Since he is the world’s wealthiest man, it is not surprising
that Bill Gates is the subject of much controversy. As a businessman, he has
been described as brilliant and innovative on one hand but also as ruthless and
cutthroat in his business practices. Criticisms have included both the
atmosphere he created in the workplace as well as the tactics he has used to
try to beat his competitors. And while some have questioned the tactics he used
to become the world’s richest man, he is also donating a huge portion of his
fortune to charity. But his charitable activity has also been criticized as he
brings some of his business management style to his charity work.
You won’t have any trouble finding articles about Bill
Gates, but try to find several articles both positive and negative about him
and a balance of information both about how he has run Microsoft and how he has
run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or other charities. Compare and
contrast what you’ve read about him with the various virtues and vices that you
read about in the background readings such as Brusseau (2012) and Velasquez et
al. (2008). Think carefully about which virtues and vices apply to Gates’
business and charitable activities.
There is plenty of information on Bill Gates out there, but
here are a few articles to get you started on your research that will give you
some idea of the controversies surrounding the man:
McCullough, J. (n.d.) Bill Gates. Americans that matter.
Retrieved from
http://www.americansthatmatter.com/bill-gates/
McIlvaine, A. (2016, February 4). Bill Gates’ ruthless
management style of yore. HRE Daily. Retrieved from
http://blog.hreonline.com/2016/02/04/bill-gates-ruthless-management-style-of-yore/
Piller, C. (2014, August 24). How the Gates Foundation’s
investments are undermining its own good works. The Nation. Retrieved from
https://www.thenation.com/article/how-gates-foundations-investments-are-undermining-its-own-good-works/
Case Assignment
After doing some research on Bill Gates, choose at least two
virtues and at least once vice that are mentioned in Brusseau (2012) or
Velasquez et al. (2008). Also, make sure to thoroughly review the materials on
critical thinking in the background readings. It is very important to use
critical thinking in this paper, especially for Question 2. Once you have
finished your research on Bill Gates and are clear on what critical thinking
is, write a 4- to 5-page paper with the following:
State the virtues and vices that you will focus on, and give
the definitions of these virtues or vices using a reputable online dictionary
(e.g., http://www.merriam-webster.com/). Note that this part of the assignment
doesn’t require much critical thinking – you are just giving some definitions.
Using a section heading for discussion of each of your
chosen virtues or vice, discuss how each virtue/vice applies to some ethical
issue raised in your readings about Bill Gates. For example, you might want to
describe how Bill Gates lived up to these virtues or vices or how he might have
better handled a situation through use of one of these virtues. This is the
main part of the assignment and requires a lot of critical thinking. Don’t just
summarize information, instead explain based on the definition of each virtue
and vice how they apply to Bill Gates. And use information from the articles to
support the article. Don’t just blindly summarize information from the
articles, instead point out how specific actions by Bill Gates embody or not
embody the virtues and vices you have chosen to discuss. And remember to divide
your paper into clear sections with headings based on each of the virtues and
vices you are discussing.
Conclude your paper with one or two paragraphs giving your
overall evaluation of Bill Gates and his ethics. Any final thoughts on why a
“cutthroat” or “ruthless” business man also became one of the world’s most
generous philanthropists?
Assignment Expectations
Be sure to use at least two sources from the library to
support your discussion and analysis (choose sources that are not included in
the Background section of Module 2).
Follow The Student Guide to Writing a High Quality Academic
Paper guide.
Don’t forget to properly cite your sources—both in-text and
as end references!
You are expected to demonstrate evidence of critical
thinking—as defined in the readings above on critical thinking and the grading
rubric. Remember that this means your paper should not be just a summary of the
articles and book chapters that you read, but rather an expression of your own
opinions and analysis.
SLP 2
For this assignment, first choose a controversial ethical
issue that interests you. This can be any controversial ethical issue as long
as you can find articles expressing opposing opinions on this issue. This issue
could be something from the business world such as drug-testing of employees,
Facebook gathering private information from their users, etc. Or you can also
choose other controversial issues such stem cell research, the death penalty,
etc. The purpose of this assignment is to apply some of the concepts of
critical thinking and argumentative writing from the background readings to an
ethical issue of your choice.
Once you have chosen the issue you want to write about, find
at least three articles on this issue including two articles that take opposing
views on this issue. Then write a 2- to 3-page paper that makes an
argumentative in favor of a position on this issue. You should not just summarize
the articles you found. Instead, choose the viewpoint you wish to argue in
favor of and use the information to support your point of view. Use the
template from the Classic Model for an Argument reading in the background
materials.
You don’t need to worry about whether or not your professor
agrees with your point of view. What you do need to focus on though is whether
or not your paper is just a summary of information (in which case your
professor will not give you a high grade) or is a genuine argumentative paper
where you make a solid case for your point of view on one side or the other of
a controversial issue. Your grade will be based on the quality of your
arguments and your ability to analyze rather than just summarize information
that you find.
SLP Assignment Expectations
· Be sure to cite articles in favor of each of the two sides
of the controversial issue you are writing about. Don’t choose a topic unless
you can find articles supporting both sides of the issue. You should cite at
least three articles total.
Follow the guidelines in The Student Guide to Writing a High
Quality Academic Paper
You are expected to demonstrate evidence of critical
thinking—as defined in the Module 2 background materials and the grading
rubric.
Save your completed paper, and upload your assignment before
the due date.
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