Course Title:                GB 607 Ethics and Business Environments

 

Course Instructors:       Professor Jeffrey M. Wachtel, Ph. D., e-mail: [email protected]

 

Course Description:

            The factors present in the external environments of business relative to business ethical considerations will be explored along with such topics as agency, contracts, business organizations, property, the court system and business interfaces with environment and community.

Expanded Course Description: This course is about the ethical issues involved when the business organization interacts with a variety of stakeholders it’s business environment.  Some of the stakeholders include the organization’s owners, managers, employees, suppliers, buyer, the government, and society at large.  In this class the participants will be exposed to many different viewpoints and ways to look at complex ethical decisions facing business managers.

 

Course Objectives:

            On completion of this course, students will be able to achieve the following objectives commensurate with studies at the Master level:

1.       Understand fundamental ethical principles and decision rules to use when making difficult moral decisions in complex business transactions.

2.       Understand and be able to apply the Stakeholder Approach to Business Ethics.

3.       Understand value-based management systems pertaining to the internal environment’s leadership, strategy, structure, culture and self-regulation.

4.       Understand and be able to apply management of moral responsibility  in the marketplace.

5.       Understand the various ethical considerations pertaining to employees as stakeholders.

6.       Understand the ethical considerations in the global environment facing multinational companies.

Expanded Course Objectives:

 Identify the large number of ethical issues that confront both individual managers and organizations.
Compare and contrast the outcomes of various ethical frameworks when applied to ethical dilemmas.
Evaluate the impact of national and cultural differences on decisions as to  what is "ethical" and what is not.
Analyze the ways in which business organizations manage their affect upon and relationships with various  stakeholders.
Formulate a well-considered personal view of the social and environmental responsibilities of business enterprises.

 

 

Course Delivery Style:

1.       Lecture, Power Point Presentations, Socratic Method, and Brainstorming.

2.       Interactive Discussion in large and small groups.  “Ethics Issue” Movie Case Discussions.

3.       Participation through discussion and random presentation of movie or written case study solutions carried out as an applied learning method.

 

Recommended Readings:

q       Business Ethics: A Stakeholder and Issues Management Approach, 3^rd Edition, Weiss, J. W, (2003).

q       Selected readings and cases to be handed out in class

q       Web Sites recommended to be handed out in class, Nation or Bangkok Post, Wall Street Journal, Academic Journals

Schedule:

 

 

Participation: Learning, for all of us, is not usually accomplished alone.  Active participation in classroom ”whole group and small group” discussion is essential!  This indicates that there are two requirements: being in class every session and adequate preparation.  Those with perfect attendance will receive a bonus of being raised one grade level.  Sorry, those with unexcused absences will lose a grade level.   Please be sure to sign the attendance roster before the morning and afternoon sessions.  Leaving after the session has begun without a valid reason will be considered an absence.  Participating and signing group case discussion summaries will gain percentage points.  It is also expected that everyone come to class on time.  Sorry, if you are very late to class you will lose percentage points.  This is a course in business ethics so any dishonesty with regard to signing in or signing case summaries will be dealt with according to university procedures on such matters.

It is expected that you will participate in discussions of the assigned reading and cases.  During your team presentation, each team member is expected to participate in the presentation in an equal fashion.   Each member of the team will evaluate the contributions of your team members at the end of the course.

Evaluation:

Class Case Discussions/Presentation/Homework 20%

Team Thailand Ethical Issue Presentation                        30%

Final Exam                                                                    20%

Individual Written Case                                                   20%

Class Attendance/Participation                                       10%

 

Team Issue Presentations (30%):
Each team is to make a 20-30 minute presentation to the class from a list of Thailand's ethical issues to be generated by the class during the first weekend of class.  The objective is to research the topic and present all viewpoints regarding the issue.  Also, discuss the extent to which your team members agree with each other concerning the major issues.  Format is up to the team.  Team members will evaluate each other and the class will also evaluate the presentation.

 

 

 

Final Examination (20%):

On the first day of class each person will be asked to write an essay on “What is business ethics and how does it relate to the environment of business organizations. 

 

The final exam will  a 2-3 page reflection paper looking again at his or her paper written on the first day of class and evaluating it with respect to the material covered in the course.  It is due one week after the conclusion of the course (to the Director’s office in care of Khun Chotima).

 

Individual Written Case and Questions

Each person is to prepare a 2-3 page “case study” of an ethical situation and what was learned from it.  Preferably this can be personal but it may also be a situation that you know about.  The case should also include a list of questions.  Bring a copy for each student on your team on November 8th and plan to help facilitate a 5-10 minute discussion of the situation using your case’s questions.

Current Events:

Current issues in business, ethics and society are hardly distant and abstract.  These issues are reported in the media on a daily basis.  We will attempt to stay current by having each participant responsible for reporting once during the course on a current issue that pertains issues discussed during the course.  I will give some examples the first day.  This assignment is included in homework.

 

Mobile Phones

Most of us like our mobile telephones.  However, most of us do not like the distraction caused by another person’s phone ringing while in class or in a business meeting.  Kindly respect the rest of us by turning off your mobile telephones while in class or team meetings.  Thank you!

 

Respect for Other’s Views Policy

Ethical issues are sometimes controversial.  It is quite possible that the discussions after each motion picture, case, individual case study, or text case study may involve subjects that may be upsetting to you on a personal level.  We all will try at all times to respect sincere and thoughtful opinion.  Kindly refrain, however, from inflammatory speech.