SM 131 A1– BUSINESS, SOCIETY, AND ETHICS COURSE SYLLABUS Welcome to Business, Society, and Ethics. Our aim is to make this course challenging and rewarding. However, it is up to you to make the most out of the experience. If you come well prepared to all lectures, discussions, and workshops; if you are eager to participate in discussions - listening, asking, and commenting, BSE will be a memorable and valuable course. Course Objectives There are several important learning objectives for Business, Society, and Ethics. We want all students at SMG to: 1. 2. 3. Have a solid foundation for making ethical decisions in a business context; Understand the role of the firm within society; and Understand the role of the functional areas in accomplishing the firm’s objectives, as well as the types of ethical issues that arise within each function. Further, in this course we stress written and oral communication skills, as essential to effective participation in society and successful leadership. We stress logical reasoning as an ingredient for sound analysis and rational business planning. Finally, you will be introduced to teamwork, because at the heart of modern management is the need to collaborate with others and to organize, motivate, and monitor teams of diverse people to accomplish shared goals. By the end of BSE, we expect you to have identified a core set of personal values that will guide your decision-making going forward. In addition, we expect you to be able to apply ethical frameworks to a variety of managerial decisions with ethical components. You will be familiar with some of the language of management -- from accounting, finance, marketing, operations management, and general management. We expect you to have developed professional writing and communication and have learned how to view the world from a managerial perspective. Last, we expect each student to appreciate the breadth of economic entities that ultimately leads to the quality of life on the planet. Course Content The course is divided into three modules. Module 1: What is Ethical Decision-Making? In this module, you will develop a foundation for making ethical decisions in a business context. Central to this objective is developing an understanding that ethics are comprised of behaviors, skills, techniques and processes for making principled decisions. You will learn to identify ethical situations and to evaluate these situations using your own values and value systems as well as several ethical frameworks. You will also learn to identify key success factors, pitfalls, and outcomes from ethical decision-making. Module 2: What is the Role of the Firm in Society? Making ethical decisions in a business context requires a solid understanding of the role that firms play in society. In this module, we will examine some key concepts from economics that are the underpinning of this question. Specifically, we will discuss what a market is, what it means for a market to be efficient, how markets attain efficiency, and why markets fail. We will examine the role of government and regulation. We will also discuss the possible objectives of a firm—to make profits, to satisfy stakeholders and/or to better society. We will explore these issues from multiple perspectives. Supporting this goal, teams will research and develop arguments supporting one side of an issue, which will be presented to the class. Module 3: What is the Role of Ethics within the Business Functions? Most students will eventually be working within a specific functional area of business. In this module, you will be introduced to key functions within a business, including accounting, finance, marketing, operations, management, and strategy. We will explore specific ethical decisions that are faced by managers working within each of these functional areas. In addition, teams will teach the class about a recent ethical dilemma that occurred within a specific functional area. On a parallel track, and tied to the content, the course concentrates on building and strengthening professional skills. The skills that the student begins to master in BSE are skills that will be used and enhanced during her or his managerial career. • • • You will work hard to enhance your written communication skills. You will have a written assignment, comprised of multiple drafts and ending in a final ethical analysis and execution strategy. You will also work on your presentation skills. You will be given the opportunity to make two team presentations to the class. You will be placed in collaborative learning situations. Course Communications Our SMGTools page (A1) will serve as our central communications link. We use the website to post assignments and other course information. Students must check it regularly. Classes Usually we meet four times per week: one course-wide lecture, two discussion sections, and one workshop. However, the schedule may vary, so please consult your Syllabus and SMGTools for any announcement about class. Lectures Lectures meet on Mondays from 8:00am-9:30am (A1). On occasion, there will be Wednesday lectures during the same time period. We will give you notice of those special lectures. We expect you to attend every lecture, since