1. How did framing contribute to the collapse of Rana Plaza? Explain. If this framing was different, how might the outcome be different? Why?
2. The engineer who inspected the Rana Plaza building the day before the collapse determined the building was unsafe, but Sohel Rana and the factory owners ordered their employees to return to work the next day. What factors might have influenced the framing of their decision to do this? Why do you think they did this? Explain.
3. Do you think it plausible that Rana and others omitted their moral responsibility to other human beings when they framed the decisions they made that led to the building collapse? Discuss.
4. Have clothing sellers in the U.S. and elsewhere also suffered from a similar misframing of issues? Explain.
5. How do advertisers for clothing companies such as Adidas and Gap use framing to influence consumers’ decisions? Would knowing that a product was produced at Rana Plaza or under other ethically questionable conditions affect your decision to purchase it? Why or why not?
6. Do you think the international companies that contract out to the Rana Plaza factories should be responsible for ethical lapses made by Rana and the factory owners? Why or why not? Should these companies continue to work with these factories? Why or why not?
7. In 2018, compliancy agreements put together by international companies that contract to factories in Bangladesh are set to expire. After these agreements end, some fear that factory conditions will return to the way they were before the Rana Plaza collapse. If you were part of a third-party regulating body, how would you encourage international businesses to continue their contracts while ensuring that factory employees are safe and properly compensated? Explain.
8. Can you think of a situation where you perhaps did not make an ethically optimal decision because you misframed the choice before you? Explain.
9. Have you read about a business scandal where misframing may have led to the making of poor moral choices? Discuss.
10. Do you have any suggestions for people who wish to act morally about how to keep ethics in their frame of reference when competing factors such as a desire to please the boss, a wish to get along with co-workers, a “need” to hit a production target in order to earn a bonus, or the like can endanger sound moral decision making?
11. Studies show that wealthy people are more likely to donate to a cause if the pitch they are given says: “Be the most generous person in your neighborhood!” than if the pitch is: “Join your neighbors in improving our city!” Could this be an example of, among other things, the power of framing in action? Explain.