BUSI 301 Week 1 Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread Example

Reviewed by Thomas Kerrigan, MBA, CPA · Liberty University · Updated

This BUSI 301 Week 1 sample thread asks whether a business that obeys every law has done enough to be called ethical. It argues that law sets a floor rather than a standard, using the textbook's distinction between legal compliance and ethical decision making, the Wells Fargo unauthorized accounts scandal, in which sales pressure produced millions of accounts customers never requested, and research on why ordinary people in organizations cross ethical lines. A biblical note from Grudem's book, which students begin reading this module/week, rounds out the argument. Melvin's first three chapters and Connect Homework 1 frame the post, which Liberty University BUSI 301 values at 50 points, the first graded discussion of the BS in Business Administration course.

CourseBUSI 301 Legal and Ethical Concepts for Decision Makers (BUSI301)
Module/Week1
AssignmentDiscussion Board Forum 1 Thread
Paper typeDiscussion thread
Lengthabout 302 words (thread and replies). Course guide: a thread of at least 300 words responding to the forum prompt and demonstrating course-related knowledge, supporting assertions with at least 2 sources in current APA format
FormatAPA 7 citations and reference list
Points50
SchoolLiberty University Online
ProgramBS in Business Administration
Where it sitsModule/Week 1 in Liberty's published BUSI 301 course guide; current sections can differ
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for BUSI 301 Week 1

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Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread: The Relationship Between Law and Business Ethics

BUSI 301 Legal and Ethical Concepts for Decision Makers, Discussion Board Forum 1 Thread

Thread by [Student Name]

The forum prompt is a composite of the kind the course poses; the textbooks, regulator release and research cited are real.

Why this part earns its pointsThe opening answer frames law as a floor, which the case then illustrates.
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Obeying the law is necessary but not sufficient for a business to be ethical. Melvin (2018) describes law as the set of rules society is prepared to enforce and ethics as the broader judgment about what is right, noting that the two overlap but are not the same. Law usually lags behind business practice, it cannot anticipate every situation, and it sets minimum standards rather than ideals. A company that asks only whether something is legal has handed its conscience to the slowest-moving part of society.

The Wells Fargo case shows how that mindset fails. Federal regulators announced a $100 million penalty against the bank in September 2016, citing branch staff who, chasing steep cross-selling quotas, had set up checking and credit card accounts in customers' names without their consent (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2016). The practice was illegal, but it began as a culture that measured employees by accounts opened rather than customers served. No law forced the bank to set impossible sales targets; the ethical failure came long before the legal one.

Research helps explain how ordinary employees ended up there. Trevino et al. (2006) review studies showing that unethical behavior in organizations often comes not from bad people but from situations: incentives, pressure from supervisors and a culture that makes misconduct seem normal. Compliance rules alone do little if the rewards point the other way.

Why this part earns its pointsThe faith paragraph supplies a reason to rise above the legal floor, which completes the argument.
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Grudem (2003) offers a Christian reason to aim higher. He argues that business activities such as producing goods, earning profit and competing can glorify God when they are done honestly and in service to others. On that view, the question is not merely what the law permits but what honors God and serves customers. For managers, the practical lesson is to design goals and incentives that an ethical employee could meet without cutting corners.

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References

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (2016). Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fines Wells Fargo $100 million for widespread illegal practice of secretly opening unauthorized accounts [Press release].

Grudem, W. (2003). Business for the glory of God: The Bible's teaching on the moral goodness of business. Crossway.

Melvin, S. P. (2018). The legal environment of business: A managerial approach: Theory to practice (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Trevino, L. K., Weaver, G. R., & Reynolds, S. J. (2006). Behavioral ethics in organizations: A review. Journal of Management, 32(6), 951-990. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206306294258

What the BUSI 301 Week 1 instructions ask

BUSI 301 starts with the foundations of the legal environment: chapters 1 to 3 of Melvin on legal sources, business ethics and the courts, two presentations, a website, the Connect registration quiz and the first homework set, while students begin reading Grudem's Business for the Glory of God. Forum 1 asks for a thread of at least 300 words responding to the provided prompt and demonstrating course-related knowledge, with assertions supported by at least two sources in current APA format. The thread is worth 50 points. Replies to two classmates, at least 100 words each with a source, follow in Module/Week 2.

How this BUSI 301 Week 1 example is built

The sample states its answer immediately, that the law sets a minimum and ethics asks more. A paragraph uses Melvin's discussion of the relationship between law and ethics to explain why. The Wells Fargo case shows what happens when a company treats compliance as the goal and sales targets as the measure, drawing on the federal regulator's announcement of its first penalty. Research on behavioral ethics explains how ordinary employees drift into misconduct. A short paragraph from Grudem connects the argument to the Christian view of business the course develops. The thread ends with a practical implication for managers. The case is summarized in two sentences so the argument stays in front.

BUSI 301 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go

The thread is graded on how directly it responds to the prompt, how well it demonstrates knowledge from the module/week's chapters, whether it reaches 300 words and whether its assertions are supported by at least two sources in current APA format. Instructors look for accurate legal terms, a clear position and evidence such as cases, regulatory actions or research rather than opinion alone. A thread that lists ethical theories without applying them, or that cites a website with no clear author, loses points. Clear organization and correct grammar matter, since the two classmates replying the following module/week need something specific to respond to. A post that ties a real regulatory action to a chapter concept shows the integration the forum is meant to build.

BUSI 301 Week 1 help: mistakes that cost points

Take a clear position on the prompt in your first sentence. Use the textbook's definitions to frame your answer, citing the chapter where you found them. Support the position with at least one real case or regulatory action, described accurately with its source. Add research or a second authoritative source that explains why the issue arises. If you bring in Grudem or Scripture, connect it to the argument rather than closing with it. Check that each source appears in your reference list in APA format, confirm the thread clears 300 words, and post early so classmates can reply. Keep legal terms exact, since words like fraud and negligence have specific meanings in the course.

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BUSI 301 Week 1 questions, answered

What is the BUSI 301 Forum 1 Thread?

The 50-point opening thread of BUSI 301, due in Module/Week 1: at least 300 words answering the prompt with course knowledge and at least two sources in APA format.

Where can I find a free BUSI 301 Week 1 sample paper?

This page offers a complete BUSI 301 Week 1 thread arguing that legal compliance is the floor, not the standard, for business ethics.

What happened in the Wells Fargo fake accounts scandal?

Under intense sales goals, employees opened deposit and credit card accounts customers had not requested; regulators fined the bank in 2016, and it later paid $3 billion to settle federal investigations.

Is legal the same as ethical in business?

No. Law sets minimum standards society will enforce, while ethics asks what is right even where the law is silent, unclear or slow to catch up.

What else is due in BUSI 301 Module/Week 1?

Connect Homework 1 is due as well, together with the syllabus checklist, introductions and a short quiz on Connect setup, with Melvin chapters 1 to 3 and the start of Grudem's book.

Use it as a model, or ask for your own

This paper is an original model written by our desk for study. It is not a submitted student paper and not an official Liberty University document. Read it for structure and reasoning, then write your own to the instructions in your Canvas course. If you want a version built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

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