Business Ethics Dilemma Activity for Students

Q: How do I grade a dilemma with no right answer?

Grade the reasoning , not the choice. Score each of the four cells 0-2 points. A 2 for Choice A or B means consequences for at least three stakeholders, shown fairly. In the TagBack example, saying no to the $1,000 data offer still costs something: slower growth. A storyboard that makes one side obviously wrong scores lower than one that shows real costs on both.

Q: How can I support English learners?

Ethics vocabulary is abstract, so pre-teach stakeholder , consequence , and trust with pictures. Speech bubbles let students show how each person feels, for example a parent saying "I trusted you!" after TagBack sells the data. Offer frames for the decision cell: "We chose ___ because ___, even though ___." The "even though" part pushes students to name the cost.

Startup Ethics Dilemma - Entrepreneurship Example

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Lesson Plan Overview

Template and Class Instructions

Lesson Plan Overview

Entrepreneurs face pressure to grow fast, impress investors, and beat competitors, and that pressure creates real ethical choices. In this activity, students storyboard a dilemma a startup could face, show the consequences of two different choices for everyone affected, and defend the decision they would make. It connects business to integrity and ethical leadership, and it leads to some of the best class discussions in the unit.

Before You Begin

Time needed: 45 minutes, plus a 15-minute class discussion.
Stakeholders: remind students that a decision affects more than the founder: customers, employees, investors, the community, and competitors.
No single right answer: grade the reasoning, not the choice. A strong storyboard shows a real cost on both sides.
Assessment: both choices are shown fairly, at least three stakeholders are considered, and the decision is defended with a clear reason.

Dilemmas Students Can Choose

Selling data: an advertiser offers to pay for the data your app collects about where and when students lose things.
Stretching the truth: your test showed 11 pre-orders, not 31. The pitch is tomorrow, and investors want big numbers.
Cutting a corner: a cheaper label works most of the time but sometimes comes off in the wash. Customers won't know until it fails.
Copying a competitor: another team's design is better than yours. You could copy it before the fair.
A friend as a partner: your best friend isn't doing their share, and the team wants to replace them.

Example: TagBack

CELL	EXAMPLE
The Dilemma	An advertising company offers TagBack $1,000 for a list of which students scanned tags, and where. That's more than a year of sales.
Choice A: Sell the Data	TagBack buys a better printer and expands. Then a parent finds out, posts about it, the school bans TagBack, and families feel betrayed.
Choice B: Say No	TagBack grows slowly but adds "We never sell your data" to every package. Parents trust it, and it becomes the reason families choose TagBack.
Our Decision	Say no. Our whole business is privacy; the promise is worth more than $1,000.

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Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that explores an ethical dilemma a startup could face.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
Choose a dilemma from the list or invent one for your own business.
Cell 1: show the dilemma and why it is tempting.
Cell 2: show Choice A and its consequences for at least three people or groups.
Cell 3: show Choice B and its consequences for the same people or groups.
Cell 4: state your decision and explain why.
Save and submit your storyboard.

Startup Ethics Dilemma - Entrepreneurship Template

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Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 6-12

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual, Partner, or Group

Type of Activity: Dilemmas

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Lesson Plan Overview

Before You Begin

Time needed: 45 minutes, plus a 15-minute class discussion.
Stakeholders: remind students that a decision affects more than the founder: customers, employees, investors, the community, and competitors.
No single right answer: grade the reasoning, not the choice. A strong storyboard shows a real cost on both sides.
Assessment: both choices are shown fairly, at least three stakeholders are considered, and the decision is defended with a clear reason.

Dilemmas Students Can Choose

Selling data: an advertiser offers to pay for the data your app collects about where and when students lose things.
Stretching the truth: your test showed 11 pre-orders, not 31. The pitch is tomorrow, and investors want big numbers.
Cutting a corner: a cheaper label works most of the time but sometimes comes off in the wash. Customers won't know until it fails.
Copying a competitor: another team's design is better than yours. You could copy it before the fair.
A friend as a partner: your best friend isn't doing their share, and the team wants to replace them.

Example: TagBack

CELL	EXAMPLE
The Dilemma	An advertising company offers TagBack $1,000 for a list of which students scanned tags, and where. That's more than a year of sales.
Choice A: Sell the Data	TagBack buys a better printer and expands. Then a parent finds out, posts about it, the school bans TagBack, and families feel betrayed.
Choice B: Say No	TagBack grows slowly but adds "We never sell your data" to every package. Parents trust it, and it becomes the reason families choose TagBack.
Our Decision	Say no. Our whole business is privacy; the promise is worth more than $1,000.

Copy Activity

Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that explores an ethical dilemma a startup could face.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
Choose a dilemma from the list or invent one for your own business.
Cell 1: show the dilemma and why it is tempting.
Cell 2: show Choice A and its consequences for at least three people or groups.
Cell 3: show Choice B and its consequences for the same people or groups.
Cell 4: state your decision and explain why.
Save and submit your storyboard.

More options

Copy This Storyboard

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 6-12

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual, Partner, or Group

Type of Activity: Dilemmas

Copy Activity

How to Teach a Startup Ethics Dilemma with Storyboard That

Assign the dilemma template

Create an assignment from the Startup Ethics Dilemma template with its four cells: the dilemma, Choice A, Choice B, and the decision.

Introduce the dilemmas

Read TagBack's data offer aloud, then let students choose a dilemma from the list or invent one for their own business.

Have students show both choices

Students illustrate consequences for at least three stakeholders in each choice, using speech bubbles to show reactions.

Review the reasoning

Check that both choices are shown fairly and the decision cell gives a clear reason, and leave feedback before grading.

Discuss as a class

Present storyboards in slideshow mode, pairing teams that made different decisions on the same dilemma.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Startup Ethics Dilemma Activity

How do I grade a dilemma with no right answer?

Grade the reasoning, not the choice. Score each of the four cells 0-2 points. A 2 for Choice A or B means consequences for at least three stakeholders, shown fairly. In the TagBack example, saying no to the $1,000 data offer still costs something: slower growth. A storyboard that makes one side obviously wrong scores lower than one that shows real costs on both.

How much time do I need?

Plan 45 minutes to build the storyboard and 15 minutes for discussion. Letting students pick from the five listed dilemmas saves time; inventing a dilemma for their own business takes longer but produces stronger work. A quick way to start: read TagBack's data offer aloud, take a show of hands on sell or say no, and then begin.

How do I adapt the dilemmas for grades 6-8 and 9-12?

Middle schoolers connect best with the friend-as-partner and copying dilemmas, which feel close to group projects, and can name three stakeholders from a provided list. High schoolers can take on selling data or stretching the truth, research a real privacy or advertising law that applies, and weigh short-term gain against long-term trust, as TagBack does with its privacy promise.

How can I support English learners?

Ethics vocabulary is abstract, so pre-teach stakeholder, consequence, and trust with pictures. Speech bubbles let students show how each person feels, for example a parent saying "I trusted you!" after TagBack sells the data. Offer frames for the decision cell: "We chose ___ because ___, even though ___." The "even though" part pushes students to name the cost.

How should I run the class discussion?

Group students who chose the same dilemma but different decisions and have them present back to back. Ask: which stakeholder did each team weigh most? Would your answer change if the offer were $10,000 instead of $1,000? As an extension, have students write a one-sentence promise for their business, like TagBack's "We never sell your data."