Ls312: Ethics and the Legal Environment

Final Project Part 1

Case # 1 –

Final Project -The Energy Cooperative is a non-profit organization (501C3) dedicated to:

1) Providing education to the public regarding energy information, new technology updates, monitoring viable new start-up energy companies and providing a public forum for complaints on its website.

2) Providing new alternative energy companies with a central hub to discuss new technological information and breakthroughs, standards, regulations etc.

The Energy Cooperative is headquartered in Chicago and holds colleague luncheons and public conferences at affiliate locations throughout the U.S. and in three cities abroad: Copenhagen, Milan and New Delhi. They are all united via the web. There are currently 400,000 members worldwide (professionals in the energy field and non-professionals who have interests in the field) who pay yearly dues to their affiliate Cooperative. A portion of the annual dues is sent to the home office to pay for upkeep of the website, the yearly international conference etc.

Members vote on initiatives, policy changes, purchases over $100, and other matters that will affect the larger membership.

There is a board of directors that meets by conference call once each month. These board members are self employed consultants with no allegiance to any particular company. They must sign a statement to that effect before they are appointed. They receive a nominal fee for directing their affiliate and being on the board of directors.

You are a consultant and member of the board of directors. One of the directors has asked approval for the directors, when calling their personal potential clients, to be able to state, ” I am calling as director of the Energy Cooperative” The board has asked you to preview this proposal before the board meeting. Please answer the following questions in response to this proposal by filling in the graph with complete sentences addressing the questions in the...