Business Ethics

Course Number:
BA 208
Transcript Title:
Business Ethics
Created:
Jul 26, 2022
Updated:
Aug 17, 2022
Total Credits:
4
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture / Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0
Satisfies Cultural Literacy requirement:
No
Satisfies General Education requirement:
No
Grading Options
A-F, P/NP, Audit
Default Grading Options
A-F
Repeats available for credit:
0
Prerequisites

Placement into MTH 65 or MTH 98

Prerequisite/Concurrent 
IRW 115 or WR 115 or equivalent placement

Course Description

Reviews historical and contemporary ethical theories and issues that arise in several aspects of business, such as, management, use of computers, marketing, accounting, and doing business in an international setting. Includes the social responsibilities of corporations, the rights of workers, truth in advertising, the environmental impact of doing business, affirmative action in hiring, sexual harassment in the workplace, respect for cultural differences, and the responsibilities of the individual in the corporate setting. Provides a study of important ethical theories which will be used in analyzing the morality of selected controversial business cases and situations. Prerequisite: placement into MTH 65 or MTH 98. Prerequisite/concurrent: IRW 115 or WR 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Understand the general philosophy of ethics as it applies to business.
  2. Address ethical issues that arise in business while satisfying the triple bottom line consisting of people, planet, and profit.
  3. Apply the professional and ethical standards appropriate to business situations.
  4. Apply ethical arguments in order to enhance communication and reflection within social conversations pertaining to business related issues.
  5. Compare the dominant paradigms on ethical conduct and decision making (philosophical, dispositional, contextual, stakeholder, Corporate Social Responsibility)

Suggested Outcome Assessment Strategies

  1. Ethics case study analysis.
  2. Individual or group projects.
  3. Presentations.
  4. Research assignments.
  5. Homework and/or lab assignments.            
  6. Written examinations and/or quizzes.
  7. In-class interactive role-plays.

Course Activities and Design

The determination of teaching strategies used in the delivery of outcomes is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: lecture, small group/forum discussion, flipped classroom, dyads, oral presentation, role play, simulation scenarios, group projects, service learning projects, hands-on lab, peer review/workshops, cooperative learning (jigsaw, fishbowl), inquiry based instruction, differentiated instruction (learning centers), graphic organizers, etc.

Course Content

Themes, Concepts, Issues

The course will focus on the following topics and issues as they apply to ethical concerns that arise in a Business context:

  • Recognizing ethical issues and dilemmas
  • Ethical theories and other approaches to ethical decision making
  • The role of reason in ethical decision making
  • Analyzing and responding to case studies concerning
  • Management and employment decisions
  • The use of computers
  • Marketing
  • Accounting
  • Doing business in an international setting

Competencies and Skills:

Students will learn to do the following with respect to the context of business:

  • Examine a situation and recognize ethical issues that arise in it
  • Discuss issues from an ethical point of view
  • Devise and justify ethical responses to situations
  • Analyze and evaluate discussions of ethical issues and concerns