Words: 1289
Clearly, we are witnessing a serious level of mistrust in corporate America. Is this a problem? Or, should people have a level of mistrust? In the 21st Century, what is the role of business? To make profits for shareholders? To look after the best interests of their employees? Where do customers, suppliers, government agencies, and the legal system enter into the analysis? Responsibility a course in ethics? What about the global environment, where legal and ethical systems may be quite different from the systems you are accustomed to in the United States?
We will spend time this semester exploring our own understanding of corporate social responsibility, and also evaluate how our system ay differ from other countries and cultures. Mission: The Bernhard School of Business at the University of the Pacific develops knowledgeable, innovative business leaders in a personalized, experience-based learning environment, and produces scholarship that informs teaching and advances the practice of business. Values 1 . Student-centered learning environment 2. Education of the whole person 3.
Intellectual growth 4. Mutually supportive community of faculty, staff, and students 5. Engagement of external stakeholders 6. Excellence 7. Social responsibility 8. Integrity and ethical behavior 9. Service to the university, community and profession Learning Objectives: Learning objectives should be directly related to the mission and values of the Bernhard School. Therefore, the component of the mission statement that applies to each learning objective is noted in the parentheses behind each objective.
By the end of the course, you should be able to: Analyze ethical dilemmas faced by individuals in the context of business decision making and identify the foundations upon which resolution might be possible (7, 8) Contrast your own value system with those of others (2, 4, 7, 8) Describe the value systems behind our opinions, decisions, and action (2, 3, 7, 8) Assess the effects of corporate social responsibility – the costs and benefits (7) Be able to design and implement a plan to avoid potential ethical dilemmas, and to mitigate the effects of a crisis when one occurs (5, 7, 8) Identify and explore the most critical emerging issues facing the field of corporate social responsibility (2, 3) Follow commonly accepted ethical standards in your academic work and in your behavior toward others (8) Demonstrate tolerance and respect for diverse groups of people (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8) These objectives can only be achieved through a Joint effort: I will work to stimulate your interest and learning in these areas, but you will be expected to display initiative and a program of self-study as well.
In that sense, a complementary objective of the course is to provide you with an environment that will encourage and reward your own intellectual effort, while simultaneously maintaining rigorous standards that identify those who are motivated to pursue excellence in their own Short Case Analyses: Each of you will prepare a one to two page summary of the problems and possible solutions to those problems for each case. These will be turned in at the end of each class, but not graded. The point is to have some talking points ready to go if I call on you in class. Long Case Analyses: Each of you will be responsible for preparing a more in-depth case analysis of two of the cases in the course.
I will assign students to cases, you will get one case from the first part of the course and a second one from the later part of the course. You and the others assigned to that case will be responsible for leading the class discussion the day of your case. Original Case: Each of you will be responsible for writing an original case in the aroma of the Harvard-style cases we are using in class. Near the end of the semester, you will be required to present your case for discussion to the rest of the class. This can be a group project, with no more than four people per group. You can choose your own company or issue, but I must approve it. Since time is short in this class, I encourage you to make your selection during the first week or two of class.
The deadline for approving your case is noted on the course outline. Class Participation and Assignments: As a graduate student, I expect you to take more responsibility for your own learning that I expect from undergraduates. This meaner that class discussions between you and your colleagues take on an increased level of importance. We will address several controversial topics during the semester, and I do not expect that the class will reach a consensus every topic. I do expect that you will argue your position with passion, clarity and well-reasoned arguments. I expect you to respect the opinions of others, even when you disagree with them.
Learning Assessment: Note that copies of any student work (with names removed) may be kept as examples of student learning for this course. Your performance on Ritter assignments and your case presentation will be assessed using the “Written and Oral Communication Skills Rubric” developed by the Bernhard School. In addition, your original case will be evaluated using a rubric developed specifically to assess your mastery of concepts specific to this course. Copies of both rubrics are posted on the Assai site for this class. Grading: Your grade will be based upon your original case, your long written analyses of the cases, and your contributions to the course discussions. The case you write and the two case analyses you turn in are each worth one-fourth of your grade.
The remaining one-fourth of your grade will be based on the quality of the comments you make in class on the assigned readings, and especially on the cases you did not turn in as longer written assignments. Fair and speedy evaluation of all of your work. I will grade and return all materials as quickly as I can. You must take responsibility for some aspects of your education. Attend class and arrive on time. Come to class prepared by doing the assigned work. If you know in advance that you must miss a class period, make arrangements ahead of time to turn in your assignment, get the notes, etc. Participate in the class discussions – what you put into the class determines what you will get out of it.
Ask questions in class if anything is unclear. I cannot always tell when students are having trouble understanding a particular topic, you have to let me know. I want the class to be a positive learning experience for you, so let me know when things are not going well. When submitting written work, make sure it is your best effort. Sloppy writing indicates sloppy thinking, and will be penalized. Use your spell-checker. Begin to develop a sense of professionalism. Treat me as you would your boss in a work eating. Treat your fellow classmates with respect. Mobile Phones, pagers, etc: Ringing telephones and beeping pagers are a distraction to everyone else in the classroom.
Therefore, locate and learn how to use the “off’ button on your phones, pagers, and Pads, and turn them off before entering the classroom. Each time your phone or pager interrupts class, I will deduct 10 points from your class participation point total. Faceable: From time to time, students in my class want to become friends on Faceable. I have a personal policy that I will not have any current students as friends n Faceable, nor will I add any former students as friends until after they graduate Academic Honesty: Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. Read and understand the Honor Code. Any violation of the Honor Code will be punished as severely as possible.