MOR 421 Social and Ethical Issues in Business
Spring 2013 MW 12 – 1:50 p.m.
Professor: Katharine Harrington
Office:
TGF 200
213-740-0153
Office Phone: 213-740-0153
E-mail: LKH@USC.EDU
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Sub-prime lending, “Too big to fail”, the “Fiscal Cliff”, conducting business across
cultures … ethics is not for sissies!!
Business, government, and society are part of a complex and interdependent system. This
course will help you develop a foundation of knowledge and skills that you will be able to
use to critically examine this system. You are likely to find that these skills are crucial to
anticipating and responding to a variety of important issues and threats throughout your
professional careers. Not to mention staying out of jail!!
We will use broad themes and diverse source materials to study social and ethical issues in
business that are related to such things as: financial practices; marketing tactics; product
development and product liability; responsibilities to customers; ethical issues in
international business; the duties and responsibilities of employers; and managing in a
regulated environment.
Our emphasis will be on REAL WORLD business issues and challenges, recognizing and
mitigating risk, policy development, and crisis management strategies.
MOR 421 will immerse students in a multi-disciplinary approach to the normative analysis
of business issues. Using a variety of case studies and current events, we will analyze and
make reasoned judgments about ethical dilemmas that may arise.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Throughout the semester, we will focus on the following learning objectives:
1. Developing the ability to identify ethical and socially sensitive issues in
business;
2. Using various analytic models to critically examine these issues;
3. Reaching decisions regarding these issues and developing accompanying policy
recommendations;
MOR-421 Syllabus—Page 1 of 7
4. Developing an awareness of the extent to which business shapes and is shaped
by society.
PREREQUISITES: BUAD 304
REQUIRED READING
Course Reader
An Enemy of the People, Ibsen (any version)
GRADING
Participation
Issue of the Day
Mid-Term Exam
Group Case Study
Final Exam
TOTAL
Points
150
150
200
200
300
1,000
% of Grade
15%
15%
20%
20%
30%
100.0%
Participation
Your learning experience in this course and the experience of your colleagues depend on
your interactive participation. This requires thoughtful preparation prior to class and
engagement in class discussion.
Issue of the Day
Each student will be responsible for leading one class discussion about a current issue.
These issues should relate to the case or topic for the particular class session. You will also
turn in a brief (3-5 page) written summary of the issue and the original article. Your grade
will be based on how well you do the following:
1. Present a concise overview of the issue
2. Analyze the ethical issues or tensions present in the particular topic
3. Pose at least 3 discussion questions that link your issue with the topic for that day’s
class
4. Facilitate the class discussion within the allotted time (10-15 minutes)
5. Prepare a written summary that describes your analysis and your answers to the
discussion questions
Mid-Term Exam
The mid-term exam will be a combination of short answer and essay questions. The
material covered will include all material covered in class up to that point in time.
Group Case Study
MOR-421 Syllabus—Page 2 of 7
At the beginning of the semester you will form working groups of 3-5 students/group.
These groups will work together on in-class exercises, prepare weekly assigned cases, and
complete one group assignment on a topic of your choosing. This group case study should
reflect an in-depth analysis of an organizational situation, problem, or issue with
substantive ethical dimensions. You may focus on a topic of current or you may choose
to examine an issue from your own experience or another area of interest. You should be
sure to:
 Identify the stakeholders and their interests;
 Identify the ethical issues clearly;
 Identify and describe the major social, economic, and/or legal factors that impact
the issue;
 Analyze the available options; and
 Propose and defend a resolution.
Each group will make a presentation of their case study to the entire class on one of the last
two scheduled class meetings. Each group will also turn in a 15 - 20-page summary of the
case and the group’s analysis, and printed copies of any visual material used in the
presentation.
Final Exam
The final exam will be a combination of short answer and a brief case study. The material
covered will be limited to the topics covered after the midterm.
Final Grades
Final grades represent how you perform in the class relative to other students. Your grade
will not be based on a mandated target, but on your performance. Historically, the average
grade for this class is about a (B+). Three items are considered when assigning final
grades:
1. Your average weighted score as a percentage of the available points for all
assignments (the points you receive divided by the number of points possible).
