Business Ethics, PHI/RLS 226

Wilson College
Fall 2008
Letterkenny, Tuesdays, 3pm-5:45pm

Instructor: Dr. John Elia

Office: WAR 210 Office Phone: 717.264.4141, ext. 3114
Consultation Times: T 2:30-3pm at Letterkenny or through Moodle chat, and by appt.
Email: jelia@wilson.edu

Catalog Description: Study of ethical issues that arise in business and the professions. Rational
methods that can be devised for adjudicating disputes concerning such issues as corporate rights,
responsibilities, environmental impact, consumer rights, and the moral status of corporations.

Course Schedule Addendum: This course is being offered in an condensed format. Class
meetings will take place every other week (8 total meetings). However, students will be
responsible for doing significant amounts of independent work and contributing to the course’s
content online through the course management system, Moodle. Students who are unsure about
the amount of independent work required might consider an alternative course.

Course Objectives:
1) Develop familiarity with dominant ethical theories
2) Develop familiarity with dominant theories of corporate social responsibility (CSR)
3) Display familiarity with moral issues relevant to the business context
4) Display ability to apply theories of moral analysis and CSR to issues in the business
context.

Transdisciplinary Studies (TDS) Objectives: Frontiers of Knowledge and Human Beliefs (ETH):
1) courses will emphasize critical analysis of societal issues, which require an understanding
of ethical systems in order to develop the ability to make sound, independent judgments
2) courses will challenge students to explore in depth their own values in regard to
contemporary or enduring social, legal, religious or political questions and issues
3) courses will challenge students to examine issues and make decisions with an
understanding of the complex and multifaceted nature of the ethical dimensions of many
societal and personal decisions
4) courses will challenge students to be sensitive to the ethical choices of others whose
values due to circumstance and experiences are different from one's own

Required Texts: Joseph Desjardins, An Introduction to Business Ethics, McGraw-Hill, 2003,

various case-studies and readings on Moodle, and a recent book on business of the student’s
choice.

Assignments:
Attendance and Participation 20%
Final Exam 20%
Final Project & Presentation 20%
Book Review 10%
Other Assignments (5% each) 30%
Stakeholder Analysis
Ethical Analysis
 CSR Analysis
Mini Case Creative Assignment
Annotated Bibliography
Executive Summary Analysis

Course Schedule:

Week 1 (8/26): Getting Started

• Greetings and Introductions; Syllabus; Moodle demo.
• What is ethics? Ethics Inventory; What is the point of business? Is business ethics an
oxymoron? Preliminary Discussions of Classical Liberalism, Property Rights, Freedom,
Capitalism, and the Corporation. Stockholders vs. Stakeholders. After class, read
Desjardins, Ch. 1.

Week 2 (9/2): Case Study #1: Brent Spar

• Complete Stakeholder Analysis.
• Submit via Moodle.

Week 3 (9/9): Ethical Theory and Theories of Corporate Social Responsibility

• Read Desjardins, Chs. 2 & 3.

Week 4 (9/16): Case Studies #2 and #3: A Good Team Player, and Safety? What Safety?
• Complete Ethical Analysis and CSR Analysis.
• Submit via Moodle.

Week 5 (9/23): Work and Workers

Read Desjardins, Chs. 4, 5, & 6.

Week 6 (9/30): Case Study Creative Assignment

• Write a Mini-Case on Meaningful Work/Worker’s Rights/Worker’s Responsibilities.
• Submit via Moodle.
• Respond to at least one of your peers’ cases in the Mini-Case Wiki.

Week 7 (10/7): Marketing

• Read Desjardins, Chs. 7 & 8.

Week 8 (10/14): Fall Break

• No New Assignments.
• Submit Title of Book-to-be-Reviewed via Email.
• Submit Topic of Final Presentation.

Week 9 (10/21): Transparency and Environmental Responsibility

• Read Desjardins, Ch. 9.
• Read selections from Richard Oliver, “What is Transparency?” (Moodle).

Week 10 (10/28): Annotated Bibliography

• Complete an Annotated Bibliography for the Final Project Presentation.
• Submit via Moodle.
Week 11 (11/4): Diversity and Discrimination
• Read Desjardins, Ch. 10.
• Last Day to Withdraw from Classes Without Altering Permanent Record.

