| Course | PHI-3840 Ethics and the Business Professional |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 4 |
| Paper type | Module 4 application assignment: ethics in the workplace |
| Length | About 566 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PHI 3840 Module 4
Where the Truck Goes, Not Where the Installer Sleeps: An Ethical Monitoring Policy
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies, Thomas Edison State University
PHI-3840: Ethics and the Business Professional
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Where the Truck Goes, Not Where the Installer Sleeps: An Ethical Monitoring Policy
The Proposal
Our installers drive company trucks to client sites and claim overtime and mileage on paper forms. An audit found three installers had inflated mileage. The operations manager proposed installing a tracking app on every installer's company phone that would record location at all times, since installers keep the phones overnight for early calls.
The Interests at Stake
The employer has legitimate interests: accurate pay, safe driving, efficient routing and evidence when a client disputes arrival times. Installers have interests in privacy, in being trusted and in a life outside work that the employer does not watch. Byars and Stanberry (2018) note that workplace privacy involves balancing an employer's right to manage its business against employees' reasonable expectations of privacy, and that monitoring is ethically stronger when it is disclosed, limited to work and proportionate to a real problem.
Rights and Fairness
From a rights perspective, installers have a claim to privacy in their off-duty lives, where they go after work, which doctor they visit, which no business interest justifies watching. Tracking a phone at night collects exactly that information. From a fairness perspective, punishing 30 people with constant surveillance for the misconduct of three treats the honest majority as suspects. Kantian respect for persons (Kant, 1998) points the same way: watching people's private movements to catch a few turns all of them into tools of cost control.
What Research Suggests
Ravid et al. (2020) reviewed research on electronic performance monitoring and found that its effects depend on how it is implemented: monitoring that is transparent, limited and used for development tends to have fewer negative effects on employees' attitudes and stress than monitoring that is secret, broad or used for punishment. Monitoring can damage the trust on which teamwork depends.
A Proposed Policy
Tracking the trucks rather than the phones addresses the actual problem, mileage, without following installers home. The three installers who inflated mileage should be handled individually under the existing discipline policy.
| Feature | Proposal |
|---|---|
| What is tracked | Company trucks, by vehicle GPS, not phones |
| When | During scheduled working hours only; the system turns off at clock-out |
| Notice | Written policy given to all installers, explained in a meeting |
| Use | Mileage and overtime verification, route planning, client arrival disputes |
| Access | Operations manager and payroll only |
| Retention | Location data deleted after 90 days unless needed for a dispute |
| Review | Installers may see their own data and challenge errors |
Alternatives Considered
Two alternatives were weighed. Doing nothing would leave the mileage problem unsolved and the three cases unaddressed. Asking installers to photograph the odometer when each workday begins and ends would avoid tracking but add paperwork and invite the same disputes. Vehicle tracking during work hours solves the actual problem with the least intrusion, which is the test the proposal sets. Installers should also be told how the data will help them, for example by settling client disputes about arrival times in their favor.
Legal Note
New Jersey law requires employers to give written notice before using a tracking device on a vehicle an employee uses, and the policy's notice step meets that requirement.
Conclusion
The employer's interests justify monitoring work, not lives. A policy that tracks trucks during working hours, with notice, limited access and employee review, addresses the mileage problem while respecting installers' privacy and the trust the company depends on.
References
Byars, S. M., & Stanberry, K. (2018). Business ethics. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/details/books/business-ethics
Kant, I. (1998). Groundwork of the metaphysics of morals (M. Gregor, Trans.). Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1785)
Ravid, D. M., Tomczak, D. L., White, J. C., & Behrend, T. S. (2020). EPM 20/20: A review, framework, and research agenda for electronic performance monitoring. Journal of Management, 46(1), 100-126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206319869435
What the PHI 3840 Module 4 instructions ask for
This application assignment covers ethics in the workplace. Expect to analyze a workplace issue, such as monitoring, privacy, discipline or whistleblowing, by identifying the interests at stake, applying ethical reasoning and research, and proposing a policy or action. Be fair to both the employer and employees, explain where the line falls and why, and make the policy specific enough to be adopted. Note any legal requirements that apply in your state. Consider alternatives to the proposal, including doing nothing, and explain why your recommendation intrudes least while solving the problem. Tell employees how the policy helps them as well as the company. Check your state's notice requirements before recommending any tracking.
How the PHI 3840 Module 4 example is put together
The paper describes the proposal and the problem behind it. A section sets out the employer's and installers' interests with the textbook's guidance on privacy. A section applies rights and fairness reasoning. A section draws on a research review of electronic monitoring. A table proposes a policy feature by feature, a legal note follows, and the conclusion states where the line falls. A section on alternatives weighs doing nothing and odometer photographs against vehicle tracking, and applies a test of least intrusion. The analysis also uses Kantian respect for persons alongside rights and fairness. Each policy feature answers a specific privacy concern, from access to retention. The conclusion restates the line drawn.
Where the marks sit in the PHI 3840 Module 4 rubric
Application assignments are marked on accurate use of course concepts, fair treatment of competing interests, support from research and a practical recommendation. Papers that separate monitoring of work from monitoring of private life show careful ethical reasoning. Using research on how monitoring is implemented strengthens the argument. A policy table with specific limits shows the recommendation can be put into practice. Weighing alternatives against a stated test, least intrusion that solves the problem, shows principled reasoning. Explaining how monitoring can help employees shows fairness to both sides. A legal note tied to the state shows care, and data retention limits show respect for privacy over time. Plain, practical prose suits a policy.
PHI 3840 Module 4 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students lose points by treating monitoring as always wrong or always acceptable, by ignoring the employer's legitimate interests or by recommending vague policies. Others overlook legal requirements. State both sides' interests. Draw a principled line. Use research on effects. Write a policy whose limits are spelled out. Compare your policy with simpler alternatives, and explain how employees benefit from the data as well as how the company does. Set limits on who sees the data and how long it is kept. Treat the few who broke the rules individually instead of watching everyone. A free first sample on your own PHI-3840 workplace ethics assignment is available on request.
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PHI 3840 Module 4 questions, answered
Where can I find a free PHI 3840 Module 4 sample paper?
A GPS monitoring policy for furniture installers, balancing privacy and business needs, is the assignment above.
When is workplace monitoring ethically stronger?
When it is disclosed, limited to work and proportionate to a real problem.
What does research say about electronic monitoring?
Its effects depend on implementation; transparent, limited monitoring tends to harm attitudes and trust less.
Why track vehicles rather than phones?
Vehicle tracking addresses work-related issues without following employees into their private lives.
Does New Jersey require notice for vehicle tracking?
Yes; employers must give written notice before tracking a vehicle an employee uses.