Business Ethics (PHIL 320-03)-- Fall Semester, 2015
Metropolitan State University
Assignments below are carried over from a past version of this course. Check back for updates.
First Position Paper Assignment
Second Position Paper Assignment
Possible questions for first exam
Possible questions for second exam
Paper writing guides:
Instructor's Office Hours: In my office (312 St. John's Hall, St. Paul Campus) Monday, 2:30-5:30; Tuesday, 12:00-3:00
At Midway (in the lower level common area where the tables and vending machines are) Wednesday, 4:00-5:45
Note: their will probably be some changes as we go along. Hit the refresh button on your browser to make sure you have the most current version.
Date |
Topic |
Reading (Note: MM=Moral Mazes; BEF = Business in Ethical Focus) |
Writing |
Handouts |
Aug. 26 |
Introductory Session |
None |
Cases for Discussion; Discussion Project on Identifying Ethical Issues | |
Sept.2 |
Free market purism vs. stakeholder theory |
BEF, Ch's 8 (Freidman) and 9 (Freeman) (pp.65-78); MM, Intro and Chapter 1 |
Response paper |
Four Perspectives on Businesss Behavior; Discussion Project: Applying Stakeholder and Stockholder Theories |
Sept. 9 |
Background: approaches to ethics |
BEF Ch's 3-7 (pp. 29-60); MM Ch. 2 |
Response paper |
Discussion Project: Applying Kant's Categorical Imperative and Utilitarianism |
Sept. 16 |
Background: economics |
BEF Ch's 43 (Smith - just pp.487-490), 2 (Sen - pp. 20-28), 12 (Heath - pp.110-130), 42 (Locke - pp.475-482), 44 (Marx - pp.490-497) |
Response paper |
Notes on Ethics and Markets |
Sept. 23 |
Background: theories of justice |
BEF Ch's 45-48 (Rawls, Nozick, Nielsen. Cohen) (pp. 498-550) |
Response paper |
Notes on Rawls and Nozick; Links to the slides on economic inequality: here; The interactive graph of income changes is from the Economic Policy Institute. |
Sept. 30 |
Intellectual property |
Updated: |
Response paper;First Position Paper due. |
Possible questions for first exam; |
Oct. 7 |
Employment at will or Due process |
BEF Ch's 22 (Werhane & Radin) and 23 (Epstein), (pp. 255-266) Case Studies 1 and 3 (pp. 246-7, 316-17); MM Ch. 3 |
Response paper |
Discussion Project on Employment at Will |
Oct. 14 |
How people get ahead in business |
BEF Ch's 31 (Hettinger) and 32 (Pojman) (pp. 324-255); MM Ch.4 (review Ch 3) |
Response paper; First exam; Possible Exam Questions |
Discussion Project on Affirmative Action Arguments; Some Arguments about Affirmative Action; Jackall's Rules |
Oct. 21 |
Whistleblowing |
BEF Ch's 24 (DeGeorge) and 25 (Larmer) (pp.267-278), MM Ch. 5 |
Response paper |
Discussion Project on Whistleblowing |
Oct. 28 |
Occupational Safety |
BEF Ch's 28 (Superson) and 29 (Machan) (pp.302-315); MM Ch. 6 |
Response paper |
|
Nov. 4 |
Environmental responsibility |
BEF Ch's 18-21 (Sagoff, Shrader-Frechette, Poff, Machan) (pp. 189-245) |
Response paper |
Video links: Ray Anderson's TED talk; |
Nov. 11 |
Global business and sweatshops |
BEF Ch's 15-16 (Maitland and Donaldson) pp.154-180 |
Response paper |
Second Position Paper Assignment; China Blue does not seem to be available online for free any longer except in a version with Swedish subtitles. |
Nov. 18 |
Truth, Lies and Bluffing |
BEF Ch 36 (Carr) pp.400-409, Ch.38 (Allfoff) pp.432-439), Ch 51 (Machan) pp.584-592; MM Ch. 7 |
Response paper |
|
Nov. 25 |
Thanksgiving holiday | No class | ||
Dec. 2 |
Free choice or distorted desires? |
BEF Ch's 52-55 (Waide, Crisp, Arrington, Paine) pp.592-626, Case Studies 9 and 10, pp.640-644 |
Response paper;Second Position Paper due |
Discussion Project on Advertising to Children |
Dec. 9 |
Wrap up |
MM, Ch 8 |
Second exam;Possible exam questions |