Business Ethics: What you should do (being right) in any given business
situation
M/W 6-7:30
Fall Semester 2011
Dr Robert Weishan
Office hours 3:30 -4:30 M & W or Tuesdays 5-6 PM
Cell: 326-3287
[email protected] & [email protected]
Course Goals: Develop the following competencies
1. Integrity and Trustworthy = is widely trusted by others; truthful, candid and
frank; can keep a confidence when appropriate; admits his/her own mistakes yet
is tolerant of the mistakes of others and behaves consistent with his/her personal
values (walks the talk).
2. Ethical and values centered behavior = Adheres to an appropriate and
consistent set of core values when dealing with others while remaining open to
opposing points of view; behaviors in a manner consistent with his/her core
principles in both good and bad times; practices what he/she preaches
3. Managerial courage = Doesn’t hold back what needs to be said; speaks the truth
as he/she knows it to be; gives constructive and actionable feedback; faces up to
situations and people without fear for personal consequences; tells truth to power;
defends the rights of others and is not afraid to take an unpopular stand if the
situation demands it.
4. Decision quality = consistently makes good decisions based on careful analysis
of all relevant facts, past experience, suggestions & input from others, and solid
theory; demonstrates sound judgment, insight, wisdom and perspective; is sought
out by others for advise, makes decisions which result in long term benefits for
the organization not just in short term gains; most of his/her decisions turn out to
be correct (like Warren Buffets stock picks).
5. Ability to stand alone = willing to stand up and be counted even when everyone
else is aligned against him/her; can be counted on when times are tough; will
champion unpopular causes if he/she believes they are right; never makes enemies
of the people who oppose his/her ideas and positions.
6. Political savvy = able to maneuver through complex political situations and
resistant bureaucracies effectively; is sensitive to how people react, behave and to
how organizations function so he/she plans accordingly; views corporate politics
as a fact of life; is maze-bright and can deal adroitly with any political or
organizational reality.
Course Requirements:
1. Class participation = 30%
a. Every student will make two class presentations (30 minutes each and use
power point) plus attendance in class is essential
i. One presentation will be on an assigned book provided by the
teacher
ii. One class presentation will be on a topic assigned by the instructor
2. Midterm exam =30%
a. Fifty question objective test covering material covered in class and
assigned readings
3. Term paper = 40%
a. A 15-20 page term paper on an assigned topic ( use APA form and cite at
least five peer reviewed journals)
4. No Final Exam is required
Course /class Outline:
1. 8/29- Introductions, course overview & logistics, class assignments
2. 8/31-lecture & discussion
 How free are we? & what is free will?
i. Genetics & Human Nature
ii. Human Chemistry & human behavior
a. Social Background & class
b. Debt and slavery
3. 9/5-lecture & discussion
 What is a right?
i. Personal property rights
ii. Personal Freedom (right of movement)
iii. Free speech
iv. Religious freedom
v. Freedom of association
vi. Others
 Where do rights come from?
i. Universal human rights
ii. Moral authority or God
iii. Law of the State
 What is proper behavior?
i. Morality
ii. Legality
iii. Customs (polite behavior or civil behavior)
iv. Taboos
v. Norms
vi. Ethics
4. 9/7-lecture & discussion
 What is right?
i. Morality
ii. Law
iii. Customs
iv. Taboos
v. Norms
vi. Ethics
5. 9/12-lecture & discussion
 What is the right thing to do?
i. Morality
ii. Law
iii. Customs
iv. Taboos
v. Norms
vi. Ethics
6. 9/14-lecture & discussion
 Who decides what is right?
7. 9/19-lecture & discussion
 Do circumstances affect what is right?
