This course has three written assignments that build upon one another and are designed to take you step-by-step through a process of writing a paper that identifies an ethical question, examines the context, issues, and arguments surrounding the question, and attempts to defend an answer to that question using strong moral reasoning.

In the Week 1 assignment, Ethical Question, you chose an ethical question, provided an introduction, a position statement and supporting reason, and an opposing position statement and supporting reason.

In the Week 3 assignment, Applying an Ethical Theory, you explained utilitarianism, deontology, or virtue ethics, including its core moral principle or ideal, and applied that theory to the topic by demonstrating how its principles would support a particular position on your ethical question.

In this final written assignment, you will combine what you have done in these two exercises by examining an ethical issue and defending your own position on an ethical question regarding that issue.

This final written assignment should be written in essay form with the following clearly labeled sections:

Introduction
Ethical Argument
Explanation and Defense
Objection and Response
Conclusion
The paper should be between 1,300 and 1,500 words, utilize three scholarly resources, and include a title page and reference page.

Part 1: Introduction

In this section of the paper, you will begin with your ethical question, introduce the topic and paper, and close with a thesis statement.

The ethical question may be the same as your Week 3 written assignment (Applying an Ethical Theory) or a revised version of it.
The introduction should be revised in a way that reflects your additional thinking on the issue and question.
End this section with a thesis statement that states your position on the issue (the answer to the ethical question you believe is strongest) and provides a brief summary of the main ideas you will be presenting in the paper. Please see the assignment guidance for examples of thesis statements.
Place the introduction under the Part 1: Introduction heading.

Part 2: Ethical Argument

In this section of the paper, you will present the strongest argument you can in support of the position you have stated in your introduction.

This will be similar to the supporting reasons you offered in the first assignment; however, this argument should reflect your research into the key ethical issues that need to be identified and addressed, the arguments on different sides of this problem, and the theories of moral reasoning we have studied in the class (you will discuss the specific details and implications of the moral theories in the next two sections).
You can think of this as a summary of the main argument you would give if you were an attorney trying to convince a jury of your position.
Place this information under the Part 2: Ethical Argument heading.

Part 3: Explanation and Defense

In this section, you will explain and defend your argument by drawing on the moral theory that aligns most closely with the argument you presented in Part 2. This may be the same theory you discussed in your second assignment, but it may also be a different theory.

You must first explain the theory in general terms similar to how you explained a theory in your second assignment, including a brief account of the historical background of the theory and the philosopher(s) associated with it and general overview of the core moral ideal or principle of the theory, including the way it guides and constrains moral reasoning.
You should then clearly show how your argument represents an application of that form of moral reasoning.
In other words, if the argument you present in Part 2 is utilitarian, deontological, or virtue-based (teleological), you will want to explain utilitarianism, deontology, or virtue ethics in general terms, then explain how your argument from Part 2 reflects or draws upon the core principles and values of that theory. Please refer to the Week 3 assignment instructions for directions on how to explain and apply the moral theory.
Place this section under the Part 3: Explanation and Defense heading.

Part 4: Objection and Response

In this section of the paper, you will present the strongest objection you can to your argument, and briefly defend that objection by appealing to a different ethical theory than the one you focused on in Part 3.

Briefly explain the core moral ideal or principle of the theory and how that could be the basis of an objection to your argument. For instance, if you explained and defended your own argument by applying the principles of virtue ethics, you could raise an objection from the perspective of utilitarianism by briefly explaining the core utilitarian principle and how applying that principle could lead someone to a different conclusion than the one you are defending.
Next, you should respond to the objection by explaining why it is not strong enough to undermine the main argument in defense of your position.
See the assignment guidance for suggestions on how to effectively respond to the objection.
Place this section under the Part 4: Objection and Response heading.

Part 5: Conclusion

In this section of the paper, provide a summary of what you have done in the paper by briefly describing what you accomplished in each of the above sections.

Place this section under the Part 5: Conclusion heading.

Resource Requirement

You must use at least three scholarly resources, only one of which may be the textbook. In other words, you must use at least two scholarly resources in addition to the textbook.

Acceptable ways of using a source include providing a quotation, summary, or paraphrase; merely providing a citation, especially when it is unclear how or where the text supports your claim, is not sufficient.

If you need help with finding additional resources or are unsure about whether a particular resource will count toward the requirement, please contact your instructor.

For sources to count toward the resources requirement, they must be cited within the text of your paper and on the reference page. Sources that are listed on the references page but not cited within the paper do not count toward fulfilling the resources requirement.

In your paper,

Introduce the topic and paper.
Provide a thesis statement.
Present an argument in support of the position.
Defend the argument by explaining and applying the ethical theory that most closely aligns with the argument.
Present an objection to the argument by appealing to a different ethical theory.
Respond to the objection.
Provide a conclusion that describes what was accomplished in each of the sections of the paper.
The Ethical Reasoning Final Paper

Must be 1,300 to 1,500 words in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Centers APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Students name
Course name and number
Instructors name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must use at least two scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Writing Centers Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Writing Center for specifications.

