APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2014/2015

GRA 6038 Applied Business Ethics

Responsible for the course
Øyvind Kvalnes

Department
Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
This course explores ethical challenges in business, and presents conceptual tools to handle dilemmas and polarities in the workplace.

Learning outcome
Acquired knowledge:
The student will become familiar with the basic concepts of business ethics, and their links to core business objectives and strategies. They will learn about the triple-bottom line of business, the responsibility towards owners, society and the environment. Communication culture is a key element in working with ethics in a business community, and the students will gain knowledge about ways to enhance dialogue about ethics in the workplace. They will also learn about the current debate concerning Homo Economicus and alternative conceptions of human nature and moral psychology.

Acquired skills:
Dilemma training will be a core activity in the course. The purpose of the training will be to prepare the students for the dilemmas they will encounter in future employment situations. They will learn to provide justification for their choices, and to analyze disagreement about moral issues. Through familiarity with ethical theories, concepts and principles, they will become better equipped to navigate in business environments where dilemmas are commonplace.

Acquired competence:
The students will be able to view their own professional education and practice in the light of possible effects on society and the environment. They will gain insight into the requirements necessary to establish sustainable business, and recognize ethics as an integral part of any high level professional competence. The course will encourage them to acknowledge that the triple-bottom line of business has personal ramifications, shaping the individual's responsibilities at work.

Prerequisites
A bachelor degree qualifying for entrance to the MSc programme

Compulsory reading
Books:
Crane, Andrew, Dirk Matten. 2010. Business ethics : managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press. 592 pages

Collection of articles:
A compendium of scientific articles will be made available before the course starts.

Other:
During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination


Recommended reading

Course outline
Business Ethics: Tools, Concepts and Principles
Dilemma Training
Homo Economicus and Moral Psychology
Corporate Social Responsibility
Moral Muteness
Countering Corruption
Ethics in the Professions: Coping with Conflict of Interest
Communication, Reputation and Identity
Ethics and Investment

Computer-based tools
It's learning

Learning process and workload
A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours.

The course will consist of four 3 hour plenary sessions, four 3 hour group sessions and two 6 dilemma workshops. The plenary and group sessions will present the main concepts and ideas, and provide the students with cases to discuss. In the group sessions the students will be devided into 4 groups, while in the dilemma workshops they will be devided into 8 groups. Each student can participate in 12 hours of plenary teaching, 12 hours of group teaching and 12 hours of dilemma workshop activities.

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/It's learning or text book.

Coursework requirements
It is a requirement that each student must have written two papers containing an analysis of a dilemma or case in order to take the final exam. The students can cooperate in groups in writing the papers.

Examination
A 4 hour individual written final exam concludes the course. The exam will require the students to analyze a case through the use of theories, concepts and principles from the curriculum.

Examination code(s)
GRA 60381 written exam accounts for 100% of the final grade in GRA 6038.

Examination support materials
None at the final exam, except a bilingual dictionary.
Examination support materials at written examiniations are explained under examination information in the student portal @bi. Please note use of calculator and dictionary in the section on support materials.

Re-sit examination
It is only possible to retake an examination when the course is next taught.
The assessment in some courses is based on more than one exam code.
Where this is the case, you may retake only the assessed components of one of these exam codes.
Where this is not the case, all of the assessed components of the course must be retaken.
All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee.

Additional information
Honor Code
Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and represent values that are encouraged and promoted by the honor code system. This is a most significant university tradition. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the ideals of the honor code system, to which the faculty are also deeply committed.

Any violation of the honor code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for cheating. These issues are a serious matter to everyone associated with the programs at BI and are at the heart of the honor code and academic integrity. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honor code, please ask.