Langara College

Department of Philosophy

Philosophy 3200 - 001 – Critical Thinking & Business Ethics

Time and LocationTuesdays 1830 - 2125 (6:30-9:25 pm, including 1 x 15 minute break) Classes held in B 018

InstructorDr. Johnna FisherOffice Location: A118mPhone: 604-323-5830Email: johnna@lynx.netOffice Hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 10:30 - 11:25 pm, Tuesdays 9:30 to 10:00 pm, or by appointment

TextsWilliam H. Shaw. Business Ethics, 6 edition, Thomson/Wadsworth.th

Bakan, Joel. 2004. The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power, Penguin.

Grading and AssignmentsTen quizzes on Moral Theories & Critical Thinking 30%One in-class case study presentation 20% – presented in groups of 2One case report 20% – written in groups of 4One final exam 30% Evaluation of student understanding of the course material will rely to varying degrees on materialtaken from the text and terms and concepts discussed in the lectures only and which do not appear inthe text or on any overheads.

AttendanceRegular attendance of classes, while not checked, is expected. It is the student’s responsibility to bein class weekly for regular quizzes–only medical documentation or other compelling verifiable reasonswill entitle the student to write a quiz at a later date. Further, I will be including on the final examconcepts and terms discussed in the lectures only as well as material from the readings, so if you donot come to class regularly you will be missing testable material.

Course DescriptionThis course will introduce you to the moral issues associated with business practices, as well asprovide you with the methodology for critically assessing these issues.

Many of us are familiar with the old quip: “ ‘Business Ethics’ is an oxymoron.” This is exemplified bythe following statement of a ‘business predator’: “I can go and pick the pocket of some executive at atrade show...so badly that I know his company’s going to be out of business in six months, and I cango home and sleep like a baby, and it’s no big deal, you know, because it’s business.” (Bakan) Notedeconomist Milton Friedman has gone on record on several occasions stating that the only social

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responsibility corporate executives have is to make as much money as possible for their shareholders,and that any executive that devotes corporate funds to addressing social concerns is stealing from hisor her shareholders, a commonly-held view that generates this response from the corporate experts: “If you find an executive who wants to take on social responsibilities, fire him. Fast.” Business andprofessional ethics in most cases presupposes that, so long as individuals are complying with therecognized code of conduct for their profession, then they are acting in a morally appropriate fashion,even if following those standards creates significant harm to those outside of business. Opposed tothis is the view that morality cannot be compartmentalized this way, that business persons must be heldresponsible for the choices they make that cause harm to anyone, whether in business or not. Businessexecutives say that moral compartmentalization is necessary for the success of their business andsociety as a whole, whereas social activists say that disallowing such compartmentalization isnecessary for the welfare of all of society’s members.

In this course we will ultimately consider the issue of compartmentalization of morality and theseparation of business (and many professions) from any broader social responsibilities. We willdetermine whether and to what extent such compartmentalization is morally permissible, and what thelimits of moral responsibility in business are, if any. The long essay on The Corporation will addressthis issue directly.

We will begin with an introduction of the philosophical method and critical thinking/argumentationtechniques. Next various philosophical theories for guiding behaviour will be introduced, providingthe framework within which we will discuss and evaluate the various issues raised in class and in thetext. Particular issues to be discussed are: the various view on the role of morality in businessrelations; corporations as moral agents; employee loyalty and whistle-blowing; the scope ofresponsibility for business practices that negatively impact on the environment; multi-nationalcompanies’ responsibilities to third-world employees; advertising and social repercussions; anddeception in business. We will finish the course with a consideration of the text and the video TheCorporation.

Submission of AssignmentsAll assignments must be handed in as a paper copy–no electronic copies will be accepted.

Late Assignments I have a strict policy regarding late assignments. I will accept compelling, relevant reasons forhanding an assignment in late only if I am made aware of the problem prior to the due date ormedical or other appropriate documentation is provided after the due date. In the absence ofcompelling, relevant and documented reasons, a late penalty of 5% per day including weekendswill be subtracted from the grade. No late papers will be accepted after the gradedassignments are returned to the class, unless personally approved by the instructor.

PlagiarismI make every attempt to strictly uphold the anti-plagiarism policies of Langara College, which youshould familiarize yourself with thoroughly. See: http://www.langara.bc.ca/policies/F1004.pdf

You may have the assistance of a tutor only with regard to helping correct grammar, spelling, andgeneral presentation of the papers. As a requirement of this course it is expected that the tests,exams, and essay papers submitted are entirely your own work, with the exception of appropriatelyreferenced quoting and paraphrasing of all additional sources. Any written work using material fromother sources, whether those sources are published or not or appear on web sites, and which do nothave appropriate references will receive a mark of zero. Cheating in tests and exams will not betolerated: students caught cheating will receive a mark of zero and will be reported to administration.

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Phil 3200 001 – Business Ethics: Reading List**subject to revision as time permits

Please read selections prior to the class in which they will be discussed

Date

Tues. Sept 2

Tues. Sept 9

Tues. Sept 16

Tues. Sept 23

Tues. Sept 30

Tues. Oct. 7

Tues. Oct. 14

Tues. Oct. 21

Tues. Oct. 28

Tues. Nov. 4

Tues. Nov. 11

Tues. Nov. 18

Tues. Nov. 25

Tues. Dec. 2

Topic

Introduction to course, philosophy, &philosophical method;Critical Thinking/Reasoning & argumentation

Critical Thinking/Reasoning & argumentation

Aims of morality; sources for morality; egoism, moral community

Moral Theories

Distributive Justice/Capitalism

Corporations

Business & the EnvironmentCase Study on Environment out

Consumers, Advertising, Deception

Loyalty, Obligations to Employer

Workplace IssuesCase Study on Environment due

Remembrance Day Holiday – No Class

Workplace Issues Cont’d

The Corporation: Business CompartmentalizesMorality

The Corporation - videoComparison of video and book

Readings

notes

notes

notes, Ch. 1: pp. 1-41

Ch. 2: pp. 42-83

Ch. 3: pp. 84-118Ch. 4: pp. 120-157

Ch. 5: pp. 158-198

Ch. 11: pp. 398-433

Ch. 10: pp. 349-397

Ch. 8: pp. 276-313

Ch. 6: pp. 199-237

Ch. 7: pp. 238-275Ch. 9: pp. 314-348

The Corporation

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