Goldman Sachs Case Study #2: Transparency, marketing, and deceptive practices.
This could include outright illegal actions, such as theft of intellectual property, fraud, and false accounting practices, but
also more subtle forms of dishonesty such as hiding internally known negative health or environmental impacts,
manipulating political representatives, or interfering with the democratic process, journalism, or peer review in academia.
OR You could look into the impact of your corporation’s contemporary and historical advertising. Research
misrepresentations and manipulation, as well as the use of stereotypical images. Different industries will favor different
approaches.
____ 1000+ words or 4-5 pages per essay (excludes works cited page)
____ Complete, best effort to address every section of the prompt
____ Meets ‘skilled’ college-level standards of composition (see Rubric in D2L)
____ Uses best available sources in terms of credibility, accuracy, currency, and relevance (See guidelines in D2L)
____ Essays are submitted according to guidelines below, formatting and bibliography consistent with MLA style.
____ Include works cited page
Required sections within Case Studies
I. Corporate record on issue
Provide an overview of the corporation’s record on the issue, the major ethical challenges and opportunities that a reader
evaluating the corporation should know. Highlight successes and failures. How does the corporation compare to others in
the same industry? What did you learn in your research that surprised you?
II. Corporate responses to problems or dilemmas
What solutions or responses has the corporation developed?
III. Critics’ suggestions and demands
Overview the specific standards and practices that have been suggested by critics, such as researchers and journalists, public
interest groups, and directly impacted parties, such as employees or local communities. These could be demands made to
the corporation or industry, the consumer, or to governmental offices and regulators for oversight or accountability.
IV. Evaluation
Did any of the solutions seem preferable to you (this is just to the best of your knowledge—it is fine if you don’t know
enough to say)? Be specific about what you know that informs your opinions.
V. Reflection and remaining questions
How difficult was it to learn about this issue? Why was it difficult (complexity, cover-ups, poor reporting)? How did you
find the best research? Name specific resources or describe search strategies. What are your remaining questions? What do
you need to learn to have a better understanding?
