Description
Your final assignment will be based on a case study related to ethics, technology, and the workplace. The case will present an ethical dilemma raised by the use of an emerging technology within the work environment. The emerging technology will be one that may have certain benefits to the organization, but at the same time may have serious drawbacks depending on one's ethical views.
For purposes of the assignment, you will play the role of an employee with a key role in the organization the case study is based on. You will need to carefully consider the pros and cons of the emerging technology and write a clear, concise, and well-reasoned message to an audience of influential stakeholders* in which you advocate for the most appropriate course of action.
Basic requirements:
- Length: about one page, single spaced (roughly 3-4 paragraphs)
- Style: written in the style of a formal business letter
The case study will be based on a real-life case study drawn from recent news. The case study and full response instructions will be shared at the beginning of Week 8.
Please remember that the session ends on Saturday, not Sunday. As such, the assignment is due Saturday night.
*Stakeholders refers to anyone who will be impacted by the decision you make. Stakeholders are not the same as shareholders--those who own shares in a company.
Here is the case study:
Facebook Under Fire
As you've probably heard, the US government, in particular the Federal Trade Commission, along with numerous states, have filed lawsuits against Facebook. The lawsuits claim that Facebook has engaged in anti-competitive behavior, and has violated antitrust laws. In particular, they have received scrutiny for their acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. These lawsuits allege that Facebook now has a monopoly over social media, and that consumers are harmed by a lack of competition.
As a remedy, the FTC and the states are advocating for the breakup of Facebook. Specifically, they want Instagram and WhatsApp to be "spun off" into separate entities that Facebook would no longer control. Most likely the lawsuits will drag on for years, and the outcome is uncertain.
To learn more about the case, please read this article from CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/11/tech/facebook-antitrust-lawsuit-what-to-know/index.html (Links to an external site.)
For this writing assignment you have two choices:
Choice 1: Government Attorney
You are an attorney, either for the federal government, or for a state of your choosing. Write a letter, from your office, to Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Lay out your reasons why you believe Facebook has violated antitrust laws, why you believe they should be broken up, and how that breakup will happen.
Choice 2: Facebook General Counsel
You are Jennifer Newstead, VP and General Counsel for Facebook (the lead lawyer for the company). Write a reply letter to the Federal Trade Commission in which you make the case that Facebook is not a monopoly, and does not harm consumers.
To be extra clear, you are writing only one letter. Make sure it looks like a formal letter. You may supply any information not provided in the case study--meaning you may make up names and addresses as needed.

Explanation & Answer

Attached. Please let me know if you have any questions or need revisions.
Surname 1
Ethics and Technology in the Workplace
Jennifer Newstead,
VP and General Counsel for Facebook
1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, 94025
FTC's Bureau of Competition
Office of Policy and Coordination
Room CC-5422
Bureau of Competition
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20580
Email: antitrust@ftc.gov(link sends email)
December 16, 2020
Re: On the FTC's Accusation that Facebook is a Monopoly Violating Antitrust Laws
Dear Sir/Madam,
I recently read news and heard from my friends that Facebook aims at monopolizing
news media because of its large user base and its influence over other social media and instant
messaging platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp. As a member of Facebook's V.P. and
General Counsel, I am compelled to point out the subtleties in Facebook operations that might
obscure its commitment to its consumers, who are its primary stakeholders.
From the outset, it ap...
