Course Description

Course Description:

It is the nature of business to create value. However, the value that businesses generate sometimes comes at a non-negligible cost to members of the larger society. Classical economic and business models labeled these “societal” costs “externalities”—that is, costs that are irrelevant to business decisions, strictly speaking. The past century or so has witnessed a slow-moving replacement of this narrow view of business decisions with models that explicitly consider the broader ramifications of business practices for various “stakeholders”: owners, shareholders, executives, managers, employees, suppliers, vendors, consumers, municipalities, and the natural world. To be a “good” business is no longer simply a matter determined by P&L statements; good businesses embrace their societal responsibilities and costs accrued in doing business to create as much value as they can, even value that may not be easily monetized. (How much is it “worth” to you to work for a company that does good in the world?) Values of this sort are often held to be “ethical” in nature. Consequently, any good business must also be an ethical business—or at least one that considers ethical problems to be within its purview. It would seem to make sense, then, that you, as part of your business training, should receive some instruction on how to become a more ethically intelligent, responsive businessperson. That’s where our course comes in. This course challenges you to reflect upon and address various ethical “problem situations” that members of the business world—corporate boards, managers, and employees—commonly face. In doing so you will develop the skills and experience to respond to such problems in a productive and meaningful way. If the course is successful, you will see that societies need businesses to be both financially and ethically successful. Withany luck, you will be able to merge the two in your own careers.

Required Reading & Materials: All required materials are provided via Canvas.

Technology Requirements:

• Headphones
• Webcam
• Recommended Internet Speed:  8mbps download & 5mbps upload. You can test your connection at https://www.speedtest.net
• Please note:  Hard-wired connections are more consistent than Wi-Fi for WebEx sessions

Program Objectives:

P1:  Understand critical business concepts.

P2:  Apply critical thinking to business problems.

P3:  Demonstrate effective oral and written communication.

P4:  Understand the ethical, legal, and social responsibilities of individuals and organizations.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be…

1. in possession of an increased awareness of the mutual ethical responsibilities existing between the contemporary business organization and its internal and external stakeholders.

2. exposed to some of the ethical dilemmas confronted by employees within business organizations, and to improve upon their skills in resolving these types of dilemmas.

3. enabled to become critical of a powerful institution – BUSINESS – of which they are a part so that they can help to create positive change.

Method of Instruction:

This is an online course. The course is designed to give you 24/7 on-demand access to readings, assignments, and lectures. Being successful in this course requires a great deal of responsibility from you. This class comprises short lectures, synchronous and asynchronous virtual discussions, films, cases, and analysis papers. It is crucial that you watch the recorded lectures and films, complete all readings and papers, stay on pace with the discussion boards, and come fully prepared for the WebEx classes.

WebEx Virtual Classes: We will meet once a week using WebEx. WebEx installs on your computer the first time you use it, and then does not need to install again; please check this to make sure it installs successfully before the course begins.  Make sure you enter your first name and last name correctly when signing on to the session; this will help with grading your in-class participation. If your name isn’t entered correctly, then you may not receive credit for participation. While there are ways to join a WebEx session through mobile devices this should only be used in an emergency. You cannot fully participate in a session unless you join using a computer with a full operating system. Please log in to the virtual classes before the scheduled class time, as we will begin promptly. You can access the virtual classes in through the Fox Business School’s WebEx site, or through a link provided on our Canvas page.