Second Essay Assignment: Philosophy 2074F
Essay topics
For the second paper you can write on any of the themes we investigated following your first paper. These themes include, international sweatshops, distributive justice, advertising, employee rights and worker safety. Here are some broad suggestions or prompts for essay topics:
- Are multinational corporations obligated to pay a living wage when doing business internationally? Discuss with reference to the papers by Maitland and Donaldson
- Libertarians and liberals disagree over what constitutes a just distribution of wealth. With reference to the papers by Nozick and Rawls critically assess the question regarding whether redistributive taxation is just. (You can also bring Locke and Marx into the analysis.)
- How much information is an advertiser obligated to disclose to a customer in selling a product? Discuss with reference to Carr, Machan and Arrington?
- Does advertising violate consumer autonomy? Discuss with reference to Arrington and Kilbourne. (You can also bring Payne into the discission).
- Do you think the employment at will doctrine is morally justified? Discuss with reference to Epstein and Werhane.
- Do employees have a right to occupational safety? Discuss with reference to Machan and Spurgin.
Instructions and criteria of assessment
You must draw from at least 2 authors in addressing one of the above essay topics. The idea is to write an argumentative essay, whereby you:
(i) State your thesis explicitly (‘My goal in this paper is to…’).
(ii) Explicate the text (identifying, contrasting, and discussing the arguments made by the authors you are examining, and which relate to your thesis).
(iii) Provide analysis (with a view to supporting your thesis)
The paper should be double spaced, 6 pages long, and it is due on June 10.
Here are some questions (guidelines) you should keep in mind in writing your paper:
Does your paper have a clearly articulated thesis?
Is the thesis supported by arguments?
Are these arguments logically structured?
Do you make use of the primary texts in defending your thesis?
Have you anticipated potential criticisms of your position and demonstrated why your position is superior to rival interpretations?
Is your writing clear and to the point?
Is your writing technically flawless, free of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors?
Do you have proper documentation in a consistent style?
Please note that you must submit your paper to the assignment tab on OWL.
Solution
Are Multinational Corporations Obligated to Pay a Living Wage When Doing Business Internationally?
In recent years, multinational corporations have come under fire for engaging in exploitative labor practices in their international business operations. Critics argue that the desire for profits has caused many multinational corporations, or MNCs, to neglect their obligation to pay a living wage while doing business internationally. The aim of this paper is to discuss the arguments which provide evidence that multinational corporations (MNCs) are morally obligated to pay a living wage when doing business internationally. To this end, the arguments presented in Ian Maitland’s article, “The Great Non-Debate over International Sweatshops”, and Thomas Donaldson’s article, “Values in Tension: Ethics Away from Home” will be evaluated and contrasted. Through considering the views of both authors, it will be shown that MNCs are, indeed, obligated to ensure a living wage is provided to the employees working for them in developing countries. Unlike domestic wages, wages in developing countries have not kept pace with increased corporate profits from business abroad, making it especially difficult for those working in industries such as the apparel and footwear industry to make a living wage. Maitland argues that multinational corporations are exploiting labor in third world countries by taking advantage of cheap labor and lack of sufficient enforcement of laws in…Please click on the Icon below to purchase the full answer at only $10