For the initial post, respond to one of the following options, and label the beginning of your post indicating either Option 1 or Option 2:

• Option 1: The main social insurance programs like Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment compensation are funded by a payroll tax on the earnings of individuals who may receive benefits. Do you think the social insurance programs are effective? How are social insurance programs affected by the socioeconomic and political forces? Explain your answers.
• Option 2: Research government regulations on a particular area of your choice, such as food, drugs, product safety, fracking, environment, etc. Do you think the government regulations go too far? Do you think the government needs to add more regulations? How are lobbyists involved concerning regulations on food and drug safety, and our environment concerning fracking? Explain your answers.

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least one peer. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification. Minimum of 1 scholarly source which can include your textbook or assigned readings or may be from your additional scholarly research.

Writing Requirements

• Minimum of 2 posts (1 initial & 1 follow-up)
• Cite your sources when applicable (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
• APA format for in-text citations and list of references

I WILL PROVIDE PEERS POST 

 Instructions for Assignment 9 – Moral Agent

Assignment #9 – Moral Agent

This is a bit of a twist when it comes to how we look at ethics. It’s tempting to approach ethics as a way to tell other people what to do, to point fingers, or debate controversial issues that don’t directly involve us. For this assignment, think about your role as an ethical being – as a moral agent. A moral agent is a person who can make a decision to act in their social world and who recognizes some responsibility to make those choices in a way that can be recognized as ‘right’. This means you. You are a moral agent. 

What does it mean for you to act responsibly in your social world? What skills (virtues) do you need to cultivate and practice in order to live ethically and authentically?

Discuss any two ethical theories that we have explored as you develop your answer.

(Note: Your work in this assignment can also help you in your Final Project.)

Objectives:

Assignments have the following objectives:

1. Identify and describe key concepts relevant to a theme presented in the assignment prompt.
2. Explore ideas in philosophical depth beyond the presentation of course material.
3. Examine course material in order to develop an informed investigation of your perspectives on a theme presented in the assignment.
4. Research scholarly sources to help explore and expand students’ perspectives and develop critical thinking skills.
5. Develop a cogent argument to support your position.

Expectations:

• All sources must be responsibly cited and referenced. (APA)
• Assignments should be around 1000 words.

The Trolley Problem is a famous hypothetical ethical dilemma often referred to as a thought experiment. This moral paradox was first posed by Phillipa Foot in 1967. Far from solving the dilemma, the trolley problem launched a wave of further investigation into the philosophical quandary it raises.  And it’s still being debated today.

View the following YouTube videos regarding trolley dilemmas:

Trolley Car Dilemma – Harvard’s Michael Sandel (14:59) – In this video, Havard professor Micahel Sandel discusses the classic Trolley Dilemma and its various versions to an ethics class. As you view the video, reflect on the scenario presented to you in the module overview.

The Trolley Problem and Ethics of Driver-less Cars (5:07) – While the various Trolley Dilemmas represent hypothetical (and thus somewhat unrealistic) situations, this video depicts a modern, real-world example of the application of the same kinds of dilemmas and decisions.

After watching the video(s), address the following questions:

How would you respond to each of the five variants of the Trolley Problem described? Be thorough and justify your reasoning. For each scenario, think about whether or not the answers to the following two questions differ: What is the right thing to do, and what would you do? In each of these cases 1-4, the result will be the death of one person and saving the lives of five people.

Variants of the Trolly Problem

1. Original problem – you are the trolley driver; the decision is to pull switch or not.
2. Fat man variant – you are an observer on a bridge; the decision is to push fat man or not.
3. Fat man/villain variant – you are an observer on a bridge; the decision is to push fat man or not; fat man is the villain who put the five people in danger on the tracks.
4. Loved one variant – you are the trolley driver; the decision is to pull the switch or not; the one person that would die if you pull the switch is a dear loved one of yours (parent, child, spouse, etc.)
5. Man sleeping in his yard variant – you can divert trolley’s path by colliding another trolley into it, but if you do, both will be derailed and go down a hill, and into a yard where a man is sleeping in a hammock. He would be killed.

