Business Ethics Class (Philosophy 305)

Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms from those who work with joy.  Kahil Gibran

  Office (Ambrose Hall 426) 563-333-6172

  Cell 309-781-7064                                         Skype randy.richards1

E-mail RichardsRandyL @sau.edu

  The best way to contact me is through my e-mail, next my office number and then my cell number.

I try to keep the atmosphere in the class as informal as possible.   Therefore, I have no problems with you bringing coffee or snacks into the room as long as you clean up afterwards.   Smoking, on the other hand, is not allowed in the classroom.  

You are responsible to download, printout and bring to class all text material listed for each class. I do not hand out material in class.

This is a readings and discussion seminar. Learners will be expected to take the lead the classroom discussions. There will be one article discussed each class. An article review is due the day we discuss the article - if you do not have the review done, you will be not be allowed to attend class. Coming to class gets you class participation points but class time is reserved for those who have done the work and are prepared for the discussion. No free-riding. The guidelines for in class article reviews are found below in the Cafeteria Style Evaluation section.

  Week   Class Activity 

One: Introduction to the class. No article review required, open attendance

• Introduction to class, expectations, the syllabus, the web page and The Learning Contract.

• In-class exercise and discussion on business as a vocation

  Virtue ethics. No article review required, open attendance

• Business Ethics: a virtues based approach

• Research electronic databases and in class Electronic Filing Cabinet Address.

• Can be used for movie review credit: Streaming Video on Business Ethics from the Markuula Center for Business Ethics

Two: Virtue ethics .

• The Ring of Gyges an in class exercise

• Copy, read and bring to class, the Encyclopedia of Philosophy's selection on Aristotle. Click here for a free on-line version> Aristotle in E.P. Read the sections over his Life, and Ethics. Hand in review before class.

• Circulate Munchie Free Market Exchange Market Survey

2b

• Copy, Read and Bring to Class Book One of Aristotle's Ethics. Click here for a free online version > Book One Nicomachean Ethics Hand in review before class.

• Aristotle and the Ancients on Virtue

Three: Market Virtues

• Hand in review before class

• The Free market Slideshow

• Copy, Read and Bring to Class: Virtuous markets: the market as school of the virtues - get download location in class

3b

• Copy, Read and Bring to Class: Sources of virtue: the market and the community. get download location in class

• Hand in review before class

Four: Excellence and Business Practice

• Beck Dudley Excellence and Ethics Book Review, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

4b

• Nesteruk Excellence and Ethics Book Review, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

Five: Organizational Virtues

• The big five and organizational virtue, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

5b

• Video:

• The virtues appropriate to business, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

Six: Honesty on the job, 

• Cicero: The Famine at Rhodes an in-class discussion and exercise.

• Open the doors, tell the truth, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

6b:

• Hand in review before class

• Lee,  How the marketplace fosters business honesty, get from electronic filing cabinet

  7 Stakeholders

Partnering in coffee between Business and NGO, Linton , get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

7b

Corporate Social Responsibility in Supply Chains, Pedersen, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

Eight: The Wal-Mart Debate - The Great Satan or Free Market Saint

• Download article from Fast Company: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

• Hand in review before class

8b:

• Wal-Mart - a video.

• Video review for participation credit

• Is Wal-Mart Too Powerful, get from electronic filing cabinet

•   Hand in review before class

• Big Box Retail On-Sight Visit - print sheet and make visit instead of going to class

10 b:

• Video

• http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1803960 Interview with CEO Lee Scott, listen to the interview

• Bring Big Box Retail Visit Sheet to class

I'd recommend you listen to these reports as well but no need for a review: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/walmart/ At this National Public Radio site, you will find four radio programs that you should listen to - you will need Realplayer - a free download. These are really fine reports. 

Eleven: Treating others fairly and compassionately

• Harvest of Shame - a video on farm workers. 

• Video review for participation credit

11b

• Compassion as a means to freedom, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

Twelve: Friendship at work

• Padding the Expense Report exercise. 