8. 9/26-lecture & discussion
 What are ethical principles?
i. Greatest good for greatest numbers
ii. Do no harm
iii. Lesser evil
iv. Proximity of cause
v. Shared negligence
vi. Ignorance
vii. Unforeseen consequences
viii. What reasonable people would do
ix. others
9. 9/28-lecture & discussion
 Do ends justify means?
i. Time of war
ii. Torture
iii. Buyer beware
10. 10/3-lecture & discussion
 Accountability
11. 10/5-lecture & discussion
 Meritocracy
12. 10/10-lecture & discussion
 Wealth distribution and democracy
i. What % of wealth in the US is owned by:
1. Top.01 richest people
2. Top 1% richest people
3. Top 5% richest people
4. Top 10% richest people
5. Next 90% of US citizens
 Income distribution and social justice
i. How much of the annual national income is earned by:
1. Top.01 richest people
2. Top 1% richest people
3. Top 5% richest people
4. Top 10% richest people
5. Next 90% of US citizens
ii. How many American families have incomes below the poverty
line? What is their annual gross income?
iii. How many American families have a net wealth over:
1. one million
2. ten million
3. one hundred million
4. one billion
iv. How much wealth do the richest .01% ( 300,000 people) of
Americans have (in US dollars) and how much wealth do the
poorest 20% of Americans have (60 million people)
v. What are the statistical chances of a child who is born this year
to a family in the poorest quintile (lowest 20%) of the
American economic classes to move up one quintile during
his/her lifetime? How does that chance compare to child born
to the same poor class in France, Japan, Germany, and UK of
moving up in class?
vi. How do the average expected lifetime earnings of a: college
graduate; person with a master degree; a PhD; a person with
an advanced professional degree (lawyer or physician)
compare to the current average annual compensation of a
CEO in one of America’s Fortune 500 companies?
13. 10/12-lecture & discussion
 Are you your brother’ keeper?
 Social responsibility
14. 10/17-lecture & discussion
 Society and hierarchy
15. 10/19-review & discussion
 Conflicts of interests
16. 10/24-midterm exam
17. 10/26-post mortem on mid-term exam
18. 10/31-first student presentations(two)
19. 11/7-first student presentations(two)
20. 11/9-first student presentations(two)
21. 11/16-first student presentations(two)
22. 11/21-first student presentations(two)
23. 11/23-second student presentations(two)
24. 11/28-second student presentations(two)
25. 11/30-second student presentations(two)
26. 12/5-second student presentations(two)
27. 12/7-second student presentations(two)
28. End of Term
Presentation One: select a topic from the following list of topics
 What are “conflicts of interests” between investors, managers,
customers, suppliers, the public and employees and please cite four
business case studies involving serious conflicts of interests?
 When is confidentiality wrong (cite two business cases) and when is it
right (cite two business cases)?
 When is spying on employees by their employer wrong (cite two
business cases) and when, if ever, is it right (cite two business cases)?
 When is taking advantage of the customer’s ignorance or lack of
understanding wrong (cite two business cases) and when, if ever, is it
right (cite two business cases)?-buyer be ware!
 When is taking advantage of an employee’s desperation or lack of
economic power (no unions and few legal rights) wrong (cite two
business cases) and when, if ever, is it right (cite two business cases)-?
 When is taking advantage of tax loop holes to avoid paying taxes
(using off shore banking) wrong (cite two business cases) and when, if
ever, is it right (cite two business cases)?
 What is the ethical obligation of a country like Mexico or Columbia to
stop drugs from being imported into the United States?
 Should Cayman allow legal gambling to enhance revenues and grow
tourism-ethical issues versus economic issues?
 What is the ethical obligation of a company like GM or Bank of
America to stop American jobs from being outsourced from the
United States to China and other low wage countries?
 What are the ethical issues addressed by the FOI laws in Cayman,
USA and the UK?
 What are the ethical issues of : progressive income taxation; property
taxes; import duties; sales taxes or consumption taxes and so called
sin taxes(liquor, drugs, gambling taxes)
 What is the ethical justification for laws that protect “whistle
blowers”?
 What are the ethical issues surrounding groups like Wiki leaks and
Anonymous? How should they be resolved?
 Does an employer have the ethical right to use an employee’s behavior
during non-work hours (drug use, financial debts, religion) against
him/her? Cite four actual cases in USA
 When, if ever, can an employer discriminate against people
(employees or customers) because of their race, nationality, religion,
sexual orientation, gender or age)?
Presentation One: select a book from the following list of books: