Exercise for Moral Development

The Responsive Organization

A tech company, in response to public outcry over its handling of user data, releases a new 'Trust and Transparency' report and pledges to be more open about its data practices. However, the company’s internal data-sharing policies remain unchanged. This behavior is most characteristic of which stage of corporate moral development according to Reidenbach and Robin?

Universal Ethical Principles

A well-known game developer refuses to work on a military simulation game, stating, 'My conscience dictates that I cannot contribute to a project that glorifies war, regardless of its potential for profit.' The developer is willing to be blacklisted by the industry for this stance. This moral reasoning is a clear example of which of Kohlberg's stages?

Maintaining the Social Order

A software engineer develops an AI that helps with data analysis. The engineer knows the AI sometimes produces biased results but releases it anyway, believing, 'I have to follow my manager's orders to meet the project deadline.' According to Kohlberg's theory, which stage of moral development is the engineer's reasoning most aligned with?

The Amoral Organization

Reidenbach and Robin's Corporate Moral Development

First Stage:

The Legalistic Organization

Reidenbach and Robin's Corporate Moral Development

Second Stage:

The Responsive Organization

Reidenbach and Robin's Corporate Moral Development

Third Stage:

The Emerging Ethical Organization

Reidenbach and Robin's Corporate Moral Development

Fourth Stage:

The Ethical Organization

Reidenbach and Robin's Corporate Moral Development

Fifth Stage:

Obedience and Punishment Orientation

The correct sequential order of Kohlberg's stages of moral development is as follows:

First Stage:

Individualism and Exchange

The correct sequential order of Kohlberg's stages of moral development is as follows:

Second Stage:

Good Interpersonal Relationships

The correct sequential order of Kohlberg's stages of moral development is as follows:

Third Stage:

Maintaining the Social Order

The correct sequential order of Kohlberg's stages of moral development is as follows:

Fourth Stage:

Social Contract and Individual Rights

The correct sequential order of Kohlberg's stages of moral development is as follows:

Fifth Stage:

Universal Ethical Principles

The correct sequential order of Kohlberg's stages of moral development is as follows:

Sixth Stage:

Social Contract and Individual Rights

An independent game developer decides not to include any loot boxes or pay-to-win mechanics in their game, even though these are highly profitable industry standards. The developer's reasoning is, 'My goal is to create a game that is fair for all players, and those mechanics harm the spirit of the game and its community.' This reasoning most closely aligns with which of Kohlberg's stages?

Individualism and Exchange

A game developer finds an exploit that allows players to bypass a paid content wall. They decide to share the method with the community, reasoning, 'The company is charging too much for this content, so it's only fair that players should have access to it.' Which stage of Kohlberg's moral development does this reasoning best represent?

Obedience and Punishment Orientation

A junior programmer discovers that a code snippet they wrote contains a small bug that, if exploited, could give a few users a minor, unfair advantage in a mobile game. The programmer decides not to report it, thinking, 'The bug isn't a big deal, and I'll get in trouble if I admit I made a mistake.' This reasoning is an example of which stage of Kohlberg's moral development?

The Emerging Ethical Organization

An online gaming platform, in addition to its standard user agreement, now requires all new users to sign a 'Community Code of Ethics' that explicitly outlines a zero-tolerance policy for harassment and abusive language. The company also invests in AI-driven moderation tools to enforce this code and publicly reports on its progress. Reidenbach and Robin would categorize this company as moving toward which stage of corporate moral development?

Goodness as Self-Sacrifice

A female game designer is leading a team. She notices that a junior developer on her team is struggling with a complex programming task and is becoming isolated and frustrated. Instead of assigning a more senior team member to the task, she decides to personally mentor the junior developer, dedicating extra time to work with them one-on-one. Her goal is to build the developer's confidence and strengthen their relationship with the team. Based on Carol Gilligan's theory, this approach is a prime example of which stage?

The Amoral Organization

A video game company faces a lawsuit for including a copyrighted character without permission. The company's legal department immediately settles the case for a significant sum to avoid further legal battles. In a public statement, the CEO says, 'We made a business decision to resolve this issue and move on.' This behavior is most consistent with which stage of corporate moral development in Reidenbach and Robin's model?

Morality of Nonviolence

A team of developers is creating a new social media platform. They realize that their algorithm, designed to maximize user engagement, can also lead to increased social polarization and loneliness. The team chooses to redesign the algorithm to prioritize user well-being and connection, even if it results in slightly lower engagement metrics. According to Carol Gilligan, this decision best exemplifies which moral orientation?

Orientation to Individual Survival

For Carol Gilligan, the stages of moral development are focused on an "ethics of care"

First Stage: 

From Selfishness to Responsibility

For Carol Gilligan, the stages of moral development are focused on an "ethics of care"

Second Stage: 

Goodness as Self-Sacrifice

For Carol Gilligan, the stages of moral development are focused on an "ethics of care"

Third Stage: 

From Goodness to Truth

For Carol Gilligan, the stages of moral development are focused on an "ethics of care"

Fourth Stage: 

Morality of Nonviolence

For Carol Gilligan, the stages of moral development are focused on an "ethics of care"

Fifth Stage: