Columbia MBA 6301 – Business Ethics

Columbia MBA 6301 – Business Ethics

Subject: Business    / General Business
Question
MBA 6301, Business Ethics
Course Syllabus Course Description
Business Ethics explores the role of individual, business, and government activities related to ethically responsible
commerce and socially beneficial business activity. Course Material(s)
No physical textbook is required; resources are integrated within the course Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
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9. Analyze the concepts of business ethics from a personal and an organizational perspective.
Assess the ethical issues facing business leaders.
Differentiate among the concepts of social responsibility, integrity, and business ethics.
Explain the significance of ethics-based decision making in the business environment.
Analyze the influence of corporate culture, including leadership, power, and motivation, on business ethics in the
workplace.
Explain the pressures that influence ethical decision making in the organization.
Evaluate the need for ethical standards, codes of ethics, and practices in business.
Assess the auditing process for adherence to ethical practices.
Analyze the role that culture plays in global business ethics. Credits
Upon completion of this course, the students will earn three (3) hours of college credit. Course Structure
1. Study Guide: Each unit contains a Study Guide that provides students with the learning outcomes, unit lesson,
required reading assignments, and supplemental resources.
2. Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge
students should gain upon completion of the unit.
3. Unit Lesson: Each unit contains a Unit Lesson, which discusses lesson material.
4. Reading Assignments: Each unit contains Reading Assignments from the CSU Online Library.
5. Suggested Reading: Suggested Readings are listed in each unit’s study guide. Students are encouraged to read
the resources listed if the opportunity arises, but they will not be tested on their knowledge of the Suggested
Readings.
6. Discussion Boards: Discussion Boards are part of all CSU term courses. More information and specifications
can be found in the Student Resources link listed in the Course Menu bar.
7. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments in Units I-VIII. Specific
information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with
each assignment. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below. MBA 6301, Business Ethics 1 8. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or
course content related questions.
9. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. CSU Online Library
The CSU Online Library is available to support your courses and programs. The online library includes databases,
journals, e-books, and research guides. These resources are always accessible and can be reached through the library
webpage. To access the library, log into the myCSU Student Portal, and click on “CSU Online Library.” You can also
access the CSU Online Library from the “My Library” button on the course menu for each course in Blackboard.
The CSU Online Library offers several reference services. E-mail (library@columbiasouthern.edu) and telephone
(1.877.268.8046) assistance is available Monday – Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm and Friday from 8 am to 3 pm. The
library’s chat reference service, Ask a Librarian, is available 24/7; look for the chat box on the online library page.
Librarians can help you develop your research plan or assist you in finding relevant, appropriate, and timely information.
Reference requests can include customized keyword search strategies, links to articles, database help, and other
services. LibGuides
Click here for the LibGuide for this course.
Think of a LibGuide (a Library Guide) as a mini-website to help you with your assignments. It has relevant information
such as databases, ebooks, and websites specific to your courses. If you have any questions, please reach out to your
friendly library staff. Unit Assignments
Unit I Article Review
Using the CSU Online Library, locate an article that discusses the topic of business ethics and write a two-page review of
the article you selected. Topic ideas might include the role of ethics in the workplace, breach of ethics, the effect of
internal and external forces on ethical compliance, global ethical considerations within a business, or ethics and
employees.
Keep in mind that these are suggestions; please expand within the parameters of ethical topics as they relate to business
ethics.
Your article review must address the following:
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5. Summarize the article, and provide an analysis of the author’s main points.
How does this article contribute to contemporary thinking about business ethics?
Assess the ethical issues faced by the business leader or leaders in the article.
How can you apply information in this article to your field?
How did this article fit your ethical view? Your response must be a minimum of two full double-spaced pages, not including the title and reference pages.
Referenced sources must have accompanying citations, complying with APA guidelines. You must have at least two
references. Those references must include at least one of the required reading articles and the scholarly article you
selected to review from the CSU Online Library.
For step-by-step instructions for formatting a paper in APA style, please refer to the CSU Citation Guide, which can be
accessed below. Instructions for formatting formal documents can be found on page 17:
http://www.columbiasouthern.edu/downloads/pdf/success/citation-guide MBA 6301, Business Ethics 2 Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Unit II Essay
Establishing a culture of sound business ethics within an organization is challenging, to say the least. Companies that
market products which are not considered to be “healthy” for consumers have additional challenges. Using the CSU
Online Library, research a company that markets “unhealthy” products. Examples might include tobacco or alcohol
companies, but these examples are not exclusive. Respond to the following questions.
1. Briefly describe the company and its product and the ethical dilemma associated with the production and
distribution of its products.
2. Examine how the perception of the product differs within cultures—both within the United States and globally.
3. How has this company handled the ethical implications of its product with a focus on social responsibility,
integrity, and business ethics?
4. Explain how leadership within the organization can instill a culture of ethics within the marketing department as
they strive to advertise a product that is not healthy for the customer.
Your response must be a minimum of two double-spaced pages, not including the title and reference pages. You are
required to use at least one peer-reviewed source. Referenced sources must have accompanying citations, complying
with APA guidelines.
Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Unit III Case Study
For this assignment, review the Nike case study, which can be viewed by accessing the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5uYCWVfuPQ. Click here view the video transcript.
Once you have viewed the case scenario, respond to the following questions, with thorough explanations and wellsupported rationale:
1. These workers state the “only thing they have is their work.” This statement suggests that, without this work, they
would have a lower standard of living. Should we inflict western values on this society? Bring in the concepts of
social responsibility, integrity, and other business ethics practices.
2. From Nike’s standpoint, is this a fair assessment of their ethical standards? Explain some of the ethical issues
that Nike is facing in the case.
