Ethics and Business
University of Texas/MBA
Summer 2008
Objective: This course is intended to help
students explore ethical issues in business, including both intra-firm ethical
dilemmas and broader issues concerning the social responsibility of
business. Each four-hour class period
will be divided into two or three modules, per the schedule below. Please use the discussion questions to guide
your reading, and to anticipate the issues raised
during class discussion.
Participation: You are expected to have
read the assigned readings before class and be prepared to discuss the cases
when called upon. Much of the discussion
will center on the resolution of the case problems presented. Voluntary class participation is encouraged,
and please be prepared when called upon to tell the class how you would resolve
the questions presented by the case. Missing
class, being unprepared for class, and the general appearance of being
disinterested or disengaged will hurt your participation grade.
In-class case
presentations/debates: During the sessions on May 17
and May 31, you will each lead (as part of a team) the presentation of an
ethics case or problem, during class.
There is no written presentation required as part of this work. However, you are expected to prepare your
work before class. The presentation
should lay out the case or problem briefly (5 min. or less), and your team’s
proposed course of action. You should
also lead the Q&A/discussion to follow.
The entire presentation (including discussion and Q&A) should
consume 30 minutes, of which 20 minutes should be your team’s initial
presentation. A description of the
various problems can be found here. You will sign up for a specific problem
during class on May 3.
Ethical
Analysis: You should choose two
current ethical dilemmas faced by business firms. These can be taken you’re your own
experiences or from news accounts. For
each dilemma, provide a 1-2 page (single-spaced) memo addressing the following
issues:
·
What is the ethical issue implicated or raised by this case?
·
How did the manager or company respond to this issue?
·
How would you have responded differently, and why?
Please
append the news article(s) or other description of the facts to your memo. This assignment is due at our last class
meeting.
Grading: Your grade will comprise the following: in-class discussion (30%); work in class on
exercises or debates (35%); and ethical analysis (35%).
May 3
Module 1: A Framework for Ethics and Corporate Social
Responsibility
·
·
Reading: The Economist’s
Special Report on Corporate Social Responsibility (January 19, 2008)
Module
2:
·
In-class debate – debate questions TBA
May 17
Module 3: Bribery, Facilitation Payments and Campaign
Contributions
·
·
Problem
1: Customs Agents and “Facilitation
Payments” (handout)
·
Problem
2: Guanxi and
Gift-Giving (handout)
·
Problem
3: Political Contributions (handout)
Module 4: Ethical Consumption, Ethical Investing: Fair Trade
·
·
Reading: Locke, “The Promise
and Perils of Globalization: The Case of
Nike,” Working Paper (handout)
·
Problem
4: Fair Trade Flowers (handout)
·
Problem
5: Child labor (handout)
·
Problem
6: A “Living wage” (handout)
May 31
Module 5: Environment, health and safety – compliance
vs. responsibility
·
·
Problem
7: Shell in
·
Problem
8: CO2 Emissions and Going ‘Beyond
Compliance’ (handout)
Module 6:
·
·
Reading: Krogh,
Integrity: Good People, Bad Choices and
Lessons from the White House,
(Introduction and Chp. 1, excerpt)
·
Problem
9: Sexual Harassment (handout)
·
Problem
10: Making Ethical Decisions in
Hierarchies (handout)