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BUSINESS ETHICS & CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

BS (BBA) – IV
Course Title : BUSINESS ETHICS & CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
 Course Number : BA (BS) – 412
Credit Hours: 03

Objective

This course introduces contemporary and controversial ethical issues facing the business community. Topics include moral reasoning, moral dilemmas, law and morality, equity, justice and fairness, ethical standards, and moral development. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of their moral responsibilities and obligations are members of the workforce and society.

Course Contents

    1. An Overview of Business Ethics
      1.1. Business Ethics Defined
      1.2. Why Study Business Ethics?
      1.3. The Development of Business Ethics
      1.4. The Benefits of Business Ethics
    2. The Foundation of Ethical Thought
      2.1. The Role of Morals
      2.2. The Foundation of Ethical Theory
      2.3. Teleological Frameworks
      2.4. Deontological Frameworks
      2.5. Seven Guiding Principles to Support Ethical Actions
      2.6. The Seven Deadly Sins
      2.7. The Trolley Problem
      2.8. Global Business Standards Codex
    3. Emerging Business Ethics Issues
      3.1. An Ethical Dilemma
      3.2. Recognizing a Ethical Issue
      3.3. The Role of Integrity, Honesty, Fairness
      3.4. Ethical Issues and Dilemmas in Business
      3.5. Challenges of Determining an Ethical Issue in Business
      3.6. Stakeholders and Corporate Social Responsibility
      3.7. What Is a Stakeholder?
      3.8. Identifying Stakeholders
    4. A Stakeholders Orientation
      4.1. Social Responsibility and The Importance of a Stakeholder Orientation
      4.2. Social Responsibility and Ethics
      4.3. Implementing a Stakeholder Perspective
    5. Ethics and Financial Reporting
      5.1. Ethics and Financial Reporting
      5.2. The Role of Creative Accounting
      5.3. The History of Ponzi Schemes
      5.4. The Role Of Insider Trading As An Ethical Issue
      5.5. Ethical Philosophies and Accounting Issues
      5.6. The Role of Financial Reporting
      5.7. The Objectives of Financial Reporting
      5.8. Where Were the Auditors?
      5.9. Responsibilities of Management
      5.10. The Use of Heuristics in Auditing
      5.11. Responsibilities of Auditors
      5.12. Responsibilities of Audit Committees
      5.13. AICPA Code of Professional Conduct
      5.14. Components of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
      5.15. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
      5.16. Section 404—Internal Controls
      5.17. A Comprehensive Model of Top Management Fraud
      5.18. Accounting Shenanigans or Tricks of the Trade
    6. Ethical Leadership and Corporate Governance
      6.1. Ethical Leadership
      6.2. A Manager’s Ability to Develop Trust, Commitment, and Effort
      6.3. The Responsibility of Managers
      6.4. The Transformation From Moral Person to Ethical Leader
      6.5. Ethics and Corporate Governance
      6.6. Board of Directors
      6.7. The Role of the Board of Directors
      6.8. A Contingent Perspective of Corporate Governance
      6.9. Ethics and the Structure of the Board of Directors
      6.10. The Benefits of a Strong Board of Directors
      6.11. Corporate Governance and Stakeholders
    7. Strategic Planning, Corporate Culture, and Corporate Compliance
      7.1. Corporate Culture
      7.2. Role of Corporate Culture in Ethical Decision Making
      7.3. Ethical Framework and Evaluations of Corporate Culture
      7.4. Ethics and Corporate Compliance
      7.5. Leaders Influence Corporate Culture
      7.6. Motivating Ethical Behavior
    8. Decision Making and Human Resource Issues
      8.1. Ethical Decision Making: Kohlberg’s Six Stages of Moral Development
      8.2. The Role of Emotion in Moral Decision Making
      8.3. Rationalizing Unethical Behaviors
      8.4. Ethical Decision Making and Moral Intensity
      8.5. The Role of Power and Influence in Ethical Decisions
      8.6. Human Resource Issues
      8.7. The Role of Workplace Diversity
      8.8. Ethical Climate and Organizational Misbehavior
      8.9. Sexual Harassment and Sexual Discrimination
      8.10. Office Bullying
      8.11. Employee Monitoring
      8.12. The Ethical Issues Related to Extreme Jobs
    9. Ethics and the Environment
      9.1. The Tragedy of the Commons
      9.2. Natural Environment as a Stakeholder
      9.3. Natural Environment as a Competitive Advantage
      9.4. Voluntary Environmental Compliance
      9.5. What Does It Mean to Be Green?
      9.6. Employees as Environmental Stakeholders
      9.7. NGOs as Environmental Stakeholders
      9.8. Communicating the Firm’s Environmental Commitment to Its Stakeholders
      9.9. Environmental Accounting Issues
      9.10. Environmental Justice
      9.11. Environmental Sustainability
      9.12. Ethics and Climate Change
      9.13. Climate Change as a Strategic Option
      9.14. The Effects of Climate Change on the Firm
      9.15. A Firm’s Carbon Footprint
    10. Evaluating Corporate Ethics
      10.1. Why Firms Need Ethics Training Programs
      10.2. Establishing an Ethics Training Program
      10.3. Establishing a Global Ethics Training Program
      10.4. Benefits of an Ethics Training Program
      10.5. Enforcement and the Ethics Training Program
      10.6. Sending the Right Message to the Employees
      10.7. Corporate Ethics Officers
      10.8. Ethical Auditing
      10.9. Components of the Ethical Audit
      10.10. Hotlines
    11. Marketing and Advertising
      11.1. Alternative Views of the Foundation of Marketing and Advertising
      11.2. Green Marketing
      11.3. Ethical Consumer Behavior
      11.4. Relationship Marketing and Privacy
      11.5. The Role of Consumer Boycotts
      11.6. The Ethical Challenges of Product Recalls
      11.7. The Reasons for Recalls
      11.8. The Steps of a Recall
      11.9. Financial Costs of a Recall
      11.10. The Ethics of Fair Pricing
      11.11. Ethics of Purchasing and Sales
      11.12. False and Misleading Advertising
      11.13. The Eventual Truth in Advertising
      11.14. Advertising to Children
      11.15. The Sydney Principles
      11.16. The Magic of Disney
    12. Ethical Issues in the Developing World
      12.1. The Bottom of the Pyramid
      12.2. New Generation Business Strategies for the Bottom of the Pyramid
      12.3. Social Entrepreneurship
      12.4. Fair Trade
      12.5. Human Rights
      12.6. Poverty and Hunger
      12.7. Food Versus Fuel
    13. Establishing a Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines
      13.1. Role of a Code of Ethics
      13.2. Code of Ethics and Stakeholders
      13.3. Benefits of a Code of Ethics
      13.4. Content of a Code of Ethics
      13.5. The Role of Total Responsibility Management and a Code of Ethics
      13.6. Steps for an Effective Code of Ethics
      13.7. Value of a Code of Ethics
      13.8. How to Make a Code of Ethics More Effective
      13.9. Examples of Codes of Ethics
      13.10. Role of Government Regulations
      13.11. Global Code of Ethics

Recommended Books

  1. Peter Stanwick, Sarah Stanwick. Understanding Business Ethics, 2nd Edition. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.
  2. Ferrell, O. C, & Fraedrich, J. (2002). Ethical Decision Making and Cases. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
  3. Steiner, G. A. and Steiner J. F. (2011). Business, Government, and Society, A Managerial Perspective. 13th Edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin.