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.

While research suggests ethical businesses have better performance, there is also an alternate view. Many businesspeople think ethics and social responsibility require resources that do not contribute to profits, and time spent in ethics training could be better used for other business activities.