Managing Responsibly in a Global Environment
Summer I 2004
Instructor:
Mary Runté
E-mail: mary.runte@uleth.ca * (preferred)
Phone: 329-2367 Office: E558
Office Hours: Wed 10:00-11:30
I. Course Description
This course will examine the forces shaping management decision-making in an
organizational environment characterized by the process of globalization. The
interaction of the political, legal, regulatory and social environments in which an
organization operates will be assessed in relation to ethical decision-making,
stakeholder management, sustainability, and corporate citizenship.
II. Introduction
Social responsibility, corporate citizenship, human rights, environmental protection,
diversity, and ethical management in functional areas, such as accounting, finance,
human resources and marketing are common topics of discussion in the media and in
the boardroom. The business community, voluntary sector organizations,
government organizations and individual managers are discovering the high cost of
unethical behaviour. Students will examine and evaluate these trends highlighting the
international context as well as the individual manager’s role in ethical decisionmaking.
III. Course Text
Course reader
Handouts provided in class or on course website
IV. Assessment:
A. Assessment Weightings
Concept Midterm Exam
Case Study
Final Exam or Learning Contract
Participation
- Peer evaluation
- Self evaluation
- Instructor evaluation
25%
25%
35%
15%
B. Conversion Scale
Final student grades will be based on a composite of the delineated weightings.
The schedule for grade conversion is as follows:
A+ 95-100
A
90-94
A86-89
B+ 82-85
B
78-81
B74-77
C+ 70-73
C
66-69
C62-65
D+ 58-61
D
50-57
F
00-49
C. Evaluation
Tests:
Examinations are based on material covered in the lectures, the reader and other
provided materials. Students will be responsible for the assigned readings (text and
supplementary materials whether reviewed in class or not), class discussions,
presentations and videos. Failure to attend the in-class exam or meet a takehome
exam deadline results in a zero on that test.
OPTIONAL : Learning Contract
Students have a choice! Students must decide by the beginning week 3 whether they
wish to write a final examination or accept an alternative form of evaluation—the
learning contract. (The default for students who don’t identify a choice is the final
exam).
The Learning Contract is intended to offer students much more flexibility,
opportunity, and hopefully, enjoyment as they explore an aspect of social
responsibility that interests or perplexes them.
Students who choose this option enter into a Learning Contract that outlines their
learning objectives and how they intend to accomplish these objectives during the
course. The purpose of the learning contract work is to stimulate you throughout the
semester to become involved in your own learning, and to develop your own
reactions and ideas in response to readings and class activities. The idea is to
analyze, criticize, integrate, develop your own ideas, etc., using the course content as
one of your main inputs.
Outputs from Learning Contracts have varied widely in the past and have included
research papers, class presentations, case studies, reference catalogues, guest speaker
panel presentations, interview transcripts, etc. This must be negotiated with the
instructor and the instructor will determine the format and timing of this exam.
Learning Contract outputs are due by the date of the final exam, but may be
submitted earlier. Detailed instructions are included in "Notes On Contract
Learning", which will be distributed to interested students during the second class
period.
Participation:
Students will engage in self evaluation, peer evaluation as well as be evaluated by
the instructor on the basis of active, professional and constructive participation in the
class discussions and outside class course related activities. In all organizational
settings, but particularly when facing social and ethical dilemmas, the ability and
willingness to voice opinions and share information is critical. Having concerns,
input or objections to your colleagues’ viewpoints regarding an ethical position will
not contribute to ethical or socially responsive decision making unless you share
your insight. Peer interaction is an important component of learning. In
organizational settings, 360 degree feedback has become a norm—employees are
evaluated and evaluate peers, subordinates and supervisors. This is particularly
important when one is evaluating professional and ethical conduct. As such, it is
essential to attend actively to the contributions others are making to projects,
discussions, meetings etc. Students will be given opportunities to interact with their
peers and evaluate whether their peers’ interactions contribute meaningfully to the
class. Further, you will be engaging in self evaluation—do you feel that you
contributed meaningfully? Detailed criteria will be provided for peer and self
evaluation. Professional interaction and engaged participation that contributes to the
learning and engagement of others are the key criteria evaluated. The instructor
maintains ultimate discretion over the awarding of all participation grades. Failure to
submit self evaluations by the deadline to be announced in class will be interpreted
to mean that you are awarding yourself a zero for participation.
Case Study:
Students will be provided with a written case to analyze using the concepts and
principals taught in the course. This assignment will be done in pairs; students may
chose to do this project individually by special arrangement with the instructor by the
2nd week of term. when students designate their case partner. Students who have
not designated a case partner by the end of the 2nd week will be randomly assigned
partners by the instructor.
D.
Classroom attendance for regular class periods, while not mandatory, is strongly
encouraged. Attendance for tests and in-class assignments is mandatory and absence
will result in an F for that test or assignment. Attendance for guest presentations is
mandatory and 2% will be deducted from participation grades for each absence. (For
example: for a student whose cumulative participation grade is 13/15, one absence
would result in the grade being lowered to 11/15. Attendance will be taken at the
beginning and end of class and presence is required both at the start and end of the
period to constitute attendance.
Plagiarism and Cheating: Students are referred to the University Handbook for the
University policy on plagiarism and cheating. Maximum penalties will be applied.
It is not my policy to allow alternate sittings of exams except with prior notification
and documentation of medical or exceptional circumstance and only within a
reasonable time-frame (once the exam is returned to other students, make-up tests
will not be allowed for any reason.) Baring extremely grave circumstances,
notification (with documentation) of the need to miss an exam must be provided a
minimum of 24 hrs before said exam. A grade of zero will be given for any missed
exam. Extensions are not given for any circumstance for take-home exams or for
group (paired) assignments.
Assignments and take home exams/projects are due at the BEGINNING of the class
period. Late assignments and take home exams will receive a grade of zero. Emailed
assignments are accepted if they are appropriately addressed (make sure that you
identify it in subject line, .—for example—Subject: Case exam Mgt3031A. Title the
document with your surname(s)… for example: Smith.doc. Also, label the document
with your name on a title page which is part of the same document as the paper or as
a header on the document.)
IV. TENTATIVE COURSE STRUCTURE:
DATE
May 10
READINGS
May 12
The Social Responsibility of Business is to
Increase its Profits (Friedman)
A Critique of Milton Friedman’s Essay:
The Social Responsibility of Business is to
Increase its Profits
The Virtue Matrix
Corporate Social Responsibility (Wexler)
When Ethics Travel
May 17
May 19,
26, 31
June 2
June 7
June 9
June 14,
16,
June 21
Ethical Principles: Quick Tests and and
Decision Making Guidelines
Guest lecture
Stakeholder and Issues Management
Approaches
The Value in Diversity
Other readings/topics to be determined
TOPICS
Introduction to course,
overview of course outline
The context for social
corporate responsibility
The “purpose of business”
Corporate Social Performance
Corporate Social
Responsibility Models
Ethics
To be announced
Test
Corporate Social
Responsibility in Practice
Case due June 14
Topic: Diversity