Syllabus for ETH-590

ETHICS FOR MANAGERS

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The major objective of this course is to examine the intersections of business, the professions, and ethics. Students will be encouraged to develop practical methods and models for thinking about and resolving ethical issues and conflicts as these arise within the conduct of business and professional life.

This course will present a range of ethical views and theories and apply them to specific moral situations encountered in the workplace. Students will be expected to acquire the requisite skills, knowledge, and independence of judgment to help them respond effectively to the moral dimensions of the working environment.

The issues confronted in this course include:

1. the relation of ethical theory to workplace situations
2. the special relationship of ethics to business and the professions
3. the moral uses/abuses of technology
4. truth in advertising, selling, and buying
5. ethical issues in finance and accounting
6. moral issues in hiring, promoting, firing
7. the morality of corporate takeovers and downsizing
8. racial, ethnic, and gender issues in the workplace
9. conformation to diverse moral environments at the international level

Ethics for Managers is an interactive online course that requires students to introduce topics relevant to their own work experience as well as to respond to one another’s analyses presented in response to discussion questions.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbooks

1. Denis G. Arnold, Tom L. Beauchamp, and Norman E. Bowie. Ethical Theory and Business, 9th ed. (Boston: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2013).

ISBN-13: 978-0-205-16908-5

2. James O'Toole, The Executive's Compass : Business and the Good Society, rev.ed. (Oxford University Press, 1995).

ISBN-13: 978-0-19-509644-6

Optional Textbook

3. Jonathan Ree and J.O. Urmson, The Concise Encyclopedia of Western Philosophy and

Philosophers, 3rd edition (Routledge,2004).

ISBN-13: 978-0415329231

Supplemental Reading

1. Dictionary of Philosophy
2. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

1. Complete Guide to Ethics Management

COURSE STRUCTURE

Ethics for Managers is a three-credit online course, consisting of seven (7) modules. Modules include study materials and activities. Module titles are listed below.

1. Module 1: Introduction

2. Module 2: The "Left" and the "Right"

3. Module 3: Do We Need a Prime Directive?

4. Module 4: Deontological and Consequentialist Ethics

5. Module 5: Gender Studies and Tools for Analysis

6. Module 6: Ethics and the Headlines

7. Module 7: Ethics and Technology; International Issues

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, and complete a final project. See below for more details.

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Discussion Forums

This course requires you to participate in nine (9) graded discussion forums. Discussion Board assignments allow interaction with the class. Since discussions are interactive, these activities enable intellectual exchange with one’s peers.

You should feel free to approach the question or topic from any ethical perspective. After your initial contribution you should read the comments made by others and engage in the ensuing discussion by commenting on the contributions of others, taking issue with a particular response, or adding a new dimension to the discussion.

There is also one ungraded but required forum: an introduction forum in module 1.

Written Assignments

You are required to complete two (2) written assignments.

Assignment essays should be written clearly and concisely in a professional prose style. Remember that clear writing originates in clear thinking. Be sure to observe the basic rules of grammar and punctuation. If you have problems with your writing, get help. Two useful references are Blumenthal, English 3200; and Bell and Cohn, Handbook of Grammar, Style, and Usage.

Essay Form

A well-structured essay includes a clearly stated thesis, supporting points, and a conclusion. In other words, essays have a minimum of three components: introduction, body, and conclusion. Carefully review each of your essays before handing it in to ensure that you have included each of the components.

Citing Sources

All materials or ideas from sources other than yourself must be acknowledged: this means that you must cite sources in your transmitted documents. Use a standard format for references. If you have questions about what constitutes standard format for citations, refer to Lester, Writing Research Papers, or to Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. When using someone else's ideas, either (1) quote exactly as written and cite the source fully and properly, or (2) paraphrase and cite  the source fully and properly. Failure to acknowledge sources constitutes plagiarism.

Final Project : Case Study

In this course you will choose a case study to analyze for your final project. Analyzing and creating a policy regarding this case is an important element of the course.

First you must choose a case study that you would like to explore further throughout the course. Your choice must be approved by your mentor. The case study could be (preferably) chosen from your own place of employment or from a place with which you have firsthand experience. It may also be taken from the news or even from your textbook. Whatever your decision, your choice must be approved by your mentor (see module 3, Case Study 1 activity). For a general understanding of what a case study is, search Business Ethics Case Studies on the net, or examine your text, where numerous case studies are presented. The case study you choose should illustrate a particular ethical dilemma that interests you.

Note about research: The use of Wikipedia or other online encyclopedias for graduate-level papers is inappropriate. Aside from the uneven quality of the information that may be found in these sources, the real issue is that the information presented in these sources is "already digested." Use of such sources is an unacceptable shortcut for the graduate student. Students gathering information from these sites are essentially obtaining analyses done by someone else, not doing the work themselves. Rather than exploring the literature on a subject, such students are merely using the words of others who have already taken this vital step in academic research. It is imperative that graduate students be able to search the more academically-oriented literature, sift through useful (and not so useful) information, analyze, synthesize, and report the results of their assignments. All of these steps are bypassed if information is cited from an online site such as Wikipedia. To sum up: Using information summarized or annotated by someone else is an unacceptable shortcut for a graduate student.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

1. Online discussions (9)—36 percent
2. Written assignments (2)—24 percent
3. Case study assignment (1)—10 percent
4. Final project—30 percent

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.
3. Arrange to take your examination(s) by following the instructions in this Syllabus and the Online Student Handbook.

4. Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.
5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The Calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.

2. Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:

1. Cheating
2. Plagiarizing (including copying and pasting from the Internet without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources)
3. Fabricating information or citations
4. Facilitating acts of dishonesty by others
5. Unauthorized access to examinations or the use of unauthorized materials during exam administration
6. Submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the mentor
7. Tampering with the academic work of other students

Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized assignment, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.

A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.

If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.

Plagiarism

Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism.  (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.