Exam 8: Ethical Issues Regarding the Natural Environment

: According to Denis Arnold and Keith Bustos, the consensus of scientific work on global climate change is that we have yet to accumulate sufficient evidence to suggest it is a real phenomenon.

Stuart Hart's Bottom of the Pyramid strategy (BoP)is a creative way to appeal to unprofitable businesses around the globe.

According to Norman Bowie in "Money, Morality and Motor Cars," business has no special obligation to stop polluting above its natural limits.

Explain Bowie's argument in "Money, Morality and Motor Cars" regarding businesses' obligations to the natural environment. Then explain Interface's business model as outlined in the case study, "Interface Corporation and Sustainable Business". What would Bowie say about the actions of Interface

Differentiate, according to Alan Holland in "Sustainability", the concepts of "natural" and "human-made" capital.

The case study "Maintaining a Seat at the Table: The Shell Group" explains in detail why Shell rejects the idea that anthropogenic climate change is real.

Denis Arnold and Keith Bustos, in "Business Ethics and Global Climate Change", suggest the U.S. adopt which of the following public policy recommendations

In "Morality, Money, and Motor Cars", Norman Bowie suggests that businesses don't go the extra mile for green and/or sustainable products because consumers often reject green products as too expensive or too much trouble.

Evaluate "the Green Leap", the crux of Stuart Hart's argument in "Taking the Green Leap at the Base of the Pyramid". Be sure to include which of his two major types of sustainability efforts is in line with his argument and the steps toward execution of his strategy.

Arnold and Bustos highlight that much of the skepticism of climate change comes from business interests. As shown in the case study, "Ethics and sustainability at Alcoa: A Symbiotic Relationship", Alcoa is a company that does not work to fight climate change regulation and instead seeks to enforce and enact it.

Norman Bowie argues that special obligations of business are unnecessary and that environmentalists need simply insist that businesses follow the laws.

Alan Holland cites the interests of multinational corporations as a main impediment toward sustainability efforts. What can you recommend to move corporations toward more sustainable development.Would you lean toward a more regulation, market, or morality centered argument.Support your argument by integrating and evaluating other authors in this chapter or in previous chapters.

U.S. consumers make use of a disproportionate level of atmospheric resources, so the harm caused to non-U.S. citizens will be disproportionate to their use of atmospheric resources.

Briefly interpret what Alan Holland means in "Sustainability" when he suggests we measure sustainable development with economic models.

Hawken, Lovins, and Lovins describe today's capitalism to have emerged in a time when labor was scare and natural capital was abundant whereas today labor is abundant while natural capital is depleting.

Hawkens, Lovin, and Lovin proclaim modern day capitalism as a "financially profitable, nonsustainable aberration in human development." Describe both the tenets of their notion of natural capitalism and the strategies designed to work toward such a society.

Stuart Hart asserts that the current sustainability market has largely focused on large scale efforts and technology with hopes of trickle down effects that have been ineffective.

Norman Bowie argues that business has what sort of obligation to consumers

Denis Arnold and Keith Bustos would compare the tobacco industry to global climate change skeptics as part of a similar "industry of denial".

Hawken, Lovins, and Lovins suggest that an economy needs four types of capital to function. Names these four types of capital and define them.