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2024/2025 DIP-DIBUO2404U Ethics in International Business
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| Ethics in International Business |
Course information |
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| Language | English |
| Course ECTS | 5 ECTS |
| Type | Mandatory |
| Level | Graduate Diploma |
| Duration | One Semester |
| Start time of the course | Autumn |
| Timetable | Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk |
| Study board |
Study Board for Graduate Diploma in Business Administration
(part 2)
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| Course coordinator | |
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| - Study administration for HD IB: HDIB@cbs.dk | |
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| Last updated on 26-06-2024 | |
Relevant links |
| Learning objectives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The multinational enterprises play a pivotal role
within the global economy. However, in their ambition to explore
overseas markets, they face various ethical dilemmas. On the one
hand the multinational enterprise can - through its resources and
engagement in the host countries in which they operate - address
and contribute to solving grand challenges of society such as
climate change, digitalization or social issues. On the other hand,
through its behavior, it might exacerbate these challenges.
The aim of this course is to provide students with an integrated understanding of the multinational enterprise’s cross-border activities in a global business environment highlighting the ethical challenges it faces and discuss approaches to address them. To this end, we will focus on strategies of responsible management, the role of leadership and governance, the dilemmas of subsidiaries and their relationship to headquarters and host country stakeholders. In terms of host countries, and emphasis will be on emerging markets, and in this light, emphasis is also on the geopolitical risks. By the end of the course, students should have developed their ability to understand, apply and critically reflect on terms, theories and models explaining firms’ different options to engage in ethical challenges of international business. Students should also be prepared to formulate and execute strategies in relation to ethical dilemmas and be able to succeed in international business ventures such as headquarters and subsidiaries. Both theory and cases are included in the curriculum, with much of the empirical material drawn from recent examples of ethical issues in the field of international business. The case studies will demonstrate real-world applications of ethical dilemmas in international business. After taking this course, students have acquired the following:
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This course explores a variety of ethical dilemmas and justice considerations pertinent to global business operations. Topics under scrutiny include the moral complexities of bribery in international business, the human rights responsibilities of multinational corporations, the tension between global labor justice and the existence of "sweatshops," the framework of international intellectual property law, justice in international trade, limitations on emigration in developing countries, proposals for an international financial transactions tax, and the unique obligations of entities with high historical emissions regarding climate change.
This course is designed to stimulate discussions on international business ethics, acquaint students with moral and political philosophy methods within the business ethics sphere, sharpen critical thinking abilities for ethical quandaries, encourage constructive conversations on moral dilemmas, and enhance writing skills in addressing complex ethical subjects. |
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| Description of the teaching methods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dialogue-based lectures and case discussions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Feedback during the teaching period | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Feedback will be given in different forms:
1) Individual feedback during office hours. 2) Peer-level feedback during lectures. |
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The course consists of a total of 24 lessons (5 ECTS). For information relating to the course please go to: canvas.cbs.dk
The course will be offered in Autumn 2025; Teaching dates, times and materials are not available yet.
Course Coordinator: Steffen Brenner,
sbr.egb@cbs.dk -
Department of International Economics, Government and Business
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| Expected literature | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Peng, Mike W 2020, Global Strategy, 5th edn , South Western, Cengage Learning, Mason, Ohio
William H. Shaw. Business Ethics: a textbook with cases. 9th Edition. Cengage publishers.
A Defence of Philosophical Business Ethics. Roger Crisp - 2003 - In William H. Shaw (ed.), Ethics at Work: Basic Readings in Business Ethics, Oxford University Press. Pp. 9–25
Beyond Empiricism: Realizing the Ethical Mission of Management. Julian Friedland - 2012 -Business and Society Review 117 (3):329-356
Institutionalization of Organizational Ethics Through Transformational Leadership. Dawn S. Carlson & Pamela L. Perrewe - 1995 - Journal of Business Ethics 14 (10):829-838.
The Sound of Silence – A Space for Morality? The Role of Solitude for Ethical Decision Making. Kleio Akrivou, Dimitrios Bourantas, Shenjiang Mo & Evi Papalois - 2011 - Journal of Business Ethics 102 (1):119-133.
Flammer, C., Hong, B., & Minor, D. (2019). Corporate governance and the rise of integrating corporate social responsibility criteria in executive compensation: Effectiveness and implications for firm outcomes. Strategic Management Journal, 40(7), 1097-1122.
Flammer, C. (2021). Corporate green bonds. Journal of Financial Economics, 142(2), 499-516.
Flammer, C., Toffel, M. W., & Viswanathan, K. (2021). Shareholder activism and firms' voluntary disclosure of climate change risks. Strategic Management Journal, 42(10), 1850-1879.
Post, C., Rahman, N., & Rubow, E. (2011). Green governance: Boards of directors’ composition and environmental corporate social responsibility. Business & society, 50(1), 189-223.
Djankov, S., R. La Porta, F. Lopez-de-Silanes and A. Shleifer (2008): The Law and Economics of Self-Dealing, Journal of Financial Economics, 88, 430-465.
Chatterjee, A., & Hambrick, D. C. (2007). It's all about me: Narcissistic chief executive officers and their effects on company strategy and performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 52(3), 351-386.
Responsible Leadership in Global Business: A New Approach to Leadership and its MultiLevel Outcomes. [REVIEW] Christian Voegtlin, Moritz Patzer & Andreas Georg Scherer - 2012- Journal of Business Ethics 105 (1):1-16.
Real Corporate Responsibility. Eric Palmer - 2004 - In John Hooker & Peter Madsen (eds.), International Corporate Responsibility Series. Carnegie Mellon University Press. pp. 69-84
Value Maximization, Stakeholder Theory, and the Corporate Objective Function. Michael C. Jensen - 2002 - Business Ethics Quarterly 12 (2):235-256
Innovation and Ethics, Ethical Considerations in the Innovation Business. Yves Fassin -2000 - Journal of Business Ethics 27 (1-2):193-203
Comparing Ethical Ideologies Across Cultures. Catherine N. Axinn, M. Elizabeth Blair, Alla Heorhiadi & Sharon V. Thach - 2004 - Journal of Business Ethics 54 (2):103-119 |
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