GB 401 Business Ethics COURSE SYLLABUS: Summer 2015 Section, Section 341 (8 Week) Mr. Robert A. Wells COURSE OVERVIEW This course is designed to provide an examination of contemporary organizational ethical issues and challenges. Emphasis will be placed upon stakeholder management and sustainability, meaning the manager’s corporate social responsibilities to a wide variety of stakeholders. Ethical dilemmas and decision-making frameworks and approaches at the personal, group, organizational and societal levels will be explored. Student engagement in real-world applications through case study analysis and service learning is a critical portion of the course. Prerequisites: GBK 301, MGTK 301 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES The overall objective of this course is for each student to develop a critical thinking approach regarding many of the significant ethical concerns confronted by organizational members within the contemporary business world. The extent to which firms are responsible to society concerning such critical issues as the environment will be explored in depth. This course is required for COBA/BBA majors. This course would be a good elective for ANY students having achieved senior level status wanting a better understanding of the manager’s social and environmental responsibilities to key stakeholder groups. Upon successful completion of this Business Ethics course, the student will be able to: 1. Demonstrate understanding of the definition of ethics and the importance and role ethical behavior serves in the business world today. 2. Demonstrate understanding of how business ethics relates to larger moral and philosophical frameworks. 3. Identify ethical dilemmas that occur in the workplace. 4. Evaluate an ethical situation by applying the steps involved in ethical decision making. 5. Evaluate the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, and explore its relevance to ethical business activity. 6. Identify the moral obligations of businesses to the environment. 7. Comprehensively analyze in professional business caliber writing real-world business firm’s activities regarding ethical and social responsibility via written case study analyses. 1 GB 401 Syllabus Summer 2015 (8 Weeks) 8. Participate in and reflect upon at least two service learning projects in the student’s local community. 9. Formulate a particular stance on a business ethics issues and defend in professional business caliber writing that stance. 10. Apply rules of netiquette and use clear writing in web-based interactions with colleagues on issues of business ethics and social responsibility. METHOD OF INSTRUCTION This is an 8 week course that will meet face-to-face, in addition to utilizing the TAMUCT Blackboard 9.1 platform: https://tamuct.blackboard.com/. You will use your University ID (UID) and the 6-digit University PIN to logon to this system. Students will access all course materials (except textbook), assignments, student-instructor communication, activities, and resource links via the Course web site. The course is divided into 8 units. Dates and associated assignments are provided in the Course Schedule in the last section of this syllabus. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS & SUPPORT RESOURCES Required Text: Hartman, L.P., DesJardins, J. & MacDonald, C. 2014. Business Ethics: Decision Making for Personal Integrity and Social Responsibility, 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill. ISBN #978-007-802945-5 Additional assigned articles, web sites, videos and cases will be provided via the course web site. WRITING INTENSIVE (WI) COURSE As a designated “WI” course, there are special skills and abilities that must be demonstrated and refined throughout this course. Drawing on elementary writing skills students should have acquired in their general education courses and GBK 301, this course is intended to further promote professional business level writing skills. Upper division business WI courses are intended to foster the development of communication skills needed for participation in the business world, where effective communication is a highly valued and marketable skill. This course will focus on continuous improvement in written and internet-based communication. Writing skills will be tested and developed via case studies, essays, and reflection journals. Given the ever increasing reliance of the business world on the internet, email and social media, netiquette and internet communication skills-building will be integrated via active use of discussion board interaction. The instructor will provide ongoing feedback of each individual’s written communication skills. Detailed evaluation rubrics will be provided for students to understand expectations and progress. It will be the student's responsibility to make the instructional adjustments and corrections throughout the semester. 