For this assignment, make sure you post your initial response to the Discussion Area by the due date assigned.

Respond to the following questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the readings.

You should use brief headings to separate your post into the four sections.

Assume you are a manager of a large heavy equipment manufacturing company.  Your company currently outsources the manufacturing of a specialized piece of equipment to a firm in another country overseas. The outsourcing of this piece of equipment has saved your organization a considerable amount of money and has increased profits by 15%.  

A recent newspaper article has revealed that this overseas firm is paying their employees only a few dollars a day, and their employees often work long hours.  While you are not the only company that uses this firm, your company was specifically named in the newspaper article.  You have been asked by your CEO to make a decision on whether or not to continue to do business with this firm.

Select one of the following bullet points for your initial post:

• Discuss the ethics of continuing to do business with this firm.  In this discussion evaluate the economic, legal and ethical issues. Describe how a written code of ethics might impact your decision.
• Describe any factors you would consider in making a decision to continue or discontinue doing business with this organization. Include any factors that might seem relevant but are not actually relevant.
• State the process you would follow to make your decision, provide your decision, and explain the decision-making style you have used.
• Prepare a SWOT analysis of your decision.

The final paragraph (three or four sentences) of your initial post should summarize the one or two key points that you are making in your initial response.

Your posting should be the equivalent of 1 to 2 single-spaced pages (500–600 words) in length.

Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible. Respond to at least two of your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between two or more lines of reasoning in the discussion. Complete your participation for this assignment by the end of the week.