MGMT 3282 01: Managerial Ethics PHIL 3231 01: Business Ethics MW 11:00 – 12:15, Friday 16
Dr. Arnold Fall 2008
MANAGERIAL ETHICS/ BUSINESS ETHICS
Required Text: Beauchamp, Bowie & Arnold, Ethical Theory and Business, 8th ed. (2009) Catalog Descriptions: Management 3282: Managerial Ethics. A study of the impact of management decisions on customers, employees, creditors, shareholders, community interests, ecology, and government (including taxes and the regulatory environment). The objective is to provide future managers with a systematic way of analyzing the impact of management decisions on larger society. Philosophy 3231: Business Ethics. Ethical problems confronting business as a social institution and individuals in business. Application of ethical theory to business institutions and practices, internal exchanges of business (e.g., hiring, promotions, working conditions, employer/employee rights and duties) and external exchanges (e.g., product safety, environment, depletion, marketing, advertising.) Unified Course Goals: (1) To understand and appreciate ethical principles and judgments in relation to the conduct of business. (2) To learn to evaluate morally problematic business scenarios and to develop morally sound responses to such scenarios. (3) To improve your ability to engage in respectful and well-reasoned discussion. (4) To learn to fairly interpret and assess diverse arguments and beliefs. (5) To significantly improve critical thinking skills, especially as such skills relate to the exercise of managerial leadership. Course Requirements: (1) Regular, on-time attendance is required. Regular tardiness will result in a reduced attendance grade. Students are allowed two unexcused absences. Students may be excused from class because of poor health, a death in the family, required UNCC or military events, or for equally significant reasons. Documentation is required in such cases. (2) It is essential that you read the assigned material prior to each class meeting. It will be assumed that you have completed the assigned reading prior to class.
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(3) Thoughtful discussion is an essential part of this class and an acquired skill. Students are expected to fully participate in class discussion where this means actively listening as well as speaking. (4) There will be a five-point, online Blackboard quiz over the readings during ten weeks. These quizzes will be given in weeks 3 thru 6, 9 thru 13 and week 15. Quizzes must be concluded by 11:00am each Monday. Students who miss this deadline will not normally be allowed to make-up the quiz. If you wait to the last minute to take the quiz, and encounter technical difficulties at that time, you cannot retake the quiz. These quizzes are intended to provide you with an incentive for completing your reading assignments in a timely fashion. For that reason, you should find them easy after reading the material.
Grading: The ten online quizzes combined are worth 30% of your final grade; the midterm examination is worth 30%; the final examination is worth 30%. Failure to complete any one of these assignments will result in the student failing the class (for the quizzes, a minimum of eight must be completed for the assignment to be regarded as complete). Attendance is worth 10%. Grades will be posted on Blackboard. The grading scale is as follows: A = 90 -100 B = 80 - 89.99 C = 70 - 79.99 D = 60 - 69.99 F = < 60
Professor: Dr. Denis Arnold Surtman Distinguished Scholar in Business Ethics Office: 310 C Friday Building Office Hours: Mon. & Wed. 9:15 – 10:45 Feel free to speak with me after class. Email is the best means of asking questions regarding the course schedule, assignments, the readings, etc. Office Telephone: 687-7703 E-mail: denisarnold@uncc.edu Blackboard Environment: This course includes a significant and required use of the Blackboard on-line environment. You must be able to access course materials and announcements on-line. You can login at 49er Express: http://www.express.uncc.edu/cp/home/loginf . Email:
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You must be reachable via your UNCC email account. All course communication will be directed to you at your UNCC email address. If you primarily use a different email account, then you should forward your email to your primary account. Diversity: The Belk College of Business strives to create an inclusive academic climate in which the dignity of all individuals is respected and maintained. Therefore, we celebrate diversity that includes, but is not limited to ability/disability, age, culture, ethnicity, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. Academic Honesty: You are required to complete 100% of your own work in this class. Cheating violates the UNCC Code of Academic Integrity and may result in course failure, suspension, and/or expulsion. For more information see the following: http://integrity.uncc.edu/ Disability and Impairment Accommodation: If you require course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you have emergency medical information about which I should be informed, please speak with me as soon as possible. Students are responsible for notifying me of any conditions that may impair their academic performance for which reasonable accommodation can be made. Without advance warning, such difficulties cannot be used later as a basis for requesting deadline extensions or reconsideration of grades. Students who require such accommodations must work with the Office of Disability Services (704-687-4355). Schedule of Class Meetings: Note: Please read assignments in the order in which they are listed. Week I 8/25 & 8/27 Introductions
