MBOE7183 Business Ethics Assignment: Global Compliance, Ethical Marketing & COO Responsibilities In Emerging

MBOE7183 QUESTION 1

Adam have been recently appointed as the Chief Operation Officer (COO) of a fast-growing multinational technology startup that is expanding into markets in Asia, Africa, and South America. The company has faced several allegations of unethical labor practices, environmental negligence, and data privacy violations in its new markets.

Adam’s task is to design an actionable, context-sensitive framework for establishing internal ethical safeguards that:

• Respects cultural diversity and local regulations.
• Ensures cross-border consistency in ethical standards.
• Builds a sustainable, self-reinforcing ethical culture among employees, including remote and contract workers.

Adam meets you to seek for official guidance on:

• Identify three specific ethical risks the company faces in these new markets.
• Propose two concrete internal safeguards per ethical risk that address both immediate compliance and long-term ethical culture building.
• Explain how you would implement, communicate, and measure the effectiveness of these safeguards, considering resource limitations and resistance to change.
• Advise Adam on his rights and liabilities as COO under the Malaysian law regarding the unethical labor practices, environmental negligence, and data privacy violations in its new markets. Support your answer with relevant legal principles, statutory provisions and recent relevant case law.

MBOE7183 QUESTION 2

You are the Chief Ethics Officer (CEO) of a global food and beverage corporation that is about to launch a new line of ‘health-focused’ snack products. Internal market research reveals that while these products meet legal nutritional labeling standards, independent lab tests show they contain trace levels of ingredients linked to potential long-term health risks, which are currently under scientific investigation but not yet regulated.

At the same time, the marketing team plans to promote these products aggressively using phrases like ‘100% Healthy,’ ‘Boosts Immunity,’ and ‘Doctor Recommended,’ supported by selective scientific studies that show only short-term benefits.

You are faced with a dilemma:

• Proceed with the planned marketing campaign to capitalize on the emerging health trend and maintain quarterly profit targets, OR
• Intervene and potentially redesign the campaign or even delay the launch, risking financial losses and shareholder backlash.
• In the absence of clear legal restrictions but in the presence of ethical uncertainty, develop a comprehensive decision-making framework for this situation, considering the following:
• Identify and explain at least three key ethical principles or theories relevant to this case.
• Apply these principles to critically evaluate both possible courses. Present your reasoning and potential short- and long-term consequences.
• Conclude by recommending a course of action that aligns with ethical marketing and consumer protection values. Justify your
• recommendation using real-world examples or business precedents where possible.