Objective- Explain the impact of ethical decisions on corporate governance, legal liability, management, marketing, accounting, technology, and public policy.
Assignment Overview:
Read the following case study articles and watch the videos about Huawei. Then, answer the Assignment Questions below. Refer to your text, articles, and course content in your answers. Cite your sources. Each answer should be about one paragraph in length. You may want to highlight the questions (below) and paste them directly onto a blank Word document. Answer the questions, save your work, and then upload your completed assignment to the D2L Assignment dropbox. View the Written Assignment Rubric for a guideline of grading expectations.
Most U. S. citizens have never heard of Huawei, a multinational technology firm based in Shenzhen, China that provides telecommunications equipment and sells consumer electronics, including smartphones. However, in the last two years, this company has taken center stage as a trade war between the United States and China heats up. For years, experts have warned that the Chinese government is using Huawei’s connection with western companies to steal intellectual property that is being used to vastly expand China’s domestic surveillance and “hack” or infiltrate US government sites. What are they “surveying”? From Chinese Muslims who are being funneled into “re-education” camps, to citizens who may be considered subversive, the government of China has been aggressively spying on its citizens as well as the United States. If all this is true, is it ethical for the Chinese to have access to western technological property? Should the US government impose strict tariffs on all high-tech goods?
Readings:
Huawei Accused of ‘Theft and Dubious Ethics’ — But That’s Not the Worst of it (Forbes, May 25, 2019)
Huawei’s European Customers Are Put on Hold by U.S. Ban (NYT, May 24, 2019)
Huawei’s Ban Threatens Wireless Service in Rural Areas (NYT, May 25, 2019)
Huawei Takes Legal Action (CNBC, May 29, 2019)
Videos:
From the 60 Minutes archives: Huawei | 13:38
Transcript
Why The US Thinks Huawei Is A National Security Threat | 4:53
Google Bars Huawei from Android Updates | CBS News (May 20, 2019) | 3:36
Assignment Questions and Instructions:
Corporate governance broadly refers to the mechanisms, relations, and processes by which a corporation is controlled and is directed. It involves balancing the many interests of the stakeholders of a corporation. This particular case has MANY stakeholders. List four very critical stakeholders with the most interest in the outcome of tariffs on Huawei.
Describe the most recent legal action taken by Huawei. In a paragraph, explain whether or not you believe it is legal for the US to ban government agencies from purchasing Huawei products.
The management of Huawei has never confirmed that its technology is used for spying. However, if this is true, what are the ethical implications?
In a few sentences, describe whether or not you believe Huawei will be able to recover from the bad press.
Huawei has refocused its marketing to third-world countries. If the claims of computer-hacking and spying are true, what are the ethical implications of entering lesser developed countries?
If Huawei loses their case, and the US is able to ban all government projects from ever purchasing Huawei products, how might this affect US public policy going forward?
Format: Type your assignment writing a paragraph addressing each of the required areas. Use one-inch margins and 12-point Arial font (double-spaced). In addition, the length of the paper and analysis should not be more than 4 pages. Cite your sources using APA format .
Use of References/Sources: Use the assigned materials for this assignment and if needed – other primary, legitimate sources for your research (i.e. major news websites, newspapers, journals, books, etc.). Some examples are Newsweek, N.Y. Times, Washington Post, Forbes, BusinessWeek, etc. If you have any concern whether a source is legitimate then either check with the instructor, campus librarian, or do not use it. Do not use Wikipedia as a primary source.