during lectures we will provide the background that enables you to prepare for discussion sessions. We also expect you to arrive ON TIME. Lectures will start at the designated hour, and we may take attendance AT THAT MOMENT or at the end of class. Lecture slides and videos are posted to SMGTools after lecture, and are not a substitute for attending lectures. Laptops are not permitted in the lecture hall. Discussion Sections Discussion sections meet twice per week Tuesdays/Thursdays. Discussion sections form the core of BSE and your discussion section instructor will provide valuable advice during your first semester at SMG. Therefore, you should get to know him/her well and consider them your first resource for any information related to class. Please, don't hesitate to contact us frequently. Attendance will be taken during discussion. Writing Workshop Writing Workshops are one hour long and meet on 7 Fridays over the semester. You have been assigned to a workshop according to your discussion sections. Your Writing Instructor will staff these workshops. The Writing Workshop is to develop and work on your writing skills. Because you will receive substantive feedback on your writing during the Workshops, your grade on both the assignments and attendance will be affected by absences during Workshops. Team Workshop Team Workshops are one hour long and meet on 7 Fridays. You have been assigned to a workshop according to your discussion sections. Your TA will staff these workshops. The Workshop is to develop and work on your teaming skills and presentation assignments. Because you will receive substantive feedback on your team-building and presentation skills during the Workshops, your grade on both the assignments and attendance will be affected by absences during Workshops. Course Materials • BSE Course Packet from the SMG Copy center –a bound text and cases. This will be referred to as the BSE Course Packet. • Business Ethics, Case Studies and Selected Readings, 7e, Marianne M. Jennings- available at the BU Bookstore. • Write to the Top by Deborah Dumaine, 2004 – available at the BU Bookstore. You must also read one of the following publications on a regular basis: The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Financial Times, The Economist, Business Week, etc. You have free access to these through the Pardee Library and can be read online. Attendance Attendance is mandatory in all classes (lectures, discussion sections, and workshops). We take attendance seriously and monitor it carefully. Attendance for lecture will be taken via unannounced quizzes during lecture; there are no make-ups for the quizzes. Punctuality Punctuality is an important component of attendance. We will consider that you are absent if you arrive late to class. If you arrive late and miss a quiz, you cannot make up the quiz. Classes start promptly. Please plan your morning as if the T will be late, a cab will be late or the bus will be late. These are everyday problems and are not an excuse for being late to class. You should arrive on time not only to avoid an absence but also to avoid disrupting the class. It is disrespectful to your instructor and to your classmates to arrive late and your instructor may refuse to allow tardy students to enter class. Please note that we may close the doors to the lecture hall when we administer a quiz, preventing latecomers from entering. Absences Absences are neither excused nor unexcused – they are simply absences. Your first three absences are “no questions asked” free absences. Each additional absence will lower your final course grade by two points. For example, six total absences (three beyond the three free absences) could lower your course grade from 80 (B-) to 74 (C). You should be aware that it is possible to fail the course because of excessive absenteeism. If unusual circumstances occur (e.g., the bird flu), the student should inform his or her instructor and consideration will be given. You should also be aware that an absence does not remove your responsibility for the day's work. Your instructor may assign extra work to compensate for lost time and to ensure that your overall learning experience does not suffer. However, the responsibility to make up for missed classes is entirely yours. Evaluation and Grading Your discussion section instructor will determine your grade based on the following: 50% Examinations: 1 6% 2 17% 3 27% 25% Individual Paper: 1 Lens Paper 2 Lens Paper 4% 8% 3 Persuasion Strategy 13% 10% Class Participation See discussion below 15% Team Presentations 1 5% 2 10% Each section of BSE is graded independently on all items except exams, which are scored and scaled across the course. Computer Literacy Each student is expected to have basic competency with word processing software (e.g., Microsoft Word) and visual presentation software (e.g., Powerpoint, Keynote, and Prezi). Class Participation As indicated earlier, discussion sections are the core of BSE. Given that we use the case-method of teaching, we expect discussion sections to be truly interactive, with intense participation by all students. Class participation is an essential ingredient in the learning process. We expect you to learn by