Undergraduate Course: Business Ethics (BUST10004)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course provides a general grounding in both theoretical and applied ethics in a business context. |
| Course description |
The course content is designed around the following components: (i) a perspective on the moral content of managerial agency and corporate impact; (ii) a review and analysis of the range of theories within the field of moral philosophy; (iii) a critical analysis of the economic (markets) and organisational (commercial entities) contexts within which ethical or unethical decision making and practice operates; and (iv) an insight into applied ethics through the analysis of case studies and insights into codes of practice.
Syllabus
- Introduction: Business and Society
- Models of Ethical Decision-making (1): prescriptive theories
- Models of Ethical Decision-making (2): questions of character
- The Manager, the Corporation and Bureaucratic Rationality
- Corporate Governance
- The Corporate Social Responsibility Debate
- Stakeholder Theory and Practice
- International Business
- Reforming the Organisation
- Course Review and Revision
Student Learning Experience
Each two-hour session combines a formal lecture, and the opportunity for discussion within the class.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Business Studies Honours Entry |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Business Studies courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment is in the form of a single two-hour degree examination in April/May, and an essay of 2,500 words, submitted at the end of Semester 2. The weighting in terms of overall course mark being, respectively, 70% and 30%. |
| Feedback |
Generic feedback on coursework, together with individual marks, will be available on Learn within 15 working days of the essay submission deadline. Students can also look at their individual feedback in the UG Office and take away a copy of the feedback form, but students will not be able to take away the original piece of coursework, as it may be required by the Board of Examiners.
Examination marks will be posted on Learn (together with generic feedback and examination statistics) as soon as possible after the Boards of Examiners' meeting (normally early-mid June). During the summer months (i.e. mid/end June-end August), students may come into the UG Office to look at their examination scripts. However, students will not be able to remove any examination scripts from the UG Office as they may be required by the Board of Examiners.
Continuing students will also be given the opportunity to review their examination scripts early in the new academic year in Semester 1 (i.e. in October). |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and discuss critically the scope and content of ethical theory (including its limitations) and its relevance for diverse institutional and operational business contexts, and individual choice and agency.
- Articulate and discuss critically various philosophical principles and theories which underpin conceptions of 'ethical' or 'unethical' behaviour in different contexts.
- Apply the theoretical precepts of ethical theory in order to evaluate real-life situations, clarify ethical alternatives, articulate associated moral values and be able to explain techniques of moral reasoning.
- Understand and discuss critically the content, objectives and limitations of corporate social responsibility policies.
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Reading List
| The course is built upon periodical material. Journals most cited are: Business Ethics Quarterly (BEQ), Business Ethics: A European Review (BEER), Journal of Business Ethics (JBE). These can all be accessed via the on-line, electronic journal collection at EUML. Other readings will either be provided as sources to be accessed via the EUML electronic journal collection or be distributed in hard copy during appropriate lectures. Where appropriate additional readings may be posted on Learn. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
On completing the course students will be able to:
- understand the scope and content of ethical theory (including its limitations) and its relevance for diverse institutional and operational business contexts, and individual choice and agency.
- articulate and discuss critically various philosophical principles and theories which underpin conceptions of 'ethical' or 'unethical' behaviour in different contexts.
- apply the theoretical precepts of ethical theory in order to evaluate real-life situations, clarify ethical alternatives, articulate associated moral values and be able to explain techniques of moral reasoning.
- be aware of the content, objectives and limitations of corporate social responsibility policies.
- understand the relevance of ethical reasoning to one's own professional career.
- develop a greater awareness of cross cultural variations in assessing moral issues through case based discussions with other members of learning groups. |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
The class will meet weekly on Thursdays in Semester 2 from 9.00 am-10.50 am. |
| Keywords | BE |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr James Hine
Tel: (0131 6)50 3805
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Paul Kydd
Tel: (0131 6)50 3824
Email: |
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