EMOB - to do

find a specific topic from lectures to center my essay around

put assignment brief and example intro with lectures as documents and ask “here is the assignment brief, tell me which of these lecture topics i should center my essay around considering what i need to do. i want you to pick one based off which one will have the most to answer, best opposing and supporting arguments, and so forth. here is also an example from my lecturer to use as guidance ‘

AI response:

Why Corporate Psychopathy?

1. Rich Content & Opposing Views:

   • The concept of corporate psychopathy (as covered in your lecture slides) presents a strong argument that corporations, by design, function in ways that resemble psychopathic tendencies.

   • There are counterarguments that challenge this perspective, including those that emphasize individual leadership ethics, legal structures, and economic necessity.

2. Ethical & Theoretical Tensions:

   • Joel Bakan’s "corporation as an externalizing machine" argument suggests that corporations are structured in a way that prioritizes profit at all costs, which can result in unethical actions.

   • Milton Friedman’s shareholder primacy argues that corporations are not responsible for social issues and should focus on maximizing shareholder value.

   • Zimbardo’s bad apples vs. bad barrels vs. bad barrel makers framework provides another way to analyze responsibility—are the corporations themselves at fault, or the legal and economic systems that shape them?

3. Strong Critical Perspectives Available:

   • Some scholars argue that corporate psychopathy is an unfair generalization, as many executives and corporations do engage in ethical business practices.

   • Others believe that regulation and governance can limit corporate harm without fundamentally changing the profit-driven structure.

   • There is also a debate over individual vs. systemic responsibility—should we blame CEOs and managers, or the capitalist system itself?

4. Engagement with AI and Module Content:

   • Your dialogue with AI can explore whether AI adopts a managerial, ethical, or critical stance when discussing corporate psychopathy.

   • The second part of your assignment can critically evaluate AI’s perspective by comparing it with theories from your module.

Alternative Options:

• Stakeholder Capitalism: Good choice, but may lean heavily into economic justifications rather than strong ethical critiques.

• Ethical Employment Relationships: Important but may not have as strong theoretical conflicts compared to corporate psychopathy.

• Corporate Citizenship: Interesting, especially with the "woke capitalism" debate, but not as inherently controversial as corporate psychopathy.

Final Recommendation:

Go with Corporate Psychopathy—it provides strong arguments, clear counterarguments, and deep ethical complexity, making it an excellent topic for both engaging AI and writing a strong critical evaluation.

now i want to know using the notes from that lecture and the example, what kind of questions should i ask the ai model to get the best answers for essay? the assignment brief, and the ppt goes - “using the brief and the ppt which go into detail on how to approach the assignment, and the notes from the corporate psychopathy lecture which is also attached, which questions should I ask the AI model to receive the best answers to revolve around my essay?“

Based on the Corporate Psychopathy lecture content, the assignment brief, and the assignment preparation slides, you should structure your AI dialogue to extract the best responses for your essay. Your initial question should be broad enough to prompt a detailed response but focused enough to tie into key ethical debates. Your follow-up questions should challenge the AI's responses, ensuring it considers opposing perspectives, ethical implications, and theoretical debates.

Suggested AI Questions for Part 1

1. Initial Question:

• Why this works: This ties directly into the Bakan "externalizing machine" argument, the psychopath test, and corporate personhood.

• Expected AI Response: The AI should discuss how corporations prioritize profits, externalize harm, and exhibit traits akin to psychopathy.

2. Follow-up Question (Challenging the AI's Initial Viewpoint)

• Why this works: Forces AI to consider counterarguments, potentially bringing in concepts like CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), stakeholder theory, and ethical leadership.

• Expected AI Response: AI may argue that some corporations act ethically due to stakeholder pressure, reputation management, or "enlightened self-interest."

3. Follow-up Question (Exploring the Role of Individual Responsibility)

• Why this works: Encourages discussion of Zimbardo’s “bad apples vs. bad barrels vs. bad barrel makers”framework.

• Expected AI Response: AI may explore the balance between individual moral responsibility (bad apples), corporate culture (bad barrels), and systemic capitalism (bad barrel makers).

4. Follow-up Question (Linking to Broader Ethical Theories)

• Why this works: Forces the AI to apply ethical theories, possibly contrasting Milton Friedman's shareholder primacy (utilitarian justification) with deontological perspectives on corporate ethics.

• Expected AI Response: AI may argue that capitalism promotes efficiency but not necessarily psychopathy, or it might suggest that systemic change is necessary.

How This Helps Your Essay (Part 2)

• Allows you to evaluate the AI's argumentation quality—Did the AI initially favor the corporate psychopathy thesis? Did it neglect opposing views?

• Engages with key thinkers—You can critique the AI’s take on Bakan, Zimbardo, Friedman, and others.

• Highlights gaps in the AI’s reasoning—For example, did the AI overlook stakeholder capitalism, ignore power dynamics, or fail to critically evaluate the ethical implications?

