- In the COVID19 Pandemic, Australian state governments imposed minimum legal requirements for
businesses to manage the health risks of COVID19 to their employees and customers, such as social
distancing in store and sometimes mandatory use of masks.
Explain why business might have ethical obligations in managing COVID19 safely that go beyond these legal
requirements. Your answer should explain two differences between ethics and the law, and give an example of
how each difference might apply in this case. - In 2021, two beach volleyball stars decided to boycott a tournament held in Qatar over a requirement that
women competitors wear long shirts and pants while competing ‘out of respect for the culture and traditions of
the host country’. Read the following article on this case and then answer the questions below:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/feb/22/qatar-beach-volleyball-bikini-ban-karla- borger-boycott
Consider how a relativist and universalist would assess whether it is ethical for the organisers of this
tournament to impose dress standards on competitors. Your answer should:
2A. Explain the main differences between relativist and universalist approaches to ethics
; and
2B. Illustrate these differences in how a universalist and relativist would analyse the ethical issue in this case. - In 2021, Facebook temporarily blocked users from accessing Australian news sites via their site, in protest
against Australian government legislation to compel Facebook to pay news organisations for the articles that
Facebook users distribute. Read the following article on this case and then answer the questions below:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-18/facebook-to-restrict-sharing-or-viewing-news-in- australia/13166208
3A. Explain what makes an action ethical according to utilitarians and at least one argument for this view.
3B. Outline at least two benefits and two harms in this case that a utilitarian would consider in their analysis of
Facebook’s actions.
3C. In light of your answer in 5B, explain how a utilitarian would assess the ethics of Facebook’s actions in this
case overall? - As the COVID19 vaccine becomes more widely available, experts have discussed whether employers
should be able to compel workers to accept a vaccine. Read the following article to answer the questions
below [Note: Remember ethics is not just about what is legally allowed or required]
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/bosses-have-the-power-to-force-employees-to-take- the-vaccineexperts-20210101-p56r64.html
4A. According to Kant, what determines whether an action is right or wrong?
Helpful source: "Self-Legislation and Self-Command in Kant's Ethics
4B. Outline at least two rights or duties that employers may have in this case, and at least two rights or duties
workers in this case might have.
4C. Briefly explain Kant’s ‘categorical imperative’. Choose one right or duty in your answer to question 4B, and
explain how this would either meet or not meet the requirements of Kant’s categorical imperative. - Read the article below on the continued rise in CEO pay in the banking sector after the Royal Commission
into Misconduct in Banking and Financial Services, and then answer the following questions:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/sep/17/australian-ceo-bonuses-at-near- record-highsdespite-royal-commission
5A. How does a virtue ethicist decide whether an action is ethical or unethical?
5B. How would a virtue ethics approach to whether CEOs are paid too much be different from the utilitarian
approach Moriarty?
Helpful source: Moriarty, J. (2005), "Do CEOs Get Paid Too Much?", Business Ethics Quarterly, Vol. 15 No. 2,
pp. 257-281.
5C. Provide your own analysis of whether CEOs are paid too much from a virtue ethics standpoint. Your
answer should consider at least 2 virtues, and 2 vices, that might be relevant, and explain why a virtue ethicist
would think these are important
Sample Solution