Chp 1, “Ethical Theory and Business Practice,” pp. 1-13 (stop at top of 13) only Case Study: “Outsourcing at Any Cost?” pp. 98-100 Case Study: “H.B Fuller in Honduras: Street Children and Substance Abuse,” pp. 102-104 Week II 9/3 The Stockholder View
Chp 1, “Ethical Theory and Business Practice,” pp. 18-23 only Introduction to Chapter 2, pp. 45-50 Friedman, “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits,” pp. 51-55 Case Study: “The NYSEG Corporate Responsibility Program,” pp. 95-97 Week III 9/8 & 9/10 The Stakeholder View*
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Chp 1, “Ethical Theory and Business Practice,” pp. 23-30 (stop at top of 30) only Freeman, “Managing for Stakeholders,” pp. 56-68 Cascio, “Decency Means More than “Always Low Prices”: A Comparison of Costco to Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club,” pp. 80-89 Johnson & Johnson, “Our Credo,” p. 94 Case Study: “Merck & River Blindness,” pp. 101-102 Case Study: “From Tension to Cooperative Dialogue: Holcim,” p. 104 Week IV 9/15 & 9/17 Human Resources I: Employment & Safety*
Introduction to Chapter 3, pp. 107-110 (only) Werhane and Radin, “Employment and Due Process,” pp. 113-120 Epstein, “In Defense of Contract at Will,” pp. 121-128 Case Study: “Off-Duty Smoking,” p. 171 Case Study: “Fired for Drinking the Wrong Brand of Beer,” 172 Boatright, “Occupational Health and Safety,” pp. 136-146 Case Study: “BP Workers Ill-Trained for Dangers,” pp. 177-180 Week V 9/22 & 9/24 Human Resources II: Diversity & Sexual Harassment*
Introduction to Chapter 4, pp. 184-193 Beauchamp, “Affirmative Actions Goals in Hiring and Promotion,” pp. 194-201 United States Supreme Court, Grutter v. Bollinger, pp. 249-257 Case Study: “Promotions at Uptown Bottling and Canning Company,” p. 267 United States Supreme Court, Meritor Savings Bank, FSB, v. Vinson, pp. 258-261 United States Supreme Court, Teresa Harris v. Forklift Systems, pp. 262-263 Case Study: “Freedom of Expression in the Workplace,” p. 268 Case Study: “”Harassment” at Brademore Electric,” pp. 269 Week VI 9/29 & 10/01 Auditing *
Introduction to Chapter 6, pp. 352-354 Duska and Duska, “Ethics in Auditing: The Auditing Function,” p. 355-363 Boyd, “The Structural Origins of Conflicts of Interest in the Accounting Profession,” p. 364-372 Boatright, “Individual Responsibility in the American Corporate System: Does SarbanesOxley Strike the Right Balance?” p. 373-386 Week VII 10/6 & 10/8 Financial Services
Boatright, “Ethical Issues in Financial Services,” pp. 387-395.
Week VIII 10/15 Examination 4
(10/13 Recess) Midterm Examination
Week IX
10/20 & 10/22
Marketing I*
Introduction to Chapter 5, pp. 273-282 Holley, “Information Disclosure and Sales,” pp. 290-296 Case Study: “Advice for Sale: How Companies Pay TV Experts for On-Air Product Mentions,” pp. 331-335 Brenkert, “Marketing and the Vulnerable,” pp. 297-306 Case Study: “Hucksters in the Classroom,” pp. 336-338 Case Study: “Kraft Foods Inc.: The Cost of Advertising on Children’s Waistlines,” pp. 339-343
Week X
10/27 & 10/29
Marketing II*
Elliott, “The Drug Pushers,” pp. 307-316 The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, “Code on Interactions with Health-Care Professionals,” pp. 328-330 Case Study: “Merck & Company: The Vioxx Recall,” pp. 345-349
Week XI
11/3 & 11/5
The Natural Environment I*
Introduction to Chapter 8, pp. 512-515 Bowie, “Money, Morality, and Motor Cars” pp. 516-522 Case Study: “Royal Caribbean: Exotic Promises and Toxic Waters,” pp. 553-554 Case Study: “Texaco in the Ecuadorean Amazon,” pp. 555-557
Week XII
11/10 & 11/12
The Natural Environment II*
Arnold and Bustos, “Business, Ethics, and Global Climate Change,” pp. 523-532 DesJardins, “Sustainability: Business’s New Environmental Obligation,” pp. 533-540 Case Study: “Maintaining a Seat at the Table: The Shell Group,” pp. 562-564 Case Study: “Interface Corporation and Sustainable Business,” p. 565
Week XIII 11/17 & 11/19
International Business I*
Introduction to Chapter 9, pp. 571-576 5
Bowie, “Relativism and the Moral Obligations of Multinational Corporations,” pp. 577582 Arnold, “The Human Rights Obligations of Multinational Corporations,” pp. 583-589 Case Study: “Foreign Assignment,” pp. 648-649 Case Study: “Chrysler and Gao Feng: Corporate Responsibility for Religious and Political Freedom in China,” pp. 651-652
Week XIV 11/24
International Business II
Maitland, “The Great Non-Debate Over International Sweatshops,” pp. 597-607 Case Study: “Should Wal-Mart Do More?: A Case Study in Global Supply Chain Ethics,” pp. 653-656 (11/26 Thanksgiving Break) Week XV 12/1 & 12/3 International Business III*
Arnold and Bowie, “Sweatshops and Respect for Persons,” pp. 608-623 Hess and Dunfee, “Taking Responsibility for Bribery: The Multinational Corporation’s Role in Combating Corruption,” pp. 624-632 Case Study: “adidas: Application of Standards of Engagement to Child Labor Dilemma,” pp. 657-660 Case Study: “Tackling HIV/AIDS: Unilever Tea Kenya,” pp 661-662 Week XVI 12/08 TBA This day will most likely be utilized to catch up with already assigned material and/or to help prepare you for the final exam.
Finals Week The final (in-class) exam will be given during the officially scheduled examination period: 11:00am – 1:45pm, Monday, December 15. You must take the exam at this time barring extraordinary circumstances (e.g., a medical emergency) or a conflicting required UNCC or military obligation (in which case you will need a signed letter from a coach or commander or the like). ALL PARTS OF THIS SYLLABUS ARE SUBJECT TO REVISION ANY REVISIONS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN CLASS OR VIA EMAIL
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