CBEA021– COURSE NOTES
CBEA021
MODULE 1:
KEY CONCEPTS AND DISTINCTIONS
HANDBOOKS: BUSINESS ETHICS (CHAPTER 1)
CONTENT
1. Study objective
2. Importance of topic
3. Exam technique
4. Self-assessment questions
5. Sources
6. Class slides
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CBEA021– COURSE NOTES
1.
STUDY OBJECTIVES
On completion of this module, you should be able to do the following:
–
Understand the concepts: “business’’, “ethics” and “business ethics”.
–
Discern the three levels at which ethics in economic activity is being studied.
–
Gain an insight on the moral questions that business activity specifically creates
and recognise ethical considerations and values relevant to business activity.
–
Gain an understanding on what could be considered as ethically right and
ethically wrong and how that distinction gets blurred in the case of ethical
dilemmas.
–
Draw the link between ethics and the law.
–
Draw the link between ethics and values.
–
Draw the link between ethics and integrity.
–
Gain insight as to why ethics needs to be addressed on both the personal and
organisational levels.
–
Acquire the knowledge or the skill of applying moral reasoning to specific
situations and how to defend the conclusions of that reasoning.
2.
IMPORTANCE OF THE TOPIC
This section of the work can be examined in the form of theoretical and practical
application questions.
3.
EXAM TECHNIQUES
The following methods should be used to improve your understanding of the topic:
–
Study the underlying concepts and principles from the course notes and the
relevant chapters of Business Ethics.
–
Practice addressing the practical issues by working through the recommended
case studies. You should attempt the case studies, compare your solutions to
the suggested solutions and analyse why differences exist.
4.
SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
4.1 Define/explain the concepts: “business’’ “ethics” and “business ethics”.
4.2 Identify and discuss the three levels at which ethics in economic activity is
being studied.
4.3 Identify/evaluate/discuss/describe the ethical issues, ethical considerations and
values that are studied on each of these activities.
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CBEA021– COURSE NOTES
4.4 Critically analyse what is considered as ethically right and ethically wrong and
how this distinction becomes unclear in the case of ethical dilemmas.
4.5 Explain/describe/distinguish the relationship between ethics and the law.
4.6 Explain/describe/distinguish the relationship between ethics and values.
4.7 Evaluate/discuss the ethical dimension of individual and social life in the
context of cultural diversity.
4.8 Explain/describe/distinguish the relationship between ethics and integrity.
4.9 Explain/discuss why ethics needs to be addressed on both the personal and
organisational levels.
4.10 Evaluate/discuss the selected, large-scale, socio-economic ethical issues
relevant to the business world and approaches to business ethics in South
Africa and internationally.
4.11 Evaluate the ethics of particular business decisions and general practices in
business.
4.12 Apply the above competencies, ethical knowledge and theory with case
studies.
4.13 Critically analyse case studies from the business world in relation to decision
making and comparative and diversity ethics (where appropriate) and ethical
theories, and to propose solutions to the ethical issues they involve.
5.
SOURCES
These course notes and lecture slides have been compiled from the following
sources:
Business Ethics (Sixth Edition – Deon Rossouw and Leon Van Vuuren).
6.
LECTURE SLIDES
[Attached]
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