By using this structured questioning approach, you maximize your AI dialogue’s value and ensure that your Part 2 evaluation is rich with analysis.

this is somewhat separate but still important and is about essay structure “using the example essay in pt.2, give me a detailed plan on how to structure the essay“

Detailed Essay Plan: Evaluating AI’s Response on Corporate Psychopathy

Your essay should follow a structured approach that critically evaluates the AI's response to your Part 1 questions. Below is a detailed outline based on the structure of the example essay and tailored for Corporate Psychopathy.

Introduction (Approx. 200-300 words)

1. Introduce the topic: Explain what corporate psychopathy refers to and why it is a significant issue in business ethics.

   • Mention Bakan’s "externalizing machine" theory.

   • Introduce the debate over whether corporations or individuals (executives) are to blame.

   • Reference Zimbardo’s "bad apples, bad barrels, bad barrel makers" framework.

2. State the purpose of the essay:

   • Explain that the essay will evaluate the AI's response to a discussion on corporate psychopathy.

   • Outline the key themes: (1) whether corporations are psychopathic, (2) individual vs. systemic blame, (3) ethical justifications for corporate behavior.

3. Preview the AI’s general response:

   • Did the AI initially support the psychopathy argument?

   • Did it acknowledge counterarguments?

   • Were there gaps in its reasoning?

Section 1: The AI’s Initial Response & Key Arguments (Approx. 400-500 words)

• Summarize the AI’s first response to your initial question (To what extent can corporations be considered psychopathic?).

• Did it use Bakan’s argument that corporations function as "externalizing machines"?

• Did it acknowledge stakeholder theory or corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a counterbalance?

• Compare the AI’s framing to key thinkers (Bakan, Friedman, Zimbardo).

• Evaluate the AI’s stance: Did it lean too heavily towards one side?

Section 2: Evaluating the AI’s Consideration of Counterarguments (Approx. 500-600 words)

• Summarize your second follow-up question (Are there ways in which corporations demonstrate ethical responsibility despite their profit motives?).

• Analyze the AI’s response:

  • Did it bring in stakeholder capitalism or CSR?

  • Did it discuss the "enlightened self-interest" perspective (acting ethically benefits the company)?

  • Was its argument strong, or did it just list examples without deeper analysis?

• Compare with theoretical perspectives:

  • Friedman’s Shareholder Primacy: Corporations should only maximize profit.

  • Freeman’s Stakeholder Theory: Corporations have ethical duties beyond shareholders.

• Critical evaluation:

  • Did the AI provide a balanced argument, or did it overlook certain perspectives?

  • Did it fail to address corporate accountability gaps (e.g., greenwashing, misleading CSR practices)?

Section 3: Individual vs. Systemic Responsibility (Approx. 500-600 words)

• Summarize your third question (Should we blame individual executives or the corporate system itself?).

• Analyze the AI’s response:

  • Did it refer to bad apples (individuals) vs. bad barrels (corporations) vs. bad barrel makers (capitalist system)?

  • Did it place responsibility on CEOs or focus on structural problems?

  • Was its stance consistent with Bakan’s argument, or did it contradict itself?

• Compare with relevant theories:

  • Zimbardo’s framework: Are unethical corporate decisions due to bad individuals, bad corporate cultures, or deeper systemic flaws?

  • Bakan’s theory: Corporations must prioritize profit, so they can’t be ethical.

• Critical evaluation:

  • Did the AI simplify the issue by focusing too much on one level of responsibility?

  • Did it ignore real-world examples of corporate executives making unethical decisions?

Section 4: Ethical Justifications and AI’s Use of Ethical Theory (Approx. 400-500 words)

• Summarize your fourth question (Does capitalism itself encourage psychopathy? How does this relate to ethical theories?).

• Analyze the AI’s response:

  • Did it engage with ethical theories like utilitarianism, deontology, or virtue ethics?

  • Did it discuss how capitalism rewards ruthless behavior (e.g., cost-cutting, exploiting workers)?

  • Did it reference Friedman’s argument that corporations shouldn’t engage in ethics?

• Compare with ethical perspectives:

  • Utilitarianism: Does maximizing profit justify harm?

  • Deontology: Are corporations failing to respect moral duties?

  • Egoism: Does self-interest lead to good or bad outcomes?

• Critical evaluation:

  • Did the AI apply these theories correctly?

  • Did it ignore critiques of capitalism, such as Marxist perspectives on corporate exploitation?

Conclusion (Approx. 200-300 words)

1. Summarize key findings:

   • Did the AI give a balanced discussion, or did it favor one side?

   • Were its counterarguments weak or well-developed?

   • Did it acknowledge ethical dilemmas, or was it simplistic?

2. Highlight missing elements in the AI’s response:

   • Did it ignore radical critiques of corporate power?

   • Did it fail to engage with real-world examples of corporate wrongdoing?

   • Did it struggle to differentiate between individual and systemic responsibility?

3. Final evaluation:

   • Does the AI provide a useful but limited perspective?

   • How could its argument be improved (e.g., better engagement with ethics, deeper theoretical grounding)?

Reference List (Harvard Style)

• Ensure that you cite:

  • Key thinkers from your module (Bakan, Friedman, Freeman, Zimbardo, etc.).

  • Relevant business ethics literature.

  • Your AI conversation (required for referencing AI sources).