• What if instead of killing one person to save five, your action would result in killing four people to save five? Would you change your behavior in any of the situations? Why or why not?
• Transplant variant – This version addresses some of the same core issues as the Trolley Problem but with the following scenario: A brilliant transplant surgeon has five patients, each in need of a different organ, each of whom will die without that organ. Unfortunately, there are no organs available to perform any of these five transplant operations. A healthy young traveler, just passing through the city the doctor works in, comes in for a routine checkup. In the course of doing the checkup, the doctor discovers that his organs are compatible with all five of his dying patients. Suppose that if the young man were to disappear, no one would suspect the doctor. Should the doctor to kill that tourist and provide his healthy organs to those five dying persons to save their lives? How is this the scenario the same, and how does it differ from the Trolley Problem?

 Purpose:  In the first assignment, you have the opportunity to see how ethics can play out in a real-world scenario.  You will read the case scenario and answers the questions in a narrative format. Use headings for each question.  Headings are not the question.  You are required to use the course material to support your reasoning and the conclusions made. 

Outcomes met by completing this project:

1. identify ethical issues that arise in domestic and global business environments using an understanding of ethical concepts and of legal and business principles

Case Scenario:

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic required Americans to shelter in place thus causing the U.S. economy to freeze-up, resulting in millions of lost jobs.  The U.S. Congress passed legislation to try and limit the economic damage.  Included in the legislation was a stimulus package that would give $1,200 to single tax filers making $75,000 or less and $2,400 to married couples making $150,000 or less.  The purpose of the payment was to give people emergency funds and to stimulate the economy.  Also included was the CARES Act that provided the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  The PPP was a program administered by the Small Business Administration that was targeted at small business.  It provided for a government loan that was forgivable if used to pay employees’ salaries and benefits, mortgages, rent, and utilities. According to the SBA website, “[t]he Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll.”

USAA is a member-owned organization that provided insurance and financial services exclusively to current and former members of the military as well as their family members.  USAA has an excellent reputation as a well-run organization and for giving its members good service.  Many USAA members maintain checking accounts with it.  Some of those members who have checking accounts had overdrawn their balances and had a negative balance in their accounts.  When the $1,200 or $2,400 stimulus check were deposited, USAA used those amounts to offset the negative balances in some of its members’ accounts.  Members were not informed in advance that this would be the case.  This resulted in some USAA members not having any access to the stimulus money.  The action USAA took in crediting the funds to existing account deficits was perfectly legal.

Shake Shack is a corporation that owns and licenses restaurants selling traditional American fare like hamburgers and milk shakes.  It currently operates 124 locations in the U.S. and overseas.  As of May 4, 2020, the company had a market capitalization of $2.06 billion.  The company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.  In 2019, Shake Shack’s CEO received $2.3 million in compensation.  Shake Shack applied for and received a loan of $10 million under PPP.  The loan was permissible under a provision in PPP the allows restaurant chains to apply when each location has fewer than 500 employees.  Shortly after Shake Shack received the loan, the PPP ran out of funds and many small businesses did not receive loans.

Small Business Administration. (2020) Retrieved from https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program

How to Set Up the Paper

Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font.  The final product will be between 4-6 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.  Write clearly and concisely.

Create a title page with a title, the course number and section, the instructor’s name and your name. 

Instructions:

Course Material

For this project, you are required to use the case scenario facts and the course material.   External sources are not permitted.  You are not researching on the Internet or using resources from outside the course.  You are expected to answer the requirements identified below showing the connection between the case scenario facts and the course material.   Using course material goes beyond defining terms and are used to explain the ‘why and how’ of a situation.  Avoid merely making statements but close the loop of the discussion by explaining how something happens or why something happens, which focuses on importance and impact.  In closing the loop, you will demonstrate the ability to think clearly and rationally showing an understanding of the logical connections between the ideas presented in a case scenario, the course material and the question(s) being asked.  Using one or two in-text citations from the course material throughout the entire paper will not earn many points on an assignment.  The use of a variety of course material is expected consistently supporting what is presented.  The support must be relevant and applicable to the topic being discussed.  Points are not earned for mentioning a term or concept but by clearly and thoroughly explaining or discussing the question at hand.

NOTE: If external sources are used, what is presented will not count and a penalty for following instruction will apply.

Project Requirements

Introduction

• Write an Introduction paragraph.  The Introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper and will be used to describe to the reader the intent of the paper explaining the main points covered in the paper.  This intent should be understood prior to reading the remainder of the paper so the reader knows exactly what is being covered in the paper.
• Consider writing the introduction last to ensure that all of the main points are covered.

