9, 10, 11 - SDG, Biases, Law

Question 1

What are sustainable development goals?

Answer 1

made by UN

• worlds largest corporate sustainability initiative
• based on: human rights, labour, environments, anti-corruption

Question 2

CSV

Answer 2

Business model that enhances the competitiveness of a company while simultaneously advancing the economic and social conditions in the communities in which it operates

Long-term, sustainable approach that takes societal and environmental needs into account

Focus: abundance & innovation (not scarcity & protection)

Approach “baked-into” DNA of company

Question 3

How can companies CSV?

Answer 3

1. reconceive products and markets (i.e. Clorox GreenWorks)
2. redefine productivity in value chain (i.e. Walmart Sustainable trucking)
3. enable local cluster development (i.e. starbucks 10k refugees)

Question 4

Fallacies (4)

Answer 4

Faulty, logically unsound deceptive arguments

STRAW MAN – criticizes a distorted version of an opponent’s argument (put words in their mouth)

Ad hominem – (“To the Man”) Criticizes the person rather than the person’s argument

Argument from TRADITION – we should do because it has always been done

Argument from POPULARITY – argues we should believe or do something simply because it is popular (bandwagon)

FALSE DILEMMA - argues there are only two options and we must choose one

Question 5

Cognitive Biases

Answer 5

Well-researched patterns of faulty reasoning

Framing effect – how a question is framed strongly influences answer

False consensus effect - we tend to overestimate how much others agree with out point

Confirmation bias – tendency to seek information that confirms our point of view, and avoid info that may change our minds

In-group bias – tendency to think well of, tryst, and give preferential treatment to members of our own group (positive: team spirit, negative: racism)

Moral Luck - tendency to attribute credit or blame to others as a result of events that are not within their control

Question 6

Law and Ethics

> Overlap

Answer 6

Ethics and law represent separate domains and obligations

They regulate us in different ways and overlap in many areas

Criminal law is largely consistent with ethics (I.e. medically-assisted dying)

Much of civil & regulatory law has little or no connection – rather, based on principles of efficiency (I.e. drive on right side of road)

A behavior may be legal and not ethical

Question 7

Why we need both ethics and law

Answer 7

1) It is not always certain how the law will be applied
> Laws require interpretation
> Not all laws are prescriptive or precise
> Case-specific application of a law may be lacking
> Laws conflict with each other

2) Laws are not always complete or good
> Complete adherence to “letter of the law” does not necessarily meet stakeholder needs (Bill C-14)
> Adherence to law can harm people
> Gaps in law; written law lags behind new or emerging issues (I.e. tech industry)