2 GB 401 Syllabus Summer 2015 (8 Weeks) YOUR INSTRUCTOR & CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Campus Office: Contact: Mr. Robert A. Wells (See Below) Blackboard (Bb) Message tool on the Course Blackboard site first OR Alternate (if Blackboard is down): r.wells@tamuct.edu Office Hours: M/W/F: 0800 - 1700 Main Campus Founder’s Hall Rm 408 T/TH: 0800 – 1630 Ft. Hood Soldiers Dev. Center G 261 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of honor in personal and scholarly conduct. Any deviation from this expectation may result in a minimum of a failing grade for the assignment and potentially a failing grade for the course. All academic dishonesty concerns will be reported to the university's Office of Student Conduct. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism and improper citation of sources, using another student's work, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. When in doubt on collaboration, citation, or any issue, please contact your Professor before taking a course of action. More information can be found at: http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/studentconduct/academicintegrity.php Links to academic integrity resources can also be found on the left-hand menu on the course web site. DROP POLICY It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of University mandated drop deadlines should you find yourself needing to drop this course. The deadlines are all available via the “TAMUCT Academic Calendar” link from the Course web site left-hand menu. If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must contact the Records Office and request the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is always the responsibility of the student. The record’s office will give a deadline for which the form must be returned, completed, and signed. Once you return the signed form to the records office and wait 24 hours, you must go into Warrior Web and confirm that you are no longer enrolled. If you are still enrolled, FOLLOW-UP with the Records Office immediately. Should you miss the deadline or fail to follow the procedure, you will receive an F in this course. Incompletes are not given except for documented medical or family emergencies, with a significant (at least 2/3) portion of the course already completed. 3 GB 401 Syllabus Summer 2015 (8 Weeks) LIBRARY & RESEARCH SERVICES INFORMATION LITERACY focuses on research skills which prepare individuals to live and work in an information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the development of critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of secondary research techniques. Help may include, yet is not limited to: exploration of information resources such as library collections and services, identification of subject databases and scholarly journals, and execution of effective search strategies. Library Resources are outlined and accessed at http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/library/index.php In addition, links to the Library, APA format and research databases are available from the left-hand menu on the course web site. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS & SUPPORT For this course, you will need reliable and frequent access to a computer and to the Internet. If you do not have frequent and reliable access to a computer with Internet connection, please consider dropping this course and substituting a face to face course. Logon to https://tamuct.blackboard.com to access the course. Username: Your MyCT username (xx123 or everything before the "@" in your MyCT e-mail address) Initial password: Your MyCT password Check browser and computer compatibility by following the “Browser Check” link on the TAMU-CT Blackboard logon page. (https://tamuct.blackboard.com) This is a CRITICAL step as these settings are important for when you take an exam or submit an assignment. If you need a refresher on Blackboard tools use the links available on the left-hand course menu to access training materials and on-demand videos. Capability to use key Bb tools, such as Exams, Assignments, Journals, Messaging and Discussion Boards, is critical to success in this course. Technology issues are not an excuse for missing a course requirement. Be sure to make sure that your computer is configured correctly to support course requirements well in advance of deadlines. Checking your connections prior to beginning an Exam is especially important. Technology Support: For technological or computer issues, students should contact Help Desk Central. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: Email: helpdesk@tamu.edu Phone: (254) 519-5466 4 GB 401 Syllabus Summer 2015 (8 Weeks) STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: At Texas A&M University – Central Texas, we value an inclusive learning environment where every student has an equal chance to succeed and has the right to an education that is barrier-free. The Office of Disability Support and Access is responsible for ensuring that students with a disability enjoy equal access to the University's programs, services and activities. Some aspects of this course or the way the course is taught may present barriers to learning due to a disability. If you feel this is the case, please contact Disability Support and Access at (254) 501-5831 in Warrior Hall, Ste. 212. For more information, please