Business Ethics: Contemporary issues in management
OWT.229
Value: Half Unit (Michaelmas Term)
ECTS: 8 credits
Name of administering department or equivalent: Organisation, Work and Technology
Module convenor: Dr Kostas Amiridis
Pre-requisites: OWT.100 and OWT.101 or MNGT.110/120
Learning hours: 150
Credit rating: 15
University weighting: Half Unit
CURRICULUM DESIGN
Level: Undergraduate Years 2 or 3
Educational Aims: This module is dedicated to the exploration of the theme of business ethics. In the wake of high-profile scandals such as Enron and the global financial crisis there is a widespread conviction that the ethics of Western management are in crisis. In this module we will look at the different ways in which management speaks about ethics and how the dilemmas and questions that arise from it are treated. We will also explore the theoretical frameworks that are relevant to business ethics and we will try to understand how questions that relate to good or bad business behaviours are constructed. Our interest will be on what constitutes ethical conduct and who might be the appropriate agent of this conduct: the individual or the organisation.
Outline syllabus:
Week 1 Introduction
Week 2/3 The Development of Management Influence
Week 4/5 Workplaces and Work Cultures
Week 6 Management Education and Management as a Cultural Form
Week 7 Management and Visions of the Future
Weeks 8/9/10 Management and Ethics
Select bibliography:
Taylor, C., 1989. Sources of the Self: The Making of the Modern Identity. Cambridge University Press
Jones, C., Parker, M., and ten Bos, R., 2005. For business ethics: A Critical Approach (in italics). Routledge
Bakan. J., 2004. The Corporation. Constable and Robinson
LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT
Length: 10 weeks
Term(s) in which the module will be taught: Michaelmas term
How will this module be taught?: Lectures, Seminars, Videos
What are the contact hours, type and frequency?
Lectures: 20 hours - 1 x 2 hour lecture per week
Seminar/Tutorial: 3 x 2 hour for presentations
Workshop: none
Practical: none
Other: none
How will this module be assessed?
100% Coursework
50% Essay, 40% Book Review and 10% Group Presentation/Portfolio
What is the timing of formal assessment?
Coursework – Michaelmas Term
MODULE ADMINISTRATION
Single, Combined and/or Consortial Scheme(s) to which module contributes:
(a) as a core/compulsory module: None
(b) as an optional module: Management & Organisation; Management & Organisation (HRM); Management & Organisation (Industry); Management & Organisation (HRM) (Industry);Organisation Studies & Sociology; Organisation Studies & Psychology degree schemes.
