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2015/2016  BA-BHAAI1035U  Business, Society and Ethics

English Title
Business, Society and Ethics

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Bachelor
Duration Summer
Start time of the course Summer
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Course instructor - Dr Bill Holmes, Sheridan Institute of Technology
    Patricia Plackett - MPP
Main academic disciplines
  • Corporate governance
  • CSR and sustainability
  • Philosophy and ethics
Last updated on 10/08/2017
Learning objectives
To achieve the grade 12, students should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or errors:
  • Apply effective issues-management and decision-making criteria to current business problems.
  • Exhibit broad comprehension of concepts, theories, models and frameworks necessary to analyse the relations between stakeholders when addressing ethical dilemmas.
  • Discuss the evolution of corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship in light of the increasing level of globalization, advancing technology and developing environmental issues.
  • Recognize and describe the crucial role of corporate governance in corporate citizenship and corporate social responsibility.
  • Critically analyse the ‘triple bottom line’ and ‘sustainable business’ as potential goals for corporate behaviour.
  • Discuss and propose alternative solutions to current real world ethical issues and cases.
Course prerequisites
No prerequisites
Prerequisites for registering for the exam
Number of mandatory activities: 1
Compulsory assignments (assessed approved/not approved)
Mandatory Mid-term Assignment:Assignment involving a group report/presentation analyzing a prescribed case study, its ethical implications and strategies for addressing the ethical issues.
Examination
Business, society and ethics:
Exam ECTS 7.5
Examination form Written sit-in exam
Individual or group exam Individual
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration 4 hours
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Summer
Aids allowed to bring to the exam Limited aids, see the list below:
  • Written sit-in-exam on CBS' computers
  • Allowed dictionaries
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
If the number of registered candidates for the make-up examination/re-take examination warrants that it may most appropriately be held as an oral examination, the programme office will inform the students that the make-up examination/re-take examination will be held as an oral examination instead.
Course content and structure

This undergraduate level course in business ethics provides students with a broad-based understanding of business ethics from both theoretical and applied orientations. Students are presented with a comprehensive overview of ethical theory and its development and then required to apply these theories to contemporary issues in business. By using business cases illustrating specific ethical transgressions that have occurred in the recent past, the aim of this course is to train students to critically evaluate contemporary ethical issues and dilemmas through the lens of ethical theory. Particular attention will be paid to the interrelationship between business ethics and corporate governance, corporate citizenship and sustainability issues.

 

For the Preliminary Assignment each student is required to research and write a properly referenced synopsis of a specific current ethical issue/case in business that he/she feels strongly about. This synopsis and review will be no more than three pages in length. Each student should be prepared to present his/her specific issue or case in Class 1. For the Mid-term Assignment students working in assigned groups will be tasked with presenting a prescribed case to the class using 10-15 PowerPoint slides with all students participating in the presentations (10-15 minutes).

 

Class

Topic

Class 1

Course overview / Introduction / Preliminary Assignment

Class 2

Introduction to ethical theory

Class 3

Corporate citizenship and corporate social responsibility

Class 4

Corporate governance and responsibility in finance and accounting

Class 5

Corporate social responsibility in marketing and product liability

Class 6

Diversity, human rights and ethics in the workplace / Mandatory Mid-term Assignment

Class 7

Ethics, globalization and environmental sustainability

Class 8

Cross cultural ethics in international business

Class 9

Issues management

Class 10

Reputation, ethical leadership and technological change

Class 11

Comprehensive Review
Teaching methods
Each lesson contains a lecture, case presentation and discussion. Students are expected to be active participants in the learning experience as opposed to passive receptacles for information. The importance of clear and concise written and verbal communication will be stressed throughout the course. In addition to the material covered in the text, students will develop hands-on skills in case analysis, group dynamics and formal business presentations.
Further Information

Preliminary Assignment: To help students get maximum value from ISUP courses, instructors provide a reading or a small number of readings or video clips to be read or viewed before the start of classes with a related task scheduled for class 1 in order to 'jump-start' the learning process.

 

The timetable is available on http://www.cbs.dk/uddannelse/summer-university-programme/courses.
Expected literature

Crane, A. and Matten, D., 2010, Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization, (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, 566 pages (exclusive of references).

 
Last updated on 10/08/2017