Ethics Report
Ethics Report
Description:
The ethics report is a written assignment specific to 333T, but it is designed to help you analyze an ethical dilemma facing the type of corporation or government agency you may be working with in the future. Ideally, your research and findings will enable you to contribute thoughtfully to current professional conversations about public safety and environmental protection. In the ethics report, you will evaluate a corporation’s (or government agency’s) response to a problem or a challenge. Part of the report should focus on a technical aspect of the challenge, but that part should be clear to an educated, non-technical reader.
Your report should be logically organized, clearly written, and professionally presented. It should offer a well-informed evaluation of the corporation’s response. To help you organize your evaluation, you may follow one of Joseph Weiss’s models for Evaluating Corporate Ethics.
Format:
The ethics report is a formal report that includes 7-9 sections. Two sections, the glossary and appendices, are optional:
Cover: The cover page includes the title of your report, your name, the names of your instructor and TA, the name of the class, and the semester.
Abstract: The Cover is followed by an Abstract, which summarizes the report and its conclusions.
Table of Contents: The contents page gives the major headings and subheadings in your report. If applicable, include a List of Tables and a List of Figures.
Introduction: The introduction states the purpose of the report, explains why the research is important, gives essential background, and maps the report.
Discussion: The discussion presents your work, logically organizing and evaluating your material. Headings and subheadings reflect the organization.
You should include at least one illustration in your technical section.
Conclusion: The conclusion also evaluates the material, but as part of an overview. The conclusion also poses questions that cannot be resolved given the constraints of time and resources.
Glossary (optional): The glossary defines terms unfamiliar to your audience.
References: References give credit to words, ideas, and illustrations you use in your text. (The references need to be annotated.)
Appendices (optional): Appendices give background or secondary information that may interest readers.
Length:
For ONE writer, the text (Introduction, Discussion, and Conclusion) of the report itself should have 3000-4000 words, or approximately 12-15 pages using a font like Times 12. More is not necessarily better. Do not exceed 16 pages of text.
For a team of TWO, the text (Introduction, Discussion, and Conclusion) of the report itself should have 4100-5100 words, or approximately 16-18 pages using a font like Times 12. Do not exceed 19 pages of text.