Business Ethics (PHIL 320-02)-- Summer Semester, 2012
Metropolitan State University
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, 4:30-7:00;
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 |
Topics |
Reading (to be read before each week’s class) |
Writing | Handouts |
May 7 |
Introductory Session: approaches to ethics |
Optional, after-class reading: BEF Ch's 3-7 (pp. 29-60); |
Cases for Discussion; Two Traditions In Ethics; Discussion Project on Kantian ethics | |
May 14 |
Free market purism vs. stakeholder theory; The Protestant Ethic |
BEF, Ch's 8 (Freidman) and 9 (Freeman) (pp.65-78); MM, Intro and Chapter 1 |
Response paper |
Discussion Project: Applying Stakeholder and Stockholder Theories;Notes on Ethics and Markets (for next time); |
May 21 |
Background: economics, property rights, and the invisible hand |
BEF Ch's 43 (Smith - just pp.487-490), 2 (Sen - pp. 20-28), 42 (Locke - pp.475-482), 12 (Heath - pp.110-130). Handout on markets and ethics. |
Response paper |
Discussion Project on Market Failures; Notes on Rawls and Nozick (for next time) |
May 28 |
Memorial Day Holiday-No class |
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June 4 |
Background: theories of justice |
BEF Ch's 44-48 (Marx, Rawls, Nozick, Nielsen. Cohen) (pp. 490-550); MM Ch. 2 |
Response paper |
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June 11 |
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 Employee Rights |
June 18 |
No class |
No new required reading. You might find BEF Ch 49 (Hettinger) helpful in writing your position paper. |
First Position Paper(send your paper to me by email) |
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June 25 |
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 |
Affirmative Action Arguments |
July 2 |
Whistleblowing |
BEF Ch's 24 (DeGeorge) and 25 (Larmer) (pp.267-278), MM Ch. 5 |
Response paper; First exam; |
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July 9 |
Occupational Safety |
BEF Ch's 28 (Superson) and 29 (Machan) (pp.302-315); MM Ch. 6 (review Ch.5 section 1) |
Response paper |
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July 16 |
Environmental responsibility |
BEF Ch's 18-21 (Sagoff, Shrader-Frechette, Poff, Machan) (pp. 189-245) |
Response paper |
Discusssion Project: Ethics and the Environment; Video links: Ray Anderson's TED talk; |
July 23 |
Global business and sweatshops |
BEF Ch's 15-16 (Maitland and Donaldson) pp.154-180; MM Ch. 7 (review Ch. 6) |
Response paper |
Discussion Project: Ethics and Sweatshops Video we watched in class: "China Blue" |
July 30 |
Truth, Lies and Bluffing |
BEF Ch 36 (Carr) pp.400-409, Ch.38 (Allfoff) pp.432-439), Ch 51 (Machan) pp.584-592 |
Response paper; Second Position Paper |
In class video's: Corporate spying (starts at :50)
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Aug. 6 |
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 |
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Aug. 13 |
Wrap up |
MM, Ch 8 |
Second exam; Possible exam questions |