo goods, went on strike. When the Workers Rights Coalition (WRC) sought access so that a monitoring organization could conduct an onsite investigation, Nike bal
> In March 2016, fast-food workers in 19 cities complained to OSHA that at MacDonald’s, the hot oil, steamy grills, greasy slippery floors, understaffing and pressure to work faster created unreasonably dangerous working conditions. The workers were in the
> Would you be willing to pay more for products purchased through Amazon to improve pay and labor conditions for its warehouse workers? Research: Have current low-end working conditions improved at Amazon?
> Baystate Medical Center in Massachusetts adopted a policy requiring all employees to either get a flu shot or wear a facemask over their nose and mouth while on duty. Clarke refused the vaccination on the basis of her religious beliefs. When she failed t
> How would you resolve the firearm dilemma? What legal issues should you consider? Has your state adopted laws that prohibit companies from banning firearms at work? Find a lawsuit challenging this law. How did the court rule?
> (a) In May, 2013 Hawaii became the second state to pass a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Find out if similar legislation is pending in your state. (b) See what you can find out about efforts to organize caretakers and other domestic workers into unions
> In 2010 California adopted the Transparency in Supply Chains Act. This law requires large retail sellers and manufacturers to disclose on their websites their "efforts to eradicate slavery and trafficking in their direct supply chains." In 2015, the U.K.
> 1. The Pierce majority announces a new “cause of action in New Jersey for wrongful discharge when the discharge is contrary to a clear mandate of public policy.” Yet Dr. Pierce lost this case. Why did the majority rule against her? 2. In dissent, Judge P
> The New York Times reported in 2015 on the nail salon business: respiratory and skin ailments are common among salon workers, and medical research links the chemicals used with serious health problems. Research: Find out if the media exposure has led to
> What impact might global slavery have on the health and safety conditions of ordinary workers?
> Title VII protects those who make claims against retaliation for asserting their rights. In 2016, the EEOC posted its first anti-retaliation guidance in more than eighteen years. Find out how the EEOC would answer the following questions: (a) When does e
> The French made international headlines during the summer 2016, when police accosted Muslim women who violated local bans by wearing full-body "burkinis" at the beach in Cannes. What do you think is behind these dress codes? Are they equivalent? Should t
> Schultz favors broad efforts to achieve integration and equality throughout a company over efforts to “sanitize the workplace” by eliminating all forms of sexuality. What do you think she means by this? Can you give examples?
> H-2B Program – who benefits and who is disadvantaged?
> Should employees have some voice in redefining qualities that make them valuable?
> (a) & (b) Pros and cons / should the USA adopt a similar rule? (c) Has the proposal been adopted?
> (a) Locate the 2016 report by the Joint Economic Committee Democratic Staff of the U.S. Congress and see what you can find out about your state, and the impact of the wage gap as women age. (b) Fair Pay Act and Paycheck Fairness Act (c) US Women’s Soccer
> In-state tuition for children of undocumented immigrants.
> 1. What was Sullivan’s legal argument? 2. What are the arguments of the dissent in this case? 3. What is ethically objectionable about “front-running?” 4. Murphy was an accountant in the financial department of a large company. He was fired after he dis
> (a). Who are the stakeholders in this situation? What ethical issues arise? How would a utilitarian view this? A deontologist? (b). What can you find out about the lawsuits this hack spawned? (c). Does Ashley Madison still exist? Is it flourishing?
> What are the ethical implications of this sea change in hiring practices?
> Can you find other laws that compel web sites to remove posts? How effective are the technological controls in this area? Does Snap chat really make posted photos disappear for good?
> San Bernardino Shooting and Apple Privacy - What are the tensions in this debate? Would a utilitarian say that Apple should help the FBI? A deontologist?
> (a). Is this kind of consent voluntary? Do an ethical analysis. (b). Do people always “like” a product or a service because they believe it is good? (c). What happened when another Facebook user, Angela Fraley, sued the company for its sponsored stories?
