Note: This "standard" course syllabus is only a guide. Actual requirements for a particular course and section of this course are described in the course section syllabus, which should be obtained from the course instructor at the beginning of the respective semester. Requirements listed herein are subject to change without notice.
A systematic study of the various domestic and international social and political environments in which profit and non-profit business organizations must operate, with emphases on the diverse and sometimes competing considerations for numerous stakeholders and the implications for business strategies. Topics will include types of business organizations, social responsibility concepts, ethical principles, and alternate dispute resolution methods.
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Understand the creation, purpose and operation of different types of business organization entities, e.g., corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and sole proprietorships, including combinations through joint ventures and mergers..
2. Identify the social, political, regulatory, legal, technological, and international, external and internal environments in which a business operates..
3. Distinguish the numerous stakeholders and recognize the issues represented in each type of business environment relative to impact by operations of the business and impact upon the operations of the business.
4. Compare and analyze the various and sometimes competing considerations attending diverse stakeholder interests and inherent in cross-cultural multinational environments.
5. Recognize the necessity of developing a strategy to deal with congruent as well as adverse considerations posed by respective business environments.
6. Understand concepts of social responsibility and ethical principles, and ascertain how the concepts and principles are used in business, government and society relationships.
7. Use critical thinking through text review, selective readings, interactive class discussion, and case studies to apply social responsibility concepts and ethical principles to current business, government and society issues.
8. Evaluate and apply alternate dispute resolution methods toward defining and developing strategies for integrating and reconciling interests and issues arising in the business, government and society context.
Textbooks:
Carroll, A. B. & Buchholtz, A. K. (2000). Business & Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management, 4th Ed. South-Western Publishing Company.
Evaluation:
All instructors evaluate students based upon responses to written examinations, with an average of four (4) examinations per semester. Some instructors incorporate current business-related events into class by requiring oral student discussions or by requiring written abstracts of said events. Some instructors emphasize a teamwork concept in the classroom by organizing students in groups to orally present relevant case study material to the class.
Topics/Components:
All
instructors are required to present material relevant to the topics set forth
below regarding the Business and Society course. The influence of political, social, legal and regulatory,
environmental, technological and/or ethical issues are examined incident to the
presentation of these topics:
I.
The
Business & Society Relationship (10%)
A.
Nature
and spectrum of business and society relationships/business environments –
influences and impacts
B.
Legal
distinctions and formation of select types of business organizations involved in
business and society (e.g., corporations, general partnerships, limited
partnerships, limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships, and
sole proprietorships, together with combinations such as mergers and joint
ventures).
C.
The stakeholder
concept
II.
Business
Social Responsibilities (10%)
A.
The
Social Responsibility Concept
1.
General principles
and elements
2.
Business
assumption of social responsibilities
3.
Forms of
social responsibilities
B.
Developing
and implementing social responsibility programs
III.
Ethical
Principles in Business (20%)
A.
What is
business ethics?
B.
Types and
sources of business ethics issues
C.
Improving
ethical decisions in business
1.
Models/principles
of ethical conduct
2.
Analysis
of ethical problems in business
D.
Ethics in
the international business environment
1.
Cultural
diversity and international business
2.
Improving
global ethics
IV.
Domestic
Social and Regulatory Environments (30%)
A.
Overview
of government regulation and its legal basis
1.
Government’s
regulatory and nonregulatory influence on business
2.
Reforming
the regulatory system
3.
Business’s
influence on government and public policy
B.
The
Consumer Movement
1.
Consumer
legislation and agencies
2.
Consumer
issues: Product liability and false and deceptive advertising
3.
Business’s
response to consumers
C.
Business
and the Natural Environment
1.
Natural
environmental issues
2.
Business’s
response to environmental issues
3.
Environmental
laws and regulations
D.
Business
and Workplace Issues
1.
Changes
in the workplace
2.
Women,
minorities and antidiscrimination law in the workplace
3.
Right to
privacy in the workplace
4.
Right to
safety in the workplace
V.
International
Social and Regulatory Environments (10%)
A.
Multinational
corporations (MNC)
1.
Nature
and role of the MNC
2.
Protectionism
v. free trade
3.
Mergers
and antitrust issues
B.
Corporate
global competitiveness
VI.
Business
and Society Strategies for Conflict and Dispute Resolutions
(20%)
A.
Issues
and crisis management
B.
Alternate
dispute resolution methods
1.
Principles
of ADR
2.
Advantages
and disadvantages
C.
Specific
ADR procedures
1.
Negotiation
2.
Mediation
3.
Arbitration
D. Trends in business
applications of ADR