Chapman University

BUS 216 -- Business Ethics

Spring 2017

Beckman Hall 105

Sec. 1 – Monday 11-11:50am

Sec. 2 – Monday 12-12:50pm
Sec. 3 – Wednesday 11-11:50am
Sec. 4 – Wednesday 12-12:50pm

1. Contact Info and Office Hours

Instructor: Dr. Keith Hankins

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (714) 516 – 7105
Office: Wilkinson Hall 228

Office Hours:
By appointment. However, note that if you want to just drop by I'll almost always be in my office before
class, as well as in the afternoons after class. I'm also available to meet other days of the week, but
because of travel commitments and other responsibilities my availability varies on those days. To
guarantee I'll be in my office able to meet just send me an email to set up a time.

2. Overview

This course explores topics in ethics and organizational decision making with an emphasis on issues that
affect businesses and arise in markets. The class will be largely discussion based and discussions will
focus on four things: 1) case studies identified by students, 2) ideas for how you could improve the
Chapman community (also identified by students), 3) features of our psychology and of organizations
that affect our ability to make good decisions, and 4) normative criteria that can help us evaluate
decisions, policies, or courses of action that might be considered by businesses or legislative/regulatory
bodies.

Catalog Description

Ethics and its scope in the context of business. The course briefly covers the presuppositions of ethics
and how ethics and economics are compatible, the structure of ethics, its various branches, and some of
the main ethical theories.

Prerequisite: satisfaction of the written inquiry requirement in the general education program.

Offered every semester. (1 credit)

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students successfully completing the course will be able to:

1. Explain the dominant models in the ethical framework analyzing individual and corporate
choices.

2. Explain the various ethical choices unique to business organizations.

3. Explain how business organizations can create structures and systems to avoid illegal and
unethical actions.

4. Explain the key differences between the shareholder and stakeholder views of corporate social
responsibility.

3. Course Logistics and Materials

Course Schedule and Topics

Assignments for the course will be regularly posted on Blackboard. There are no required texts
so all of your readings will also be posted on Blackboard (either as pdfs or as links to articles,
videos, or podcasts that can be found online).

Roughly speaking the course will be broken into three parts. The first part will focus on
developing your ability to make and analyze arguments and will briefly introduce you to
various ethical frameworks so that you have the tools needed to engage in ethical problem-
solving. The second part will focus on filling out your toolkit and giving you practice
identifying ethical issues and analyzing arguments for and against various approaches to
addressing these issues. Finally, the third part of the course will focus on developing your
ability to deploy these skills by asking you to prepare a memo that identifies an ethical issue
that affects an existing organization and explores ways of addressing the issue.

Computers
You are permitted to use computers or tablets in class to take notes or read digital texts.
However, I ask you to respect your classmates and refrain from surfing the internet, watching
videos, or doing other things that might prove distracting to those sitting around you. There is a
great deal of research that clearly shows how disruptive this sort of thing can be to your fellow
classmates. If at any point the use of computers becomes disruptive to the class or impedes our
ability to have good discussions I reserve the right to restrict their use in class.
Experiments
Over the course of the semester we may do one or more in-class experiments. The point of these
experiments is to illustrate the ideas that we will be discussing in class. Experiments may have
"winners" and "losers." Your participation in these experiments and your ability to discuss their
implications will count towards your grade, however your relative performance in these
experiments will not negatively affect your grade.
Some of the experiments we do may be run utilizing online software. This means that your
participation in the experiments will require you to bring a laptop or tablet to class on the days
in which we are running experiments. However, if you do not have a laptop or tablet, this will not
impact your grade. Students who do not have a laptop they can bring to class, or who have
forgotten to do so, will be allowed to work together with students who do have laptops, in
which case any opportunities for extra credit will be shared equally by both students.
Alternatively, the University has laptops available for student use that can be checked out from
the lobby of Argyros Forum.

Recommended Texts
There are no required texts for the course. However, students interested in supplementary
materials are encouraged to ask me for recommendations.