actively participating in discussions and by observing your classmates participate. Neither activity is possible if you are absent; therefore, your presence in class is vital. To participate actively, you must be well prepared. This implies more than just reading the assignments before coming to class. It means analyzing the issues and answering the study questions ahead of time. We urge you to use your team to prepare before coming to class. At times your instructor will give unannounced quizzes or expect you to be involved in other activities, such as on-the-spot oral presentations, to assess your level of preparation and/or to set up the day's discussion. Your instructor will use three criteria to evaluate class participation: the extent to which you participate in the class discussion; the quality of that participation; and your performance in in-class activities. Quality is more important than quantity. We consider that you are participating well when your comments reflect clear knowledge of the case and of the theoretical background provided by lectures and readings. Additionally, to establish quality your instructor will consider: • the relevance of your comments to the topic, • • • • the extent to which what you say is based on thoughtful interpretation of facts, the clarity and depth of your reasoning, your willingness to "think on the spot" and engage your professor and your classmates in discussion, and the degree to which you bring issues discussed earlier in the course and other relevant experiences into our deliberations. The degree to which you respect everyone's right to participate and have different opinions in the discussions is absolutely critical to the success of the course. Written Assignments There are several written assignments during the semester. Please check SMGTools for the details of these assignments. We expect you to present clear arguments based on facts and analysis. We also expect you to organize and communicate your ideas clearly and concisely and to present them in a professional manner. These skills form the basis of effective case analysis. Without prior authorization, late papers are unacceptable. As an overview, these assignments include: Writing Assignment 1 and 2 (Lens Papers): In this paper students will analyze an assigned ethical dilemma using ethical frameworks. Students are required to use the material from class and apply those concepts to the dilemma. Students will receive feedback on this assignment, so that they can edit their work in accordance with the feedback. Writing Assignment 3 (Persuasion Strategy): This writing assignment will focus on executing a decision. In Writing Assignments 1 you identified various ideas and alternatives to an ethical dilemma based on ethical frameworks. But, identification of ethical issues and potential outcomes is not a complete resolution. Now you must act on your values by developing an option for execution. In this assignment you will be assigned a scenario in which a decision has been made. Your job is to develop a plan to implement your decision based on concepts we discuss in class. Exams Exams will be cumulative; that is, you can expect some of the first exam’s material on subsequent exams. Exam schedules will not be modified to accommodate any individual. There are no excuses for missing an exam. Because of this, you should make no travel plans that conflict with the exam schedule. Information about time and location of exams will be posted on SMGTools. Team Presentations Learning how to work in teams is an important component of your SMG experience and you will be introduced to teaming in BSE. Therefore, at the beginning of the semester we will assign you to a study team. We will arrange all teams using the following ground rules: • • Each team should consist of 5-7 members. Every team must be mixed-gender. We prefer gender-balanced teams. Teams, once assigned, are the students’ to manage. Efforts must be made to resolve team issues internally. If after several attempts at internal resolution the team still needs help, go first to your TA for advice before bringing the issue to the instructor. We hope that your team functions smoothly and productively and we will do what we can to help. However, we cannot help unless you ask us to do so. Please ask! Any change to team composition must be approved by the instructor. Approval is rarely granted Team Presentation 1: In this team presentation the team must teach the class about an assigned topic and evaluate that issue using the questions posed in the assignment. Teams will be assigned a topic by their instructor relating to material in Module 2. Each team must read the material provided in addition to the Team’s own research and the material in the text, and include in their presentation their answers to the assigned questions. Each team must then present to the class. Both the Team Presentation 1 Assignment and specific topics are posted on SMGTools. Team Presentation 2: In this team presentation the team must discuss an emerging issue based on class material from Module 3. For this assignment each team will be assigned a business function (i.e. accounting, operations, etc.). Once assigned a sector, each