Corporate Governance and Unethical Activity
Corporate Governance and Unethical Activity (Case Study) [WLOs: 1, 3] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 5]
Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read Chapter 10: Ethical Decision Making: Corporate Governance, Accounting, and Finance in Hartman et al. (2021).
Throughout the early part of the 21st century, we became aware of numerous scandals associated with major U.S. corporations. In some cases financial fraud, mismanagement, criminality, and deceit were tolerated at high levels of corporate governance. People have grown weary of hearing about another corporation caught up in unethical business practices, leading to public distrust and skepticism about the integrity of business leaders.
In this discussion forum, you will research a case study of an organizational scandal during the first part of the 21st century. You can choose Enron, Barclays Bank, or other examples from Chapter 10 of Hartman et al. (2021) or elsewhere, but do not cover the examples in the other assignments for the week (i.e., Volkswagen or IKEA). In an initial post of at least 350 words and citing at least two scholarly, peer-reviewed resources,
Investigate why the corporate governance of the organization was susceptible to unethical activities. Speculate as to which interests were being served and what conflicts of interest might have occurred.
Discuss which ethical theory supports your explanation of the ethical wrongdoing of the organization. Support your explanation with specific aspects of utilitarianism, deontology, or virtue ethics.
Considering the environment of the organization, identify changes that could be made in the organization to help prevent future susceptibilities to unethical activities.
Inspect the internal control environment of the organization to identify areas of compliance or oversight that could use more attention and resources to prevent ethical misdeeds.
Answer preview to Corporate Governance and Unethical Activity
APA
660 words