• Business friends: Aristotle, Kant, and other management theorists on the practice of networking, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

12b:

• The search for community in the workplace, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

Thirteen: Loyalty and Trust

• John Haughey, The Loyalty Effect, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

13b:

• Busch, I don't trust you, but why don't you trust me? get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

  Fourteen Honesty and other virtues in marketing

• clips from Tin Men

• Toward a fair and just marketplace for all consumers: the responsibilities of marketing professionals, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

14b

• Marketing to inner-city blacks: PowerMaster and moral responsibility, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

 Fifteen   Stakeholders

• Getting real: stakeholder theory, managerial practice, and the general irrelevance of fiduciary duties owed to shareholders, get from electronic filing cabinet

• Hand in review before class

15b In class presentations

• Course evaluation - attend, give evaluation and secure 10 pts

  Extended credit assignments

Sixteen

Cafeteria style evaluations:

 You may pick any combination of methods for your evaluation for this class to add up to your desired number of points.  I require that you have an e-mail address. If you do not have one contact Academic Computing on the 3rd Floor of Ambrose Hall.  Your options are

  1. Class attendance points

Each class I will give 10 points for class attendance; however in order to attend class you must turn in an article review and critique of the article we are discussing that class . (See Article Review Section below) This is to encourage you to read the material and come prepared for the discussion and to reward those who do. There are about 30 classes so attendance is worth a possible 300 points.

 2. Article review and critiques: Articles are found in my Business Ethics Electronic Filing Cabinet, get address from me in class.

For in-class articles used for discussion: Single spaced/12 point type/: one page summary of the key points in the article - Then you need a one page personal reflection on one of the key points based on your own experiences at work, school or elsewhere. This reflection should be a specific as possible. No vague generalizations but a reflection about a specific instance or instances.   One page means one full page, no more, no less. This is a form of disciplined writing. 10 points each - 25 articles = 250 points possible.

You may also write reviews of other articles you find in the Electronic Filing Cabinet, or other articles you discover on your own.  

 3. Study Questions

These should be 1 page single spaced, 1" margins, 12 pts type. They are worth 10 points each. There are 14 questions in all including spring break week and research and catch up week for a possible 140 possible points. These are due the class night of the week designated, do not ask to turn them in late. Click here: Business Ethics Study Questions

 3. Presentations

 You may make a 20 to 30 minute presentation to the whole class. Presentation topic and date must be approved by me ahead of time. You must meet with me for guidance on the selected topic. Presentations are worth up to 80 points.

You may work on group presentations of up to 3 per group - in such instances presentations may run longer. Each member of the group gets the same grade based on the overall quality of the presentation. Use of Power Point as mode of delivery preferred. Group projects carry a higher standard of expected performance.

 4. Papers

 You can write a formal research paper on a topic of your choosing pending approval by me ahead of time and with consultation on the paper. Paper should be double spaced, 1" margins, 12 pt type. Papers are worth up to 10 points per page.

  5. Book reviews and critiques

 You can write reviews and critiques of books related to business ethics. You may select books from The Approved Business Ethics Book List without prior approval. For books not on the list, you must gain approval ahead of time. Reviews must include a brief summary of the overall material and a critique of some part of the book that you find worthy of special attention. Reviews should be at least 6 pages, 1" margins, 12 pt type. Up to 50 points per book.

 7. Service learning contract:

25 hours of volunteer work with families, children, disadvantaged, the environment, etc. 75 points plus one additional service/learning credit hour. Must provide independent proof of service and write a short 1-2 page reflection paper. See instructor for more details. Must have prior approval. 

8. Interviews

You may interview business or professional about ethical issues in their industry or at their organization. Prior approval of the instructor is needed and a list of questions should be submitted to me for review before the interview takes place. A write up of the interview includes the questions and responses and a summary analysis of the interviewees opinions. Worth up to 50 points

9. Movie/Play Reviews

You may write movie/play reviews of movies related to business issues and problems. Movies must be approved ahead of time by the instructor if they do not show up on the Business Ethics Approved Movies.  Reviews should be at least 3 pages, 1" margins, 12 pt type. Up to 20 points per movie.

10. Group Case Studies

You may work in groups of three to five to develop answers to questions posed by a case study. The cases and the instructions can be found at Case Study Option. There are five cases. You may do any, some or all of them. You may keep the same team or change after after each. There are a generous 80 points for each case study, but be warned the standard for performance is higher here because it is a group effort. I expect a much more thorough airing of the issues and answers than on individual papers. All team members get the same points. Case Studies are due on the weeks (1) 4, (2) 7, (3) 10, (4) 13 and (5) finals week. 

11. Multi-Media Lecture Reviews

I have several copies of a CD's with a multimedia interviews, slide shows and radio talk shows on them. You may use any or all of them for writing reviews. See me for these. Reviews are worth 20 points each, need to be AT LEAST 2 pages single spaced, 1" margins, 12 pt type.

Grading Scale:

A: 500- 450

B: 449- 400

C: 399- 350

D: 349- 300

F: 299-

Text for class

 No assigned text, all reading assignment obtained in The Business Ethics Electronic Filing Cabinet

 See also the hyperlinks in the syllabus for each week.