Week 12 (11/11): Case Study #4: Student Choice

• Find an interesting case study online.
• Complete an Executive Summary Analysis of the case, drawing on materials from across
the semester.
• Submit Executive Summary via Moodle.

Week 13 (11/18): International Business

• Desjardins, Ch. 11.
• Read Gates, “Making Capitalism More Creative” (Moodle).

Week 14 (11/25): Book Reviews

• Complete a Final Revision of Book Review.
• Submit Book Review to Book Review Wiki on Moodle.

Week 15 (12/2): Final Project Presentations

• Submit Final Project Presentations via Moodle.
• Give Final Project Presentations in class.
• No new reading assigned.

Week 16 (12/9): Finals Week

• Final Exam In Class.

Assignments in Detail:

Attendance and Participation: Attendance and Participation is expected. Significant absences will
result in a failing grade for the course. Attendance and Participation is especially important given
the accelerated nature of the course. More than 2 absences will result in a failing grade for
attendance and participation.

Final Exam (essay format, in class): The Final Exam will take place in class on the designated
final exam date. Students will be asked to one or more of the big questions we will have talked
about in class. A study guide will be provided at the last regular class meeting.

Final Project & Presentation: The final project will be a piece of written and visual work (4-5
page document + a presentation in class) on a specific issue in business ethics. Topics should be
submitted by 10/14. An annotated bibliography of research (see below) will be due on 10/28. The
aim should be to inform the audience about the issue, to raise significant ethical questions
relevant to the issue, and to provide an analysis/response/solution to the issue. The written
document should be double-spaced, 12 pt font, with a strong introduction/thesis paragraph, clear
organization, and an obvious thread of analysis/response. The presentation should take 10-20
minutes; it should be visually interesting and interactive. I’ll provide more information about the
project and presentation later in the semester. I’m happy to consult about topics before the 10/14
topic submission deadline.

Book Review: The student should choose, in consultation with the instructor, a book relevant to
the subject matter of business ethics. The student should complete a 2-3 page review of the book.
Book reviews should 1) summarize plot/argument, 2) emphasize details/characters of particular
relevance to business ethics, 3) critically review what is to be gained by reading the book with an
eye toward business ethics, and 4) recommend (or not) the book to others. Sample book reviews
will be placed on Moodle as the semester progresses.

Other: Specific directions for these smaller assignments will be provided on Moodle. In general,
these assignments will be brief (1-3 pages). With the exception of the Annotated Bibliography,
they will be graded for thoughtful, creative completion rather than an expected, or right, answer.

Stakeholder Analysis – analysis of stakeholders and their interest in response to a case study.
Ethical Analysis-- application of two or more moral theories to a case study.
CSR Analysis – application of two or more theories of corporate social responsibility to a case
study.
Mini Case Creative Assignment – production of a mini-case of the student’s own.
Annotated Bibliography – short synopses of 10 sources relevant to the student’s final project (at
least 5 should be scholarly sources, i.e., not from websites, such as Wikipedia, that lack
scholarly authority).
Executive Summary Analysis – A one page summary of issues and your recommendations in
response to a case of the student’s choice.

Miscellaneous Course Policies:

Late Assignments will be subject to an initial penalty of a single letter grade (A+ goes to B+, A
goes to B, and so on) plus a penalty of 1/2 letter grade per additional day late.

This course has been created with the expectation that students will commit to the Wilson College
Honor Principle. Plagiarism or academic dishonesty in any form may result in a failing grade for
the course.

Special Accommodations. It is the policy of Wilson College not to discriminate against students
with disabilities. Students needing accommodations for documented medical conditions or
learning differences should contact Jack Ebersole at extension x3351 or by email at
jebersole@wilson.edu as soon as possible. Instructors should be notified of the need for
accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.
Wilson also provides peer tutoring on a wide range of subjects, as well as writing support. These
services are open to all Wilson students at no cost. A list of peer tutors and available hours can
be found outside the LRC resource room and online at the following address:
http://www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=216. For further information, please contact
Vickie Locke at extension x3349 or by email at vlocke@wilson.edu

The instructor reserves the right to make changes/additions to the course schedule and/or policies.