2. The overall average percentage score within the class.
3. Your ranking among all students in the class.
MARSHALL GUIDELINES
Add/Drop Process
If you are absent three or more times prior to February 1, 2013 (the last day to withdraw
from a course with a grade of “W”), I may ask you to withdraw from the class by that date.
Statement for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to
register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of
verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the
MOR-421 Syllabus—Page 3 of 7
letter is delivered to me (or to your TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located
in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number
for DSP is (213) 740-0776. For more information visit www.usc.edu/disability .
Statement on Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic
honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the
expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an
instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by
others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to
understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook,
(www.usc.edu/scampus or http://scampus.usc.edu) contains the University Student
Conduct Code (see University Governance, Section 11.00), while the recommended
sanctions are located in Appendix A.
Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community
Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The
Review process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/ . Failure to
adhere to the academic conduct standards set forth by these guidelines and our programs
will not be tolerated by the USC Marshall community and can lead to dismissal.
[NB: It’s an ethics class, for crying out loud!!]
Emergency Preparedness/Course Continuity
In case of a declared emergency if travel to campus is not feasible, USC executive
leadership will announce an electronic way for instructors to teach students in their
residence halls or homes using a combination of Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other
technologies.
Please activate your course in Blackboard with access to the course syllabus. Whether or
not you use Blackboard regularly, these preparations will be crucial in an emergency.
USC's Blackboard learning management system and support information is available at
blackboard.usc.edu.
MOR-421 Syllabus—Page 4 of 7
COURSE CALENDAR/READINGS/CLASS SESSIONS
ETHICS AND PERSONAL CHARACTER
Week 1
Jan 14
Jan 16
Week 2
Jan 23
Week 3
Jan 28
Jan 30
Introduction to the course.
Sign-up for Issue of the Day presentations
Reading: Introduction to Ethics
ELC: Meyers-Briggs
Form Groups for Case Study Assignment
Reading: The Discipline of Building Character
Reading: The Parable of the Sadhu
Case: Buffalo Savings Bank
Reading: Normative Foundations of Business
Case: Ford Pinto
ELC: Exercise
DYNAMICS OF THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Week 4
Feb 4
Feb 6
Week 5
Feb 11
Organizational Culture and Organizational Decision Making
Case: Space Shuttle Challenger
Case: Space Shuttle Columbia
Whistle Blowing
Reading/Case: An Enemy of the People
Feb 13
Privacy In the Workplace
Google and the “Super Search”
Week 6
Feb 20
Truth In Advertising?
Sub-Prime Lending
MOR-421 Syllabus—Page 5 of 7
Week 7
Feb 25
Case Study TBD
Feb 27
Case Study TBD
Week 8
Mar 4
Allocating Public Goods
State Medicaid Coverage Decisions
Mar 6
Work on Group Cases
Week 9
Mar 11
Mid-Term Review
Mar 13
Mid-Term Examination
Week 10
Mar 25
Balancing Multiple Stakeholder Interests
Case: Burroughs Welcome and the Pricing of AZT
Mar 27
Corporate Culture
Case: Merck and River Blindness
Week 11
Apr 1
Bio-Medical Ethics
Case: Genetic Testing
Apr 3
Bio-Medical Ethics
Case: Genetic Testing
ETHICS AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Week 12
Apr 8
Case: Bhopal - Union Carbide in India
Apr 10
Case: Bhopal - Union Carbide in India
Week 13
Apr 15
Case: Chiquita in Columbia
Apr 17
Case: GE Ultrasound In India
MOR-421 Syllabus—Page 6 of 7
Week 14
Apr 22
Case: Nestle and the Marketing of Infant Formula
Apr 24
Case: Nestle and the Marketing of Infant Formula
Week 15
Apr 29
Case Study Presentations
May 1
Case Study Presentations
FINAL
Date
Please note: The date/time of the Final Exam is determined by the University. For the date and time of the
final for this class, consult the USC Schedule of Classes at www.usc.edu/soc. Select the corresponding
semester to view and click on the “Final Examinations Schedule” link on the left side of the screen.
MOR-421 Syllabus—Page 7 of 7