visit their website at www.tamuct/disabilitysupport. Any information you provide is private and confidential and will be treated as such. Please advise Mr. Wells within the first week of class of any accommodations needed. TUTORING Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on-campus and online. Subjects tutored include Writing, so could be a very useful resource for students in this “Writing Intensive” course. Tutors are available at the Tutoring Center in Warrior Hall, Room 111. Visit http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/academicsupport/tutoring-services.php for tutor schedules and contact info. Tutoring is available both online via tutor.com (link to http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/academicsupport/tutoring.php) and in-person. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Student Chapter Presentations: Students will work in teams of 1 to 2 individuals to present a 25 to 30 minute briefing on the assigned chapter & readings. The presentation will be presented to the class by the Group using Microsoft PowerPoint. The actual presentation material will be provided to the group. Minor adjustments to the slides are authorized. Following their presentation, students should be prepared to lead a question/answer Q/A session, which will be included in the presentation evaluation and scoring process. Groups will be determined during the first class session. The Power Point slides must be emailed to the instructor at least a day prior to the presentation date. Presentations dates are in the course schedule. Presentations are worth 60 points. Exams: There will be THREE required exams. Each exam will cover 3-4 text chapters and related supplemental readings, and test students’ knowledge of the key frameworks and concepts. The test questions will be multiple choice and true/false. The chapters PowerPoint lectures, glossaries, and self-quizzes are all useful study guides for the Exams. The Exams that cover 3 chapters will be worth 60 points (15 questions per chapter, each worth 1.33 points); the Exam covering 4 chapters will be 80 points (15 questions per chapter, each worth 1.33 points). 5 GB 401 Syllabus Summer 2015 (8 Weeks) Case Study Assignments: There are two required case assignments during the semester – failure to complete these written assignments will result in not passing this course. They are a critical aspect of the Writing Intensive portion of the course. Each case will require complex analysis of real-world organizational situations using frameworks from the text and assigned discussion questions. Case One will involve two phases. After initial submittal it will be returned with feedback concerning both analysis and writing. If students do not receive a passing grade on their first attempt they will be required to submit a rewrite of the original analysis. Detailed instructions for these cases will be provided separately on the course web site. Each case study is worth 70 grading points. Service learning projects: Service learning is an interactive learning methodology that involves performing community service work while reflecting on that activity and linking it to course frameworks. Corporate social responsibility is a critical concept covered in this course. Most corporations and business firms now attribute a vital role to be involved in volunteer work in their local communities. We will “mimic” these types of volunteer projects via two required service projects during the semester. Scheduled group projects in the Central Texas area will be available for students that would like to work on the required service hours as part of a university group. Students who do not live in the Central Texas area or who prefer to conduct their service hours individually may complete a form petitioning their professor to approve two individually selected projects. Ideas for agencies that would have established relationships with the University can be found on the Office of Civic and Student Engagement website, link to http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/studentactivities/outreach.php If performed individually, students must gain verification from an official staff member at their chosen agency of the volunteer hours completed (a form will be provided for student’s use). Over the course of the semester students must complete at least 2 distinct projects for a total of at least 12 hours of service. 