What role do ethics play in the discussion surrounding providing all employees a living wage?

There is an ongoing political debate about the usefulness of legislating a living wage. The federal government addresses the issue to some extent through minimum wage guidelines. However, many cities move beyond this and legislate a living wage that allows people to pay for necessities and have enough money to live above the poverty level. I don’t believe anyone would argue that it is good that people who work still live in poverty. Although, we could get into a discussion about the value of the job they do for the organization. Some would argue that there is a need for employees that live below the poverty level to increase their overall skill sets to increase their value to their organization, leading to a higher pay scale. In this activity, we will discuss the complex arguments surrounding a living wage movement.

• Use the EC Library Business Research Guides to locate an article that addresses issues associated with business and the responsibility to provide employees a living wage. This article can be a peer-reviewed research-based journal article or a magazine or newspaper story.

Next, reflect upon the following:

• Choose the most applicable ethics theory and apply it to the issue described in the article. What do you see as critical to a strong solution that this theory ignores?
• How does the choice of approach (based on theory) impact the decisions made by organizational leaders related to providing all employees a living wage? Put yourself in the role of the organizational leaders.

Address the following in your primary discussion post:

• What role do ethics play in the discussion surrounding providing all employees a living wage? What negative effects are there when government legislates a minimum wage and a living wage?
• Are businesses responsible for providing a living wage regardless of the value of the job?

One of the considerations when participating in course discussions is to keep an open mind and be appreciative of the fact that we don’t all share the same perspective. Ethical issues can many times bring emotion to the surface. Work to take a step back and use this as a learning experience about both yourself and others that you might work with on a daily basis.

Your responses to the discussion questions should relate the assigned readings and viewings to the discussion topic and should not consist only of personal opinion. Your opinion is important to the discussion, but it is also important that you add connections to the material to support your views. Without a foundation in the literature, your opinion has little professional value. For example, “Based on Trevino and Nelson’s stance that cultural relativism creates an environment where unethical behavior is justified through the cultural discourse (year, P#), the discussion should center around……” This type of statement allows you to connect your views to the literature. This is possible even when you are providing personal examples.

Post your primary response on the discussion board. These responses should address the points listed above and connect directly to the theories as a foundation for your views.