Immoral and unnecessary or moral and useful?
You may use the paper to argue in support of one side of an ethical issue. If so, then you should not only find
substantial arguments in support of that position, but also substantial arguments against that position. In other
words, try to show that your position successfully withstands strong criticism. Alternatively, you might want to
explore an ethical issue without taking a firm stance on either side. In that case, also, find substantial
arguments on both sides, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. It may help to ask yourself as you
read: What sort of ethical argument is this? Is it consequentialist or nonconsequentialist? Has the author
anticipated serious objections to his/her argument? Are the ethical principles assumed or advocated by the
author likely to conflict in some situations? Are any significant ethical principles ignored? If the argument
depends in part on empirical studies, are they strong ones, or do they ignore important evidence? Is what the
author proposes realistic in economic or business terms? (These questions are meant to be suggestive, not
mandatory or exhaustive.)
Be very careful to avoid plagiarism. You must cite your sources everywhere in your paper where you use their
ideas, and not only when you quote them directly but also where you paraphrase their points in your own
words. In general, you should only use direct quotes when you find the authors’ wording to be especially
effective. But your paraphrasing or summaries of authors’ points should be thorough: it’s not fair to an author to
change only a couple of words in a paragraph of his/hers and then imply (by not using direct quotes) that the
paragraph is entirely your own prose.