Business Ethics is more than just the study of theoryit is the recognition that the day to day actions of business leaders have consequences. Identify a major corporation that was in the news over the past twelve months for a major ethical failure. Read several articles about both the rise and the fall of this company before undertaking the assignment below.

The steps you must take are listed below. See your textbook for additional ideas and thoughts on this topic:

1. Identify a company that has had a recent ethical failure. 

What intrigues you about this specific company? What was the company known for before the problem? How would you describe its culture? Was it generally well regarded?

Example: Enron was known for hiring the best and brightest before it collapsed under systemic financial fraud. It had a culture of aggressive risk taking and was considered a complicated company with a difficult to understand financial model. It was envied by most of its competitors.

Procedure: Decide on a topic you all find interesting.

Product: You must write 1 page explaining the company you chose, its culture and how it was regarded before it had its ethical failure.

2. Review the literature. 
Read 2-3 articles written before the scandal to give you a sense of how difficult it can be at times to see a cultural failure before it is exposed publically. Then read 2-3 articles written after the scandal to give you a sense of the full arc of the companys rise and fall.

Example: For example, there were several laudatory articles written about Enron right up until it collapsed. Many of these authors admitted that they did not exactly understand how Enron made money but they applauded the company nonetheless. The articles written after the company failed tried to identify why the company failed. Could an astute reader have picked up on any of these signals before the collapse?

Procedure: The Potomac College Library provides access to over 3,400 periodical titles through its database. (Read your course syllabus or contact the library for more information.) Read at least 2 articles related to your topic from before the collapse of the company and one article from after the collapse.

Product: You must write a 2-3-paragraph summary of each article your team reads. Your summary must tell what the article is about, convey its findings, and explain how the information relates to your topic.

SUMMARY:

1 page about your corporate topic;

2-3 paragraphs per article describing your findings

APA format (including bibliography)

Assignment Instructions: