Imagine you have been hired as an ethics consultant to analyze the conflicts in the situation and apply normative ethical theories to present recommendations for the company’s action.
Scenario 2
A renewable energy company called WestWind plans to begin construction of a large wind farm on a recently acquired 10,000-acre plot in northeastern Kansas. The wind farm will replace a regional coal-fired energy plant and reduce annual carbon emissions by more than 90%, but it will eliminate 175 jobs at the coal plant. Local indigenous tribes have protested that the land is part of their ancestral homes, traditional hunting grounds, and cultural identities. WestWind must decide whether to continue with construction of the wind farm or sell or return the land back to the indigenous peoples who claim it. If they decide to move forward with the wind farm, they must decide whether to offer preferred employment status to indigenous peoples and/or workers from the former regional coal plant. The company is also concerned about the impact on their bottom line. How will critics and watchdog groups interpret these choices, and how will that public conversation impact the company’s public image and market share?
In a 4 page scholarly paper appropriate for a professional audience, complete the following:
1.
Analyze the relationships between different components of the ethical issue(s) in the scenario.
2.
Analyze the relationships between the primary interest(s) of at least three stakeholders in the scenario.
3.
Evaluate the company’s social responsibility in this scenario by applying either Milton Friedman’s shareholder theory or R. Edward Freeman’s stakeholder theory.
· Explain the relevant gaps or deficiencies of the theory you chose not to apply.
4.
Apply a traditional theory of normative ethics to justify the company’s social responsibility in this scenario.
· Explain the relevant gaps or deficiencies of another normative theory you chose not to apply.
