Registry

Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2012 - 2013
Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title	Ethical Issues and Business Leadership
Module Code	MT5118
School	DCUBS
Online Module Resources
Module Co-ordinator	Semester 1: Simone de Colle Semester 2: Simone de Colle Autumn: Simone de Colle
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

Description

The purpose of the course is to introduce the core concepts and methodologies of the field of study of business ethics, and discuss its practical application for decision-makers within organizations (e.g. corporate executives, entrepreneurs, public officials). During the course the main ethical theories (virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism) will be presented and discussed with reference to a number of case-studies exploring their meaning for today’s strategic management. Participants will examine the main concepts and practical application of stakeholder theory by discussing real cases of business decisions, analyzing their rationale and impacts. Moreover, the concepts and methodologies for sustainability reporting and Codes of Ethics Design and Implementation will be presented and critically discussed.

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the ethical dimension of business and the role of ethics to build a culture of (personal and corporate) ethical leadership
2. Apply a range of appropriate ethical theories and frameworks to analyze specific decision-making processes of business organizations;
3. Display a critical understanding of concepts and methodologies of corporate social responsibility, stakeholder theory and corporate sustainability;
4. Critically analyze business organizations’ impact on and responsibility towards a variety of stakeholders;
5. Assess the quality of corporate codes of ethics and related implementation programmes;
6. Give evidence of an in-depth ethical analysis of one particular business ethics issue by completion of a paper.

Workload	Full-time hours per semester
*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Lecture	24	Participation in scheduled classes
Assignment	51	Research and carrying out the main module assignments
Independent learning time	50	Studying the pre-assigned readings and preparing for class
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

The main topic of ethical issues in business leadership will be examined under the following themes.
Theme 1: Introduction to Business Ethics, Stakeholder Theory and moral reasoning.

Theme 2: Business Ethics as Applied Philosophy - the main ethical theories (I): Utilitarianism.
Theme 3: Business Ethics as Applied Philosophy - the main ethical theories (II): Deontology.

Theme 4: Business Ethics as Applied Philosophy - the main ethical theories (III): Virtue Ethics.
Theme 5. Frameworks for dilemma analysis and solution.

Theme 6: Shareholder v. Stakeholder theory.
Theme 7: Marketing Ethics.

Theme 8: Developing and Implementing Corporate Codes of Ethics.
Theme 9: Applying ethics within organizations.

Theme 10: Ethics in international business.
Theme 11: Corporate Accountability - concepts and methodologies.

Theme 12: Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Windows-dressing or real change?.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Course Work Breakdown
Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Group presentation	This is a 2-3 slides PowerPoint presentation that each group will deliver in class concerning an ethical dilemma directly or indirectly related to personal experience (i.e. a complex choice you had to face in your role as a student, employee, intern, consumer, etc.). N.B. You will have 10 minutes for your presentation plus 5 minutes for handling comments and questions. Your grade will be based on the clarity of the dilemma formulation, presentation skills and effectiveness in leading the Q&A session.	20%	As required
Other	CLASS PARTICIPATION: The key requirement for the overall success of the course is your active participation in class discussions and team-work activities. This means that class attendance is essential. In addition, you are expected to prepare well for each class, carefully reading the assigned materials, coming to class ready to answer specific questions about the text (or the case), engaging in active discussion, presenting and articulating your understanding and personal view on the readings. When dealing with case-studies, you are expected to come to class ready to present your own analysis and solution (i.e. explain “What would you do?” in that situation), and give your rationale.	20%	Every Week
Essay	A 2000-3000 word formal essay. Two Options are available:Option (A): Choose a particular business ethics issue concerning a specific industry, corporation or stakeholder group and provide an in-depth analysis and discussion.Option (B): Take two corporations in the same industry sector (one must be Irish) and analyze their Codes of Ethics applying the framework discussed in class. . Discuss the quality of these codes in a comparative examination on the five critical aspect related to the quality of codes of ethics presented in class.	60%	Sem 2 End

Reassessment Requirement
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; 1 = A resit is available for all components of the module 2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module 3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

T. Donaldson, P. Werhane and M. Cording: 2002, Ethical Issues in Business. A Philosophical Approach, 7th edition, Prentice Hall,
R.E. Freeman, J.S. Harrison, A.C. Wicks, B.L. Parmar and S. de Colle: 2010, Stakeholder Theory: The State of the Art, Chapter One, pages 3-29, and Chapter 8, pages: 235-264)., Cambridge University Press,

Other Resources

None

Additional materials and case-studies will be made available during the module (and uploaded on Moodle).

Programme or List of Programmes

MBA

Masters in Business Administration -GrpA

MBAB

Masters in Business Administration -GrpB

MBAE

Masters in Business Administration

PBSSA

PG Exchange(Business School)