Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility

Course description

This course introduces students to the relevance and importance of ethics and social responsibility in business. The course provides an understanding of the main theoretical concepts and develops the skills required for the identification and analysis of ethical dilemmas in the workplace and managing ethics in organisations. It explores topics such as corporate responsibility and conflict of interest, employee rights, advertising and information disclosure. The key objective of the course is to equip students to identify and think critically while resolving ethical issues that are encountered in working life at individual, organisational and societal levels.

Course objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Develop Skills in recognising and analysing ethical issues
  • Understand Sources of organisational ethical culture and deviant behaviour
  • Prepare Ethical programmes designed to accomplish specific objectives in organisations

Course topics

  • Introduction to the Course. Recognising ethics in business? What is good business?
  • Review of the larger schools of thought in ethical theory. Discussion of the pros and cons of each type of logical structuring of ethical philosophy. The historical evolution of business ethics within corporate organizations.
  • Managing ethics in an organisation. Business Ethics Concepts. Corporate values and culture.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility and Citizenship.
  • Ethical Behaviour in Marketing. Ethical and Unethical Target Marketing in Business. Advertising Abuses and Regulation.
  • Sustainability in Business. Sustainable development — definition and obstacles. Stages of becoming a Sustainable Organisation.
  • Case study lesson.

Evaluation

  • In-class activity
  • Presentation
  • Final test

Lecturer