Business Ethics & Social Responsibility

Aims

This course examines ethical issues in the context of business theory and practice as well as the nature, history and current status of social and environmental responsibility. The most important aim is to examine thoughtfully ideas and perspectives in the field of business ethics and extend these ideas/perspectives to administrative practice and decision making. It also places social responsibility in the broader context of corporate governance and students will be exposed to the many debates on this area that date back several thousand years.

Learning Outcomes

• An understanding of the range of corporate governance theories and practices
• A full understanding of the current issues in corporate governance
• An understanding of the role of Corporate Boards, board committees and  Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) in the governance of organisations
• An understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility
• An understanding of the structures and policies necessary for effective corporate governance
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of corporate governance sufficient to give advice on these issues to senior management.

Content

• Issues of Social and environmental responsibility
• Ethics and business
• Justice and economics systems
• Corporations and morality
• Safety, risk and environmental protection
• Marketing, truth and advertising
• Information technology, ethics and business
• Workers’ rights and duties within the firm
• Accounting, finance, corporate restructuring and ethical investing
• Moral issues in international business