Ethical Issue(s)

•  Identify and discuss the ethical issue(s) related to USAA and Shake Shack

Stakeholders Implications

• Identify the stakeholders involved in the actions of both companies.
• Discuss the potential implications of the company’s actions on each stakeholder or stakeholder group.  Give examples.

Kantian Viewpoint

• Explain how Kant would view the actions of both USAA and Shake Shack.

Utilitarianism Viewpoint

• Explain how a utilitarian would view USAA and Shake Shack’s actions.

Recommended Actions

• Regardless of what these companies actually did, recommend the actions that you think they ethically should take.  There is no right or wrong action, but rather it is about supporting the actions you choose from your ethical arguments.

Conclusion

• Write a concluding paragraph that is brief and summarizes the main points.  Provide specific information related to the major topics discussed in the paper. 

Review the Paper 

Read the paper to ensure all required elements are present.

The following are specific requirements that you will follow.  Use the checklist to mark off that you have followed each specific requirement.  

Checklist

Specific Project Requirements

Proofread your paper

Read and use the grading rubric while completing the paper to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade. 

Third person writing is required.  Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing).  If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link:  http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person. 

Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them.  

Paraphrase and do not use direct quotations.  Paraphrase means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document.  Removing quotation marks and citing is inappropriate.  Instead put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document.  There should be no passages with quotation marks.  Using more than four consecutive words from a source document would require direct quotation marks.  Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation marks.   If more than four consecutive words are used from source documents, this material will not be included in the grade.  

You are expected to use the weekly course materials to develop the analysis and support the reasoning.   There should be a robust use of the course material.  Material used from a source document must be cited and referenced.  A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.  Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation marks.   

Use in-text citations and provide a reference list that contains the reference associated with each in-text citation.

You may not use books in completing this problem set unless part of the course material.  Also, do not use a dictionary, Wikipedia or Investopedia or similar sources.

Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder (The assignment submitted to the Assignment Folder will be considered the student’s final product and therefore ready for grading by the instructor.  It is incumbent upon the student to verify the assignment is the correct submission.  No exceptions will be considered by the instructor).

NOTE:  All submitted work is to be your original work. You may not use any work from another student, the Internet or an online clearinghouse.  You are expected to understand the Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy, and know that it is your responsibility to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources as specified in the APA Publication Manual, 7th Ed. (Students are held accountable for in-text citations and an associated reference list only). 

Course: Emerging Threats & Countermeasures

LATE SUBMISSION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BY PROF.

Due Date – 1 day  

Research Paper:  Penetration testing is a simulated cyberattack against a computer or network that checks for exploitable vulnerabilities. Pen tests can involve attempting to breach application systems, APIs, servers, inputs, and code injection attacks to reveal vulnerabilities. In a well-written, highly-detailed research paper, discuss the following:

• What is penetration testing
• Testing Stages
• Testing Methods
• Testing, web applications and firewalls

Prof. Guidelines 

 Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• Be approximately five pages in length, not including the required cover page and reference page. (Remember, APA is double spaced)
• Follow APA 7 guidelines. Your paper should include an introduction, a body with fully developed content, and a conclusion.
• Support your answers with the readings from the course and at least two scholarly journal articles to support your positions, claims, and observations, in addition to your textbook. The UC Library is a great place to find resources.
• Be clearly and well-written, concise, and logical, using excellent grammar and style techniques. You are being graded in part on the quality of your writing.

Reading Assignments

Chapters 15 and 16 in the course textbook

Wangen, G., Snekkenes, E., & Hallstensen, C. (2018). A framework for estimating information security risk assessment method completeness. International Journal of Information Security, 17(6), 681–699. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10207-017-0382-0

A. Goutam and V. Tiwari, “Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing to Enhance the Security of Web Application,” 2019 4th International Conference on Information Systems and Computer Networks (ISCON), Mathura, India, 2019, pp. 601-605.

G. Yadav, A. Allakany, V. Kumar, K. Paul and K. Okamura, “Penetration Testing Framework for IoT,” 2019 8th International Congress on Advanced Applied Informatics (IIAI-AAI), Toyama, Japan, 2019, pp. 477-482. 

Required Books & Resources 

Title: (ISC)2 CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study Guide (In Classroom)ISBN: 9781119475958Authors: Mike Chapple, James Michael Stewart, Darril Gibson Publisher: John Wiley & SonsPublication Date: 2018-04-10

 “APA7 Format” 

 “NO PLAGIARISM” Plagiarism includes copying and pasting material   from the internet into assignments without properly citing the source of the material.