The purpose of this activity is to get students to realize that there are no easy answers to many of these issues. Have students partner up for this activity. Each student should select one of the opposing viewpoints and engage in a brief debate within their pair groups. Online research is welcome, or students can pull from personal knowledge experience. Once students have completed this activity, ask them to share their answers with the larger group and conduct an instructor-led debrief. Students will find the debate is not black-and-white.

Trust is the foundation of ethics and the glue that holds relationships together. The Edelman Trust Barometer study showed highly trusted companies (those with ability, integrity, dependability, and purpose) outperformed their sector’s stock performance by 5 percent. Consumers want to purchase from firms they trust, and unethical conduct can erode trust in the brand.