> (a). What happened in EEOC v. Flambeau, 131 F. Supp. 3d 849 (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, 2015). (b). In 2016 the EEOC published rules on this issue. What are they? (c). What can you find out about the ethical issues that su
> Analysis of census data revealed that by January 2016, work-at-home among the non-self-employed population had grown by 103% since 2005, and 3.7 million employees worked from home at least half the time. At the same time, there is a trend toward "homing
> Apple’s policy to not read employee emails - What might be the advantages and disadvantages of such policies from an employee's viewpoint? An employer's?
> (a). What has the National Workrights Institute been doing about this problem? (b). What is the Ban the Box movement? Has it had successes? Has the EEOC adopted its recommendation? (c). What would Milton Friedman say about hiring people who have served p
> Human resource research of job applicants: Which of these actions do you think would amount to intrusion? How ethical would each be? (a) Googling the applicant’s name (b) Requiring that the applicant “friend” the company, so it can access more informati
> 1. What does the writer mean by Nikefication? By Uberization? Who are the stakeholders as these models of the corporation shift? Which stakeholders benefit and which are harmed? 2. What does he mean by “the hapless precariat?” 3. When sued by drivers, co
> 1. Judge Parillo elaborates on several exceptions to the “no duty” rule. What are they? Which exception does he think might apply to the defendants in this case? 2. What are the four factors the judge uses to determine whether the defendants might be res
> Your daughter is currently eight years old. You anticipate that she will be going to college in 10 years. You would like to have $100,000 in a savings account to fund her education at that time. If the account promises to pay a fixed interest rate of 3%
> The Tillamook County Creamery Association manufactures Tillamook Cheddar Cheese. It markets this cheese in four varieties: aged 2 months, 9 months, 15 months, and 2 years. At the shop in the dairy, it sells 2 pounds of each variety for the following pric
> You are considering purchasing a warehouse. The cost to purchase the warehouse is $500,000. Renting the equivalent space costs $20,000 per year. If the annual interest rate is 6%, at what rate must rental cost increase each year to make the cost of renti
> You are shopping for a car and read the following advertisement in the newspaper: “Own a new Spitfire! No money down. Four annual payments of just $10,000.” You have shopped around and know that you can buy a Spitfire for cash for $32,500. What is the in
> Suppose you invest $2000 today and receive $10,000 in five years. a. What is the IRR of this opportunity? b. Suppose another investment opportunity also requires $2000 upfront, but pays an equal amount at the end of each year for the next five years. If
> Problem 45 is not very realistic because most retirement plans do not allow you to specify a fixed amount to contribute every year. Instead, you are required to specify a fixed percentage of your salary that you want to contribute. Assume that your start
> You have just turned 30 years old, have just received your MBA, and have accepted your first job. Now you must decide how much money to put into your retirement plan. The plan works as follows: Every dollar in the plan earns 7% per year. You cannot make
> You are 35 years old, and decide to save $5000 each year (with the first deposit one year from now), in an account paying 8% interest per year. You will make your last deposit 30 years from now when you retire at age 65. During retirement, you plan to wi
> You realize that the plan in Problem 42 has a flaw. Because your income will increase over your lifetime, it would be more realistic to save less now and more later. Instead of putting the same amount aside each year, you decide to let the amount that yo
> Suppose you take the 30-year mortgage described in Problem 39, part (a). How much will you still owe on the mortgage after 15 years? Data from Problem 39: You have just made an offer on a new home and are seeking a mortgage. You need to borrow $600,000
> When a pharmaceutical company develops a new drug, it often receives patent protection for that medication, allowing it to charge a higher price. Explain how this public policy of providing patent protection might help align the corporation’s interests w
> You have just made an offer on a new home and are seeking a mortgage. You need to borrow $600,000. a. The bank offers a 30-year mortgage with fixed monthly payments and an interest rate of 0.5% per month. What is the amount of your monthly payment if you
> You have decided to buy a perpetuity. The bond makes one payment at the end of every year forever and has an interest rate of 5%. If you initially put $1000 into the bond, what is the payment every year?
> Your credit card charges an interest rate of 2% per month. You have a current balance of $1000, and want to pay it off. Suppose you can afford to pay off $100 per month. What will your balance be at the end of one year?
