Business, Society and Ethics
Business Administration 303
Section: d100
Term: 1999 Spring
Instructor: Dr. J. Sheppard
Office:
WMX 4387
Phone:
291-4918
email:
sheppard@sfu.ca
Office Hours:
hour before class or by appointment
Discussion Topics: Course Description:
This course provides the student with an introduction to business,
goal of the course is to enhance students’ ability to insightfully
surrounding ethics in business. The course reviews and synthesizes
issues in the field of business and society. The course is divided
ethics and society. The
articulate the issues
the literature on moral
into four parts:
a) Moral points of view in business practice;
b) Corporations in the late stages of capitalism;
c) Morality in the workplace; and
d) Externalities: the environment and consumers.
Each part explores the legal, ethical and moral issues pertaining to business and their
management. To accomplish their work students will address the question of, \204What is the
proper use of power in a business context?\211 The first of the above parts focuses on
\204what is proper\211 the second focuses on \204the business context\211 and the last two
parts bring together the previous sections such that they give the students a way to
interpret how individuals, departments and organizations put together a viable ethics
portfolio.
Course Coverage:
Week 1 The Nature of Morality, Chapter 1, pp. 2-25
Reading:
Solomon & Hanson \204It\202s good business\211, pp. 33-41
Business, Society and Ethics
Case:
The A7D Affair, pp. 28-33
Week 2 Normative Theories of Ethics, Chapter 2, pp. 51-75
Reading:
Novak: \204What is democratic capitalism", Reading Packet
Case: The Ford Pinto, pp. 78-81
Week 3 Justice and Economic Distribution, Chapter 3, pp. 95-123
Read/Debate: Haslet: \204Is inheritance justified?\211, pp. 131-138
Case/Present: Whatever happened to the steel industry?, pp. 118-120
Week 4 The Nature of Capitalism, Chapter 4, pp. 140-166
Read/Debate:
Friedman: \204The social responsibility...\211, Reading Packet
Read/Debate:
Arrow: \204Social responsibility and...\211, pp. 224-229
Case/Present:
Huckers in the classroom, pp. 160-161
Week 5 Corporations, Chapter 5, pp. 188-208
Read/Debate:
Case/Present:
French: \204The corporation as a moral person\211, Reading Packet
Living and dying with asbestos, pp. 211-214
Week 6 Midterm
Week 7 The workplace:
Basic issues, Chapter 6, pp. 248-257
Read/Debate: Carr: \204Is business bluffing ethical?\211, Reading Packet
Case/Present:
Speaking out about Malt, pp. 272-274
Business, Society and Ethics
Week 8 The workplace:
Read/Debate:
Case/Present:
Today\202s challenges, Chapter 7, pp. 294-312
DesJardins: \204Drug Testing...\211, pp. 325-331
The Mommy Track, pp. 321-323
Week 9 Moral issues facing employees, Chapter 8, pp. 347-364
Read/Debate:
Case/Present:
Dandekar: \204Can whistleblowing be fully...\211, Reading Packet
Ethically Dubious Conduct, pp. 372-374
Week 10 Job Discrimination, Chapter 9, pp. 410-436
Read/Debate:
Case/Present:
Hook: \204Rationalizations for reverse discrimination\211, Reading Packet
A defense of programs of preferential treatment, pp. 437-441
Week 11 Consumers, Chapter 10, pp. 460-483
Read/Debate:
Case/Present:
Arrington: Advertising & behavior control, pp.
503-510
Breast Implants, pp. 484-486
Week 12 The Environment, Chapter 11, pp. 516-543
Read/Debate:
Case/Present:
Stone: \204Should trees have standing...\211, pp. 549-554
Rewrapping the Big Mac, pp. 538-540
Week 13 Review of Key Concepts
Grading: 12% Group Debate or Case Presentation
10% Group Summary and Critique of Debate or Presentation
8% Group Review of a Business Ethics Related Topic
3% Group Peer Evaluation
Business, Society and Ethics
32% Midterm Exam
35% Final Exam
100%
Required Texts: Shaw & Barry; Moral Issues in Business, latest ed, Wadsworth.
Recommended Texts: White; Business Ethics:
A Philosophical Reader, MacMillan.
Materials/Supplies: Required Materials:
BUS 303 Outline and Notes.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: Prerequisites:
60 credit hours.
Notes:
This outline is derived from a course outline repository database that was maintained by SFU
Student Services and the University’s IT Services Department. The database was retired in
2014 and the data migrated to SFU Archives in 2015.