Syllabus

Course number: 

ORG 675 Ethics in Organizations

Course title: 

Business Ethics

Instructor: 

Elizabeth D. Scott

 

For office hours, office location, and contact information, visit the instructor's faculty website http://www.easternct.edu/personal/faculty/scotte/Index.htm

Textbook: 

Ethical Theory and Business, 8th edition, Beauchamp, Bowie, and Arnold

 

Other readings will be assigned during the semester.

Subscribe to at least two ethics podcasts, blogs, and/or Facebook groups:

 

Ethics bites (http://www.open2.net/pod/ethics.xml)

 

Everyday ethics (http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/northernireland/ethics/rss.xml)

 

The Business Ethics Blog (http://www.businessethics.ca/blog/)

 

Ethics and Compliance Blog (http://www.ethicalleadershipgroup.com/blog/)

 

Ethics Blog (http://www.ruderfinn.com/corporate-public-trust/ethics/ethics-blog/)

This syllabus is not a contract, but instead a roadmap of where I hope to go during the semester.  It will change during the semester.  Listen in class and check WebCT for changes.

Course Description

In this course, students will examine classical and modern approaches to ethics as they apply to contemporary organizations. 

Course Objectives

To expose students to classical and modern approaches to business ethics and encourage them to explore their own moral values as they apply to business settings.

To enhance students’ abilities to recognize ethical issues when they arise in business settings.

To provide students practice in articulating, supporting, and defending their own moral values in the face of peer and institutional pressure.

To provide students practice in recognizing and understanding the moral values of others they may encounter in business situations.

Grading

Students will be graded based on their written and oral participation in class and their completion of several writing and peer review assignments each week. There will be approximately 45 writing assignments over the semester, two individual oral presentations (one 5 minute and one 15 minute), and two group presentations. Assignments may be based on a class activity – it is the student's responsibility to make arrangements to obtain any handouts or notes from a classmate.

Late written assignments will not be accepted. Pay close attention to assignment due dates.  Most assignments will be due during the week between classes.

If the student is unable to attend a scheduled oral presentation, it is the student's responsibility to find 5 classmates willing to form an audience for the presentation outside of regular class time and to videotape the presentation in a way that allows it to be evaluated.

Each student will receive 5 free points for the semester. You may feel free to apply them to missed assignments or to boost your grade.

Academic Integrity

All individual projects must be the work product of the individual who submits it. All group projects must be the work product of the group which submits it. All sources must be properly acknowledged. Quotation marks must surround any string of 4 or more words used verbatim from a source. Penalties, including failure in the course and recommended dismissal from the program, will be assessed upon violation of this policy.

 Disability Statement

If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact the Office of AccessAbility Services at 465-0189. To avoid any delay in the receipt of accommodations, you should contact the Office of AccessAbility Services as soon as possible. Please note that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from the Office of AccessAbility Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.

 

Course outline

9/2/08 

Personal views of ethics

 

9/9/08

Utilitarianism and Stakeholder analysis

Chapters 1 & 2,  Ethical Theory and Business  

“A Typology of Moral Problems in Business: A Framework for Ethical Management,” by Aviva Geva, Journal of Business Ethics, Dec2006, Vol. 69 Issue 2, p133-147.

9/16/08

Values and character

 

9/23/08

Kantian ethics

 

9/30/08

Justice and care

Chapter 10

10/7/08

Ethics in the workplace

Chapter 3

10/14/08

Theory presentations

 

10/21/08

Ethics in Accounting

Chapter 6

10/28/08

Ethics in Finance

Chapter 6

11/4/08

Ethics in Management

Chapter 4

Chapter 7

11/11/08

Ethics in Marketing

Chapter 5

11/18/08

Ethics in Operations

Chapter 8 (environmental issues, supply chain management)

11/25/08

International issues

Chapter 9

12/2/08

Final projects

 

12/9/08

Final projects