10 grading points are available for submittal of your service commitment form complete and on time; 50 grading points are available for completion of service hours. After completion of service hours, students must turn in two required reflection journals about their service. Each Journal is worth 60 possible grading points. Following the first reflection journal there will also be a required online Discussion Forum, worth 20 grading points. Information about service learning, the group service projects, forms for requesting individual project approval, approval of hours, and guidelines for the reflection journal will be posted on the course web site. 6 GB 401 Syllabus Summer 2015 (8 Weeks) CLASS / GRADING POLICIES Due Dates and Late Submissions: Students should post all assignment due dates on the personal calendar most useful to them. Late submission will not be allowed in this course unless you or a family member in your immediate care experiences a medical emergency. You must communicate this information to your Professor at the soonest available time PRIOR to or on the day of the deadline, and provide a doctor’s statement. Changes to Syllabus: This syllabus serves as an instructional and study planning document. Although every effort will be made to maintain the schedule and activities presented herein, it may become necessary during the course of the semester to make changes to the syllabus. In such events, changes will be announced via the course web site and Instructor announcements. The new date will be published in the revised version of the Syllabus. Grading Policy: Minimum points required for a specific course grade are noted on the table under Grade Computation in the next section. Minimum points required for a specific course grade will NOT be revised for any reason. WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT FORMAT: (SAVE EACH ITEM AS LISTED BELOW) YOUR LAST NAME – CASE 1 (CASE 1 OPENS ON BB 3 JUNE - DUE 17 JUNE) YOUR LAST NAME – CASE 2 (CASE 2 OPENS ON BB 1 JULY – DUE 15 JULY) YOUR LAST NAME – SL 1 (QUESTIONS OPEN ON BB 1 JUNE – DUE 6 JULY) YOUR LAST NAME – SL 2 (QUESTIONS OPEN ON BB 8 JULY – DUE 22 JULY) *** DON’T USE THE ASIGNMENT LINKS ON BB TO TURN-IN ANY ASSIGNMENTS *** (Microsoft Word Doc – Doubled Spaced – Emailed to r.wells@tamuct.edu) (Paper copies can also be turn-in during scheduled classroom sessions) 7 GB 401 Syllabus Summer 2015 (8 Weeks) GRADE COMPUTATION There are 600 grading points available in this class, assigned as follows: Student Chapter Presentation 60 points Exams: Exam 1 (Ch. 1-3) 60 points Exam 2 (Ch. 4-6) 60 points Exam 3 (Ch. 7-10) 80 points Case Studies (2 @ 70 pts. each)* Service commitment form Completion of service hours Service Learning Reflection Journal* (2 entries @ 70 points) 200 points Total Points Possible: 600 points 140 points 10 points 50 points 140 points *Writing Intensive - As a designated Writing Intensive course, Students must also achieve a 70% or better on the WI components (noted above by *) to pass the course. Course Grade Calculation (Minimum Points) Points Range A 90% X 600 540 - 600 B 80% X 600 480 - 539 C 70% X 600 420 - 479 D 60% X 600 360 - 419 F 8 GB 401 Syllabus Summer 2015 (8 Weeks) 359 or less COURSE SCHEDULE Unit Dates MON 1 JUN 15 1 WED 3 JUN 15 MON 8 JUN 15 2 WED 10 JUN 15 MON 15 JUN 15 Topic / Reading Course Introduction Chapter Selections Introduction to Service Learning Discuss & Select Service Learning Opportunities Assignments Cover Syllabus & all course requirements Introduction to Service Learning Video Presentation Assign Case 1: Easy on the Wallet or Easy on the Earth Chapter 1: Ethics and Business Read Ch. 1; Study PPT, Glossaries & Take Self Quiz Be prepared to participate in Chp discussions Chapter 2: Ethical Decision-Making: Personal and Professional Contexts Read Ch. 2; Study PPT, Glossaries & Take Self Quiz Be prepared to participate in Chp discussions Chapter 3: Philosophical Ethics and Business Read Ch. 3; Study PPT, Glossaries & Take Self Quiz Be prepared to participate in Chp discussions Test Review 3 WED 17 JUN 15 MON 22 JUN 15 4 9 Exam # 1 Exam 1 Chp 1 – 3 Case 1: Easy on the 1st Service Learning Project Night Service Learning Night GB 401 Syllabus Summer 2015 (8 Weeks) Wallet or Easy on the Earth DUE WED 24 JUN 15 MON 29 JUN 15 5 WED 1 JUL 15 MON 6 JUL 15 6 WED 8 JUL 15 MON 13 JUL 15 7 WED 15 JUL 15 MON 20 JUL 15 8 WED 22 JUL 15 Chapter 4: The Corporate Culture – Impact and Implications Read Ch. 4; Study PPT, Glossaries & Take Self Quiz Be prepared to participate in Chp discussions Read Ch. 5; Study PPT, Glossaries & Take Self Quiz Read Ch. 6; Study PPT, Glossaries & Take Self Quiz Test Review Assign CASE 2 Walmart Chapter 5: Corporate Social Responsibility Chapter 6: Ethical Decision-Making: Employer Responsibilities and Employee Rights 2nd Service Learning Project Night 1ST Service learning Reflection Journal due Exam #2 Chapter 7: Ethical Decision-Making: Tech and Privacy in the Workplace Chapter 8: Ethics and Marketing Chapter 9: Business and Environmental Sustainability Chapter 10: Ethical Decision-Making: Corporate Governance, Accounting & Finance ------------------------------Exam #3 Exam 2 Chp 4-6 SLP Update Read Ch. 7 & 8; Study PPT, Glossaries & Take Self Quiz Read Ch. 9; Study PPT, Glossaries & Take Self Quiz Be prepared to participate in Chp discussions Case 2 DUE Read Ch. 10; Study PPT, Glossaries & Take Self Quiz Be prepared to participate in Chp discussions Test Review ------------------------------------Exam 3 Chp 7 -10 2nd Service learning Reflection Journal due This course schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the Instructor. Should it change, a new Syllabus with different date in the footer will be published on the course web site and students will be notified of the change. 10 GB 401 Syllabus Summer 2015 (8 Weeks)