Programme of Study Catalogue

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

Understand the moral and ethical concepts relevant to business organisations.
Assess the evolving drivers of business ethics including globalisation, corporate responsibility and sustainability.
Explain the ethical dimensions of the work-place and decision-making in business and management.
Evaluate the role of business in society in the context of global ethical debates.
Demonstrate the ability to research, analyse and debate ethical dilemmas and potential solutions in business and management.

Content:

The module comprises four main themes:
1. Foundations of business ethics: covers why business ethics matters, moral values and ethical theories relevant to business in a global context.
2. Framing business ethics: examines the concepts of social responsibility, stakeholder relations, sustainability and corporate citizenship in business and organisations.
3. Ethical management in practice: evaluates key functional areas including ethical decision-making and the tools and techniques of business ethics management.
4. Contextualising business ethics: includes emerging ethical dilemmas such as the ethics of e-communication, ethical consumerism, sustainable consumption, and social accounting.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The sessions will be organised in mainly 3-hour teaching blocks. Lectures will deliver core theories, concepts and key issues followed by workshops using supporting case material in business ethics. A key focus will be on experiential learning using simulation exercises and activities to allow students the opportunity to reflect on their attitudes to ethical dilemmas and apply ethical reasoning to case studies in order to develop skills in ethical problem solving.
Formal assessment will evaluate research and analytical skills relevant to business ethics. The individual report allows the student an individual choice of topic exploring a particular issue in more depth.
Lectures
Contact hours: 5
Intended Group size: 1

Workshops
Contact hours: 20
Intended group size: 1

Guided independent study
Hours: 175