3. Research what Nike has done to improve this situation since this 2011 video. Include the use of codes of ethics
and other ethical standards implemented within the organization.
4. Is your opinion of Nike any different now after viewing this video? Would this change your buying behavior with
respect to Nike products?
Your response must be a minimum of two double-spaced pages. You are required to use at least one scholarly source in
your response. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying in-text
citations, and be cited per APA guidelines.
Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Unit IV Essay
Ethics in business relationships include both the external and internal relationships that develop around the organization.
For this assignment, we will focus on the internal relationships that develop inside the organization. Studies have
indicated the more positive the environment within the organization, the more productive the employees.
Research one or a combination of these job-related topics found within organizations: job discrimination, reverse
discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, and/or unsafe working conditions. Your essay should address the following:
1. Briefly describe the issue.
2. Explain the significance of any ethics-based decision your research finds and the affect it had or has on overall
morale, relationships within the organization, and ultimately overall productivity levels.
3. Research a minimum of one company involved in this type of issue.
4. What best practices might a company implement to avoid negative behavior within their organization? MBA 6301, Business Ethics 3 Your response must include an introduction, thesis statement, and a clear discussion of the questions/topics above. It
must be a minimum of two double-spaced pages. You are required to use at least two credible references. All sources
used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations and be cited per APA
guidelines.
Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Unit V Reflection Paper
Select a significant tragic event (either domestic or global) that has occurred over the last 50 years. The interactive
presentation in this unit provides some ideas of historical tragic events, but understand that these are just ideas. After
describing the event and the post-tragedy events, discuss the ethical aspects revolving around this incident. This
discussion may require some additional research to understand the ethical situations and the impact the event(s) had on
affected people and their ability to move on with their lives.
1. Describe the actions of people and organizational leaders directly and indirectly involved with the tragedy.
Specifically, address the ethical issues they faced.
2. What were some of the actions of local, state, and federal personnel with respect to dealing with this tragedy?
3. Explain the strategies of organizations that attempted to assist with the clean-up after the tragic event. Describe
several of the pressures that influenced their strategies. Distinguish between social responsibility, integrity, and
simple business ethics.
4. How has this event affected the ethical culture here in the United States? What other effect has it had on society
as a whole?
5. What other lessons might we learn from this event in the future?
Your response must be a minimum of two double-spaced pages. You are required to use at least one scholarly source in
your response. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying in-text
citations, and be cited per APA guidelines.
Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Unit VI Case Study
For this assignment, read the case study, “The 1920 Farrow’s Bank Failure: A Case of Managerial Hubris.” This case is
located in the ABI/Inform Complete database found in the CSU Online Library (see reference below).
Hollow, M. (2014). The 1920 Farrow’s bank failure: A case of managerial hubris? Journal of Management History, 20(2),
164-178.
Regulators evaluated Thomas Farrow as being inflicted by managerial hubris at the time of the bank’s collapse in 1920.
With this scenario in mind, address the following questions, with thorough explanations and well-supported rationale.
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2.
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4. How did corporate culture, leadership, power, and motivation affect Thomas’ level of managerial hubris?
Relate managerial hubris to ethical decision making and the overall impact on the business environment.
Explain the pressures associated with ethical decision making at Farrow’s Bank.
Do you think that if Farrow’s Bank had a truly ethical business culture, the level of managerial hubris would have
been decreased? Could this have affected the final outcome of Farrow’s Bank? Explain your position. Your response must be a minimum of three double-spaced pages. You are required to use at least one scholarly source
in your response. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying intext citations, and be cited per APA guidelines.
Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Unit VII Course Project
Code of Ethics
Begin by preparing a code of ethics for a fictional company, which should include a minimum of 10 elements. Once you
have compiled the code of ethics, respond to the following questions:
1. Why did you include each of the 10 elements?
MBA 6301, Business Ethics 4 2. Why is a code of ethics an important part of every business from an employer standpoint?
3. Why is a code of ethics an important part of every business from an employee standpoint?
4. Once you have written the code of ethics, how would you implement it to ensure compliance?
Your completed assignment must be a minimum of three double-spaced pages (one page for the code of ethics and two
pages for question responses). Please use a minimum of two credible sources from the CSU Online Library to support
your reasoning. Referenced sources must have accompanying citations complying with APA guidelines.
Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.
Unit VIII PowerPoint Presentation
For this assignment, you will take on the role of a vice president of a major organization. The CEO has assigned you the
responsibility of educating the leaders within the organization of the importance of maintaining an ethical culture. The tone
of the presentation should be of a persuasive nature, as you will also be asking these leaders to take this initiative to each
of their areas. As you compile this presentation, include the following:
1. Explain exactly what it means to maintain an ethical culture within the organization.
2. Analyze the role that culture plays in global business ethics.
3. Describe the importance and rationale for maintaining an ethical culture within the entire organization. Think about
methods that you can use to motivate employees and employers toward ethical business practices.
4. Recommend ethics guidelines they can use within each of their areas.
Your PowerPoint presentation must be 12-14 slides, not including the title slide and reference slide. All sources used must
be referenced and cited. Directly quoted material must have accompanying citations and be cited per APA guidelines.
This assignment requires the use of speaker notes. In the speaker notes, you will provide what you would say if you had
to give the presentation to an audience; this information will be typed in the “Notes” section beneath each slide. Please
write your notes in complete sentences, and adhere to typical grammar and/or punctuation rules.
Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below. APA Guidelines
The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the
primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain
papers and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated
grading rubric when available. Students can find CSU’s Citation Guide by clicking here. This document includes examples
and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Success Center. Grading Rubrics
This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each
rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each
level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your
efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics
because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.
Rubric categories include: (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment.
However, it is possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may
not have Assessments).