team must find a recent (no older than 1 year) ethical issue involving entities, firms, or employees in that sector. Team Presentation 2 Assignment is posted on SMGTools. General Presentation Requirements: • Each presentation is evaluated on its delivery and its content. • Each presentation is time constrained. An individual or team going over the time limit will be penalized. See presentation assignments for specific time limits. • At the conclusion of the team presentations the team will “stand” for questions. Questioning will be done by the class, the TA, and the instructor. “Q&A” will count towards both delivery and content. • Each team presentation must be accompanied by the following documentation. A summary of not more than one double spaced page. The summary must include a discussion of the most important element of the presentation. Attached to the summary must be copies of the presentation media (slides, video, etc.) • Each member of the class is to evaluate each team presentation. The evaluation is on two dimensions - the quality of the delivery and the extent of learning. These evaluations will be considered by the instructor in assigning grades. Writing Instructors Each section of BSE has a Writing Instructor. The Writing Instructor will deliver writing instruction during the Friday Writing Workshops. Also, the Writing Instructor, in consultation with your Discussion Instructor, will provide feedback on and grade the writing assignments. Writing Instructors are your source of instruction and help on the writing assignments. To that end, in addition to Friday Writing Workshops, Writing Instructors will have office hours and may schedule appointments outside of those hours. The Writing Instructors will provide as much help as they can on the writing assignments including form and content; their job is not to provide help on the content of the lecture or discussions. Please see your TA or discussion faculty for questions about the course material that does not relate to the writing assignments. Teaching Assistants Each BSE section has a teaching assistant. All TAs are SMG undergraduates. Teaching Assistants will sit in on most of your classes, monitor your attendance, track class participation, conduct some professional skills workshops, and in general be available to help you succeed in BSE. TAs are there to help you; take advantage of their knowledge. You should be aware that TAs will give you their opinions and provide advice. However, following their advice does not guarantee a good grade. Your instructor, not your TA, assigns your grades. Academic Guidance, Tutorial Assistance, and Administrative Issues Most of us need some help from time to time. Please do not hesitate to ask, and ask sooner rather than later. You should address any administrative questions to the Undergraduate Programs Office. If your questions relate to course or other academic issues, ask your instructor to assist you. Your instructor may refer you to the Undergraduate Programs Office who can provide you with information on tutors and other sources of help. One especially valuable source for help is the student-run organization, the LOCK Honorary Service Society. This group provides tutorial assistance tailored to SM 131 students' needs. LOCK tutors are available through the Educational Resource Center (Tel: 353-7077). The ERC provides tutors for all Boston University undergraduates. Get to know your teaching assistant. He/she knows what we expect of you and can help academically and otherwise. Dr. Sandra Deacon is the Undergraduate Team Consultant. Talk to her about teamrelated issues before they get out of hand. Accommodations of Disabilities In keeping with University policy, any student with a disability who needs or thinks they need academic accommodations must call the Office of Disability Services at 353-3658 or stop by 19 Deerfield Street to arrange a confidential appointment with a Disability Services staff member. Accommodation letters must be delivered to Prof. Chang in a timely fashion (within two weeks of the date on the letter and not later than two weeks before any major examination). Please note that accommodations will not be delivered absent an official letter of accommodation. Academic Conduct Academic integrity is an essential component of your education. We cannot overemphasize the importance of honesty and integrity in your work. Every member of the Boston University School of Management is responsible for creating an ethical environment. Therefore, we urge you to become thoroughly familiar with the University’s academic conduct policy (http://smgworld.bu.edu/acc/academic-conduct-code/). We strongly urge you to read the Code, and you will be expected to provide the SMG Undergraduate Program Office with an affirmation that you have indeed done so. You should be aware that we expect you to abide by the Academic Conduct Code. In the past, we have had unfortunate situations where students who did not abide by the code received a failing grade in BSE and were subjected to a variety of additional sanctions. We hope that no students will violate the Academic Conduct Code this year, but if we discover that someone does, we will act accordingly.