Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
Str. Teodor Mihali nr. 58-60
Cluj-Napoca, RO-400951
Tel.: 0264-41.86.52-5
Fax: 0264-41.25.70
econ@econ.ubbcluj.ro
www.econ.ubbcluj.ro
Fişa disciplinei
DETAILED SYLLABUS
Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
1.Information about the program
1.1 University
“Babeş-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca
1.2 Faculty
Economics and Business Management
1.3 Department
Management
1.4 Field of study
Management
1.5 Program level (bachelor or master) Master
1.6 Study program / Qualification
Business Development Management (MDAE) in English
2. Information about the subject
2.1 Subject title
2.2 Course activities professor
2.3 Seminar activities professor
2.4 Year of study
I 2.5 Semester
Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
Assistant professor Salanţă Irina, PhD
Assistant professor Salanţă Irina, PhD
2 2.6 Type of assessment
Summative 2.7 Subject regime
Ob
3. Total estimated time (teaching hours per semester)
3.1 Number of hours per week
3.4 Total number of hours in the
curriculum
3 Out of which: 3.2 course
1 3.3 seminar / laboratory class
2
42 Out of which: 3.5 course
14 3.6 seminar / laboratory class
28
Time distribution
Hours
Study based on textbook, course support documentation , bibliography and notes
Additional documentation in libraries, through specialized databases and field activities
Preparing seminars/laboratories, essays, portfolios and reports.
Tutoring
Examinations
Other activities...................................
3.7 Total hours for individual study
108
3.8 Total hours per semester
150
3.9 Number of credits
32
25
45
3
3
6
4. Preconditions (if necessary)
4.1 Curriculum
4.2 Skills
Management; Business Ethics
N/A
5. Conditions (if necessary)
5.1. For course
development
5.2. For conducting
seminar/laboratory
Students shall attend the lectures, seminars / laboratory classes with their mobile phones
turned off. Late arrivals at courses and seminars / laboratory classes are not acceptable.
The seminar paper submittal deadline is set by mutually agreement between students and
seminary provider. Only well-grounded deferment requests will be accepted.
6. Acquired specific competences
Professional  Thorough knowledge of an area of expertise and, herewith, of the theoretical, methodological
competences
and practical developments specific to the program; adequate use of the specific language in
communicating with various professional milieus.
 Use of specialist knowledge to explain and interpret new situations in a wider context within the
relevant field of activities.
 Conducting efficient and competitive operation management within companies.
 Applying strategic and ethical reasoning within companies.
 Use of specialist knowledge to explain company organization systems.
 Use of specialist knowledge to interpret the conduct of company decision-makers.
 Integrated use of the conceptual and methodological apparatus to solve new theoretical and
practical challenges in circumstances where access to full information is not possible.
 Balanced and pertinent use of evaluation criteria and methods to enunciate judgments of value
and justify constructive decisions.
 Elaboration of professional / research projects, using a broad range of quantitative and
qualitative range of methods in an innovative manner.
Transversal  Carrying out complex professional tasks under circumstances of professional autonomy and
competences
independence.
 Assuming activity leadership roles/positions within professional groups or institutions.
 Self-control of the learning process, self-diagnosis of training needs, reflexive analysis of the
personal professional activity.
7. Subject objectives (arising from the acquired specific competences)
7.1 Subject’s  The development of the ability to acknowledge and set up a series of common moral standards and
general
values in business. Acquiring a pluralistic outlook on the concepts of honorable life, work and
objective
business. We will also monitor the students’ motivation to adopt an ethical behavior in business.
Emphasis will be also placed on raising awareness as to the relation between responsibility, trust,
loyalty, on one hand, and the achievement of financial and professional success, on the other
7.2 Specific  Knowledge of business ethics’ scope and appropriation of the main business ethics application areas
objectives
and levels.
 Detailed study of the CSR-related complex notions; understanding the influence of CSR on the
competiveness of Romanian companies.
 Creating a permanent CSR-related information pool containing all the relevant achievements in the
field of CSR and their related return and results, as a source of continuous motivation for Romanian
businessmen.
 Identifying dialogue opportunities with co-involved groups etc.
8. Contents
8.1 Course
Teaching methods
Notes
Lecture
1 lecture
General concepts regarding business ethics and social responsibility
What is the meaning of „Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)”?
Lecture
2 lectures
Managerial integration of CSR
Lecture
1 lecture
Influence of CSR on the social and financial performance of companies
Lecture
1 lecture
CSR management models
Lecture
1 lecture
CSR implementation and assessment
Lecture
1 lecture
References:
Cohen, E., Arşinel, D.G., Chitoşcă, M. (2011): Responsabilitatea socială corporatistă în sprijinul resurselor umane:
un parteneriat necesar pentru dezvoltarea unor practici responsabile în afaceri (Corporate Social Responsibility in
Support of Human Resources: a Necessary Partnership for the Development of Responsible Business Practices).
Bucureşti: Editura Curtea Veche.
Crăciun, D. (2005). Etica în afaceri (Business Ethics). Bucureşti: Editura A.S.E.
Kotler, P., Lee, N. (2005): Corporate Social Responsibility-Doing the Most Good for Your Company and Your
Cause. First Edition. John Wiley & Sons.
Popa, M., Salanţă, I.I., Scorţar, L.M., Isopescu, A.G. (2011): Etica în afaceri. Sinteze şi studii de caz (Ethics in
Business. Syntheses and Case Studies). Cluj-Napoca: Editura Risoprint.