Obtain an annual report of (1) a commercial bank, (2) a savings institution, (3) a securities firm, and (4) an insurance company. The annual reports will allow you to relate the theory in specific related chapters to the particular financial institution of concern. The exercises in Part II of this comprehensive project require the use of these annual reports. The annual reports can be obtained by calling the shareholder services department for each financial institution, or they may be available online. Also, order a prospectus of a specific mutual fund in which you are interested. The prospectus can be obtained from the specific investment company that sponsors the mutual fund, or it may be available online. 1. Commercial bank operations (from Chapter 17) For the commercial bank that you selected at the beginning of the term, use its annual report or any other related information to answer the following questions: a. Identify the types of deposits that the commercial bank uses to obtain most of its funds. b. Identify the main uses of funds by the bank. c. Summarize any statements made by the commercial bank in its annual report about how recent or potential regulations will affect its performance. d. Does it appear that the bank is attempting to enter the securities industry by offering securities services? If so, explain how. e. Does it appear that the bank is attempting to enter the insurance industry by offering insurance services? If so, explain how. 2. Commercial bank management (from Chapter 19) For the commercial bank that you selected at the beginning of the term, use its annual report or any other related information to answer the following questions. a. Assess the bank ’s balance sheet as well as any comments in its annual report about the gap between its rate-sensitive assets and its rate-sensitive liabilities. Does it appear that the bank has a positive gap or a negative gap? Appendix A: Comprehensive Project 711 © 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This content is not yet final and Cengage Learning does not guarantee this page will contain current material or match the published product. b. Does the bank use any methods to reduce its gap and therefore reduce its exposure to interest rate risk? c. Summarize any statements made by the bank in its annual report about how it attempts to limit its exposure to credit risk on the loans it provides. 3. Commercial bank performance (from Chapter 20) For the commercial bank that you selected at the beginning of the term, use its annual report or any other related information to answer the following questions. a. Determine the bank’s interest income as a percentage of its total assets. b. Determine the bank’s interest expenses as a percentage of its total assets. c. Determine the bank’s net interest margin. d. Determine the bank’s noninterest income as a percentage of its total assets. e. Determine the bank’s noninterest expenses (do not include the addition to loan loss reserves here) as a percentage of its total assets. f. Determine the bank’s addition to loan loss reserves as a percentage of its total assets. g. Determine the bank’s return on assets. h. Determine the bank’s return on equity. i. Identify the bank’s income statement items described previously that would be affected if interest rates rise in the next year, and explain how they would be affected. j. Identify the bank’s income statement items described previously that would be affected if U.S. economic conditions deteriorate, and explain how they would be affected. 4. Savings institutions (from Chapter 21) For the savings institution (SI) that you selected at the beginning of the term, use its annual report or any other related information to answer the following questions. a. Identify the types of deposits that the SI uses to obtain most of its funds. b. Identify the main uses of funds by the SI. c. Summarize any statements made by the SI in its annual report about how recent or potential regulations will affect its performance. d. Assess the SI’s balance sheet as well as any comments in its annual report about the gap between its rate-sensitive assets and its rate-sensitive liabilities. Does it appear that the SI has a positive gap or a negative gap? e. Does the SI use any methods to reduce its gap and therefore reduce its exposure to interest rate risk? f. Summarize any statements made by the SI in its annual report about how it attempts to limit its exposure to credit risk on the loans it provides. g. Determine the SI’s interest income as a percentage of its total assets. h. Determine the SI’s interest expenses as a percentage of its total assets. i. Determine the SI’s noninterest income as a percentage of its total assets. j. Determine the SI’s noninterest expenses (do not include the addition to loan loss reserves here) as a percentage of its total assets. 712 Appendix A: Comprehensive Project © 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This content is not yet final and Cengage Learning does not guarantee this page will contain current material or match the published product. k. Determine the SI ’s addition to loan loss reserves as a percentage of its total assets. l. Determine the SI ’s return on assets. m. Determine the SI ’s return on equity. n. Identify the SI ’s income statement items described previously that would be affected if interest rates rise in the next year, and explain how they would be affected. o. Identify the SI ’s income statement items described previously that would be affected if U.S. economic conditions deteriorate, and explain how they would be affected. 5. Mutual funds (from Chapter 23) For the mutual fund that you selected at the beginning of the term, use its prospectus or any other related information to answer the following questions. a. What is the investment objective of this mutual fund? Do you consider this mutual fund to have low risk, moderate risk, or high risk? b. What was the return on the mutual fund last year? What was the average annual return over the last three years? c. What is a key economic factor that influences the return on this mutual fund? (That is, are the fund ’s returns highly influenced by U.S. stock market conditions? By U.S. interest rates? By foreign stock market conditions? By foreign interest rates?) d. Must any fees be paid when buying or selling this mutual fund? e. What was the expense ratio for this mutual fund over the last year? Does this ratio seem high to you? 6. Securities firms (from Chapter 24) For the securities firm that you selected at the beginning of the term, use its annual report or any other related information to answer the following questions. a. What are the main types of business conducted by the securities firm? b. Summarize any statements made by the securities firm in its annual report about how it may be affected by existing or potential regulations. c. Describe the recent performance of the securities firm, and explain why the performance has been favorable or unfavorable. 7. Insurance companies (from Chapter 25) For the insurance company that you selected at the beginning of the term, use its annual report or any other related information to answer the following questions. a. How does the insurance company allocate its funds? (That is, what is its asset composition?) b. Is the insurance company exposed to interest rate risk? Explain. c. Does the insurance company use any techniques to hedge its exposure to interest rate risk? d. Summarize any statements made by the insurance company in its annual report about how it may be affected by existing or potential regulations. e. Describe the recent performance of the insurance company (using any key financial ratios that measure its income). Explain why its recent performance was strong or weak.

Sample Solution

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