SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS

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1 Voyage: Fall 2014 Discipline: Commerce/Business COMM : Global Business Ethics Upper Division Instructor: Brad Brown, Ph.D. SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS Prerequisites: None. Course Description This is a course in practical that will be equally accessible to business students and students of philosophy. We will build on the foundations of moral philosophy to address the moral dimensions of everyday business decisions. Particular attention will be paid to the ethical complexities in cross-cultural and international business contexts. Active student participation is required. Course Objectives The objectives of this course are to (1) introduce students to a conceptual framework to examine the range of ethical and social issues that arise when conducting business in today s global marketplace, and (2) encourage student thinking, reasoning, and decision-making while considering the multiple perspectives of the various stakeholders (customers, suppliers, employees, governments, societies) as each of these relationships creates ethical challenges and responsibilities. Required Textbooks and Readings 1. Rachels and Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 5 th edition, McGraw-Hill, Wicks, Freeman, Werhane and Martin, Business Ethics: A Managerial Approach, Prentice Hall, Field Laboratory The field lab for this course will be a tour of the Fernando de Castilla winery and sherry operations, Cadiz, Spain, and a discussion with executives about social and environmental responsibilities of this industry. Methods of Evaluation Students will have a variety of ways to demonstrate their mastery of this subject Two in-class 10%: 20%

2 Field Experiences (explained below): 20% Essay (explained below) 20% Class participation 20% Final Exam: 20% Field Experiences Each student must complete three field experiences, including our Field Lab with Fernando de Castilla in Cadiz, Spain. Students will propose two independent field study assignments that are related to the topics covered in this course. You should receive instructor approval before proceeding with the two independent field experiences. Students are expected to complete written reports on each of their three field experiences. I expect that most reports will be three to five pages, double-spaced. At a minimum your report should include: What did you see? (This should include a detailed description of the relevant aspects of the visit.) How did what you saw compare to what you expected? What did you learn? Essay Project Students will write an 8-10 page paper that addresses an aspect of Global Business Ethics that reflects emerging modern realities like climate change, food security, environmental degradation, trade inequities, and many other issues that would not have been on our radar even twenty years ago. More on this project in class. Global Business Ethics Syllabus Course Calendar Semester at Sea, Fall 2014

3 A days Session Day Date Topic Assignment Saturday 8/23 Depart Southampton, 1700 Sunday 8/24 Orientation A1 Monday 8/25 Introduction Rachels 1: What is morality? A2 Wednesday 8/27 Cultural Relativism Rachels 2 & 3: The challenges of cultural relativism Subjectivism in 8/29-9/2 St. Petersburg A3 Wednesday 9/3 Religion Rachels 4 & 5: Does morality depend on religion? egoism A4 Friday 9/5 Utilitarianism Rachels 6 & 7: The utilitarian approach; The debate over utilitarianism 9/7-9/11 Hamburg A5 Friday 9/12 Kant and Deontology A7 Monday 9/22 The language of Rachels 8 & 9: Are there absolute moral rules? Kant and respect for persons Antwerp to Le Harve Rachels 10-13: The idea of a social contract; Feminism and the of care; The of virtue; What would a satisfactory moral theory be like? Wicks et al., Chapter 1 Dublin Competitive advantage; Yahoo! And customer privacy A9 Tuesday 9/30 Sources of Problems 9/14-9/19 A6 Saturday 9/20 Other theories of 9/24-9/27 A8 Sunday 9/28 The language of 10/1-10/5 A10 Tuesday 10/7 Sources of Problems 10/8-10/11 A11 Monday 10/13 Stakeholder Theory Wicks et al., Chapter 2 A look at the sources of ethical problems in business and how to prevent them Lisbon to Cadiz The parable of the Sadhu; Marge Norman and Miniscribe corp. Casablanca Wicks et al., Chapter 3 Ethics, Stakeholders, Corporate Strategy, and Value Creation A12 Wednesday 10/15 Stakeholder The Business Enterprise Trust

4 11/19 Study Day Theory 10/16- Dakar 10/19 A13 Tuesday 10/21 Int l Business Ethics Wicks et al., Chapter 4 Business Ethics in the Global Marketplace A14 Tuesday 10/23 Int l Business Ethics Davis Press and Meccan Madness Questionable payments 10/25- Takoradi to Tema 10/28 A15 Wednesday 10/29 Leadership Wicks et al., Chapter 5 A16 Friday 10/31 Leadership Business Cycles and Employment Practices in a Domestic Garment Industry Jeri Caldwell at Moex, Inc. (A & B) Sunday 11/2 Study Day A17 Monday 11/3 Management Joe Willis: Feeling the heat in Thailand (A, B & C) Diversity vignettes A18 Wednesday 11/5 Sustainability Wicks et al., Chapter 9 Environmental sustainability and its challenge to management 11/7- Rio de Janeiro to Salvador 11/14 A19 Saturday 11/15 Sustainability ExxonMobil and the Chad/Cameroon Pipeline Walden Paddlers A20 Monday 11/17 Managing on the Wicks et al., Chapter 10 A21 Thursday 11/20 Managing on the 11/22-11/24 A22 Tuesday 11/25 Managing on the A23 Thursday 11/27 Essays Due, Presentations in class 11/29-12/2 Monsanto and the development of genetically modified seeds (show video?) Bridgetown Danville Airlines Make mine a Russian Shorthair and hold the allergies, please Havana

5 12/3 Study Day 12/4 A Finals 12/5 B Finals 12/6 Re-Entry Convocation 12/7 Packing 12/8 Arrive Ft. Lauderdale, 0800 HONOR CODE Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager s Handbook for further explanation of what constitutes an honor offense. Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: On my honor as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment. The pledge must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed [signed].

Business Ethics Philosophy 305 California State University, Northridge Fall 2011

Business Ethics Philosophy 305 California State University, Northridge Fall 2011 Ticket number: 13277 Classtime: Fridays 2:00-4:45pm Room: Jerome Richfield 132 Instructor: Mitchell Herschbach Instructorʼs