Zimmerli, W., Richter, K., Holzinger, M. (2010): Corporate ethics and corporate governance. Heidelberg: Editura
Springer.
Werhane, P., Freeman, E. (2005): Business Ethics. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.
8. 2 Seminar / laboratory class
Analysis and identification of the relation between the CSR
activities organized by companies and their medium- and long-term
Teaching methods
Notes
Case studies prepared by the
students
2 seminars /
laboratory
competiveness.
Detailed analysis of the current state of CSR in Romanian
companies.
Case studies prepared by the
students
The analysis of the main “responsible” types of management
strategies.
Case studies prepared by the
students
Assessment of the stakeholders’ capacity to exert influence on the Debate based on short essays
companies.
assigned for preparation to the
students
Providing the students with the best tools and techniques; drawing Case studies prepared by the
out a CSR implementation guide (handbook) based on international
students
research.
Collecting information and examples of good business practices, as Exercise based on a case study
well as CSR initiatives from Romania and the EU.
prepared by each student
Identification and presentation of case studies that illustrate good Exercise based on a case study
business practices in the Romanian business milieu and how they
prepared by each student
effectively boost up competiveness.
References:
Cohen, E., Arşinel, D.G., Chitoşcă, M. (2011): Responsabilitatea socială corporatistă în sprijinul
resurselor umane: un parteneriat necesar pentru dezvoltarea unor practici responsabile în afaceri
(Corporate Social Responsibility in Support of Human Resources: a Necessary Partnership for the
Development of Responsible Business Practices). Bucureşti: Editura Curtea Veche.
Kotler, P., Lee, N. (2005): Corporate Social Responsibility-Doing the Most Good for Your Company
and Your Cause. First Edition. John Wiley & Sons.
Zimmerli, W., Richter, K., Holzinger, M. (2010): Corporate ethics and corporate governance.
Heidelberg: Springer.
Journal of Business Ethics. Springer Netherlands.
Business Ethics: A European Review. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Business Ethics Quarterly. Philosophy Documentation Center.
Journal of Corporate Citizenship. Greenleaf Publishing.
Business Ethics – The Magazine of Corporate Responsibility
classes
2 seminars /
laboratory
classes
2 seminars /
laboratory
classes
2 seminars /
laboratory
class
2 seminars /
laboratory
classes
2 seminars /
laboratory
classes
2 seminars /
laboratory
classes
9. Corroboration / validation of the subject’s content in relation to the expectations coming from
representatives of the epistemic community, of the professional associations and of the representative
employers in the program’s field.
 Several discussions with relevant experts have been organized during national and international scientific paper
presentation sessions prior to drafting the course content and selecting the teaching / learning methods. Professors
with similar areas of expertise from different departments or institutions of higher learning have also joined the
discussions concerning the educational content of the teaching line. These meetings were aimed at identifying the
needs and expectations of the employers in the related fields of activity and ensuring consistency / coordination
with other similar programs provided by other institutions of higher learning.
10.Assessment (examination)
10.3 Weight
in the final
grade
10.4
Ability to analyze the economic impact of social
Written examination in the form
60%
Course
responsibility in terms of risk and opportunities.
of a multiple choice test. In order
to pass the examination with a
Appropriation of the most important types of CSR
satisfactory grade, the students
programs / tactics / initiatives.
will have to read the provided
Knowledge of CSR management models.
bibliography. The students have
Capacity to define the identification criteria for coto score at least half of the rating
involved groups and specify the degrees of legal,
announced for the written test, if
financial, operational and social responsibility.
the rating scored for the paper
portfolio is to be taken into
account.
10.5
Use of the best research and analysis tools to identify The presentation of a portfolio of
40%
Seminar/ the successful cases of social investments by Romanian papers drawn up during the
Laboratory companies. Elaboration of a final report with insightful semester is a prerequisite to the
class
conclusions.
admission to the final
examination.
Identifying the costs and benefits of CSR.
Type of
activity
10.1 Evaluation criteria
10.2 Assessment methods
Identifying good business practices in the EU and
The content of the portfolio will
management activities required to support the
be defined by each professor that
implementation of CSR in Romanian companies.
provides seminar / laboratory
classes in agreement with the
Assessment of the stakeholders’ capacity to exert
students.
influence on the companies; identification of the
relations with the groups that companies interact often The portfolio will be submitted
during the seminar / laboratory
with; defining the degree of dependence, as well the
class of the penultimate teaching
interest advocacy form.
week.
Assessment based on inquiry of the importance and
relevance of CSR for Romanian business people and
stakeholders.
10.6 Minimum performance standard
 It is necessary to obtain a minimum grade of 5 (five) in order to pass this subject;
 The grades being granted are between 1 (one) and 10 (ten);
 Students must approach each element (question, problem) within the exam sheet;
 The exam is written and takes approximately 120 minutes;
 Understanding the role of the management team in the process of integrating social responsibility.
 Identifying the instruments by means of which the management is able to implement the CSR.
Date of completion
st
31 of March 2014
Course instructor signature
Assistant professor Salanţă Irina, PhD
Head of department signature: Professor Nistor Răzvan, PhD
Date of department approval ..............................................................
Seminar instructor signature
Assistant professor Salanţă Irina, PhD