One text I highly recommend for students interested in a survey of the ethical theories we will
discuss (and some that we won't), as well as almost 70 articles discussing how these theories can
be applied to a host of moral problems is:

Disputed Moral Issues: A Reader, Mark Timmons (ed.), Oxford University Press

And, for those interested in a book that discusses the psychology of decision making:

Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What's Right and What to Do About It, Max Bazerman and Ann
Tenbrunsel, Princeton University Press

4. Assessment

The assessment structure for this course is designed to mimic what it is like to work in an
organization. If you do what is minimally required of you, you will pass the course. If you
clearly put effort into things it shouldn't be too hard to get something in the B to A- range.
However, to get an A you should expect to do something that makes you or your work stand
out (i.e. consistently have very thoughtful things to say in class discussions, make insightful or
helpful contributions in our online discussion forum, or do written work that is novel,
especially insightful, or very well researched). In other words, think of getting an A as doing
what it would take to earn a promotion.

There are three components to your grade weighted as follows:

Class Participation 25%

Online Participation 25%

Memo * 50%
Final grades will be assigned on a numerical scale from 0 – 100, with grades rounded up to the
nearest tenth and corresponding to letter grades in the usual way. Individual components of
your grade will typically be assigned on a 10 point scale and will be posted in the Grade Center
on Blackboard. The following is a brief explanation of the components of your grade including a
very rough guide to how I will grade each component:

Participation

You will be graded in part on the basis of your participation in class discussions and
experiments (if we have them), as well as on the basis of your participation in the online
discussion forum. Participation is a public good which means that, other things equal, the class
will be better when our discussions include more voices and more thoughtful contributions
from the participants. You will hopefully learn as much from each other as from me. However,
because participation is a public good, most of you will be inclined to participate too little and
to free-ride off of your fellow classmates. This is why participation is included as part of your
grade. You will be expected to regularly attend and participate in class discussions. That said,
attendance will not be taken and your grade will reflect the quality of your contributions, not
the quantity. To elicit discussion I will call on students regularly. You are encouraged to
voluntarily contribute, but note that I will occasionally cold call students as necessary so be
prepared for this.

Grades for class participation will be assigned roughly as follows:

The default participation grade is a B. If you attend regularly, and participate on occasion
this is the grade you should expect. If, at the end of the semester, I don't know who you are,
or if you showed up regularly but displayed a clear lack of preparation/interest in
participating in the times you were called on you will get a worse grade. On the other hand,
if I could count on you to participate in discussions and/or your contributions were routinely
thoughtful you will get a better grade.

In addition to class participation you will also be expected to participate in an online discussion
forum. The forum will primarily be a place for you to reflect on ideas discussed in class, as well
as a place for you to float ideas that will provide fodder for future class discussions and,
hopefully, help you identify topics for your memo. Grades for this component will reflect how
regularly you contribute to these discussions, as well as how thoughtful those contributions are.
If you post in all of the threads you can expect at least a B for this component. If you fail to do
so, you will do worse. And, to ensure an A for this component, your contributions should
clearly indicate that you put some thought and effort into your posts.

Memo

The second half of your grade will be based on a memo that you will prepare over the course of
the semester. The purpose of the memo is to identify an ethical issue and to analyze ways of
addressing the issue. You will have the option of adopting one of two models for your memo:
 (Option 1) Case Study – The goal of this type of memo is to identify an ethical issue that
either affects an existing organization(s) or that an organization(s) is (partly) responsible
for, and to identify and analyze ways of addressing the issue (this can include things that
the organization could do and/or things that legislative/regulatory bodies could do). In
the memo you will need to (1) identify the primary ethical issue at stake, (2) identify all of
the parties relevant to the case as well as any additional ethical issues that the primary
issue might implicate, (3) identify one (or more) courses of action that might be
undertaken in order to address the issue, along with a reasoned argument for why these
actions should or shouldn't be undertaken, and (4) identify further information that you
would need to know in order to have more confidence in your proposed position.

(Option 2) Proposal for Improving the Chapman Community – The goal of this type of
memo is to identify a way in which you might contribute to improving the Chapman
community (broadly construed). Your memo should clearly identify an issue affecting
the Chapman community and/or a way in which the community could be made better.
Your memo will then need to (1) explain why this is an issue worth addressing, and (2)
identify a way of addressing the issue that explains in some detail how the proposed
course of action would address the issue, what would be required to implement the
solution, and why it would be likely to work.

You have the option of writing the memo individually or as a member of a group (with up to 4
members). If you work as a group you only need to turn in a single memo, and the default
assumption is that everyone will get the same grade, although you will also be required to
individually send me a short report outlining how you contributed to the group (and if you feel
it is necessary how others did). If necessary, I may take these reports into consideration when
assigning grades to group members.

There is no length requirement for the memo. I want you to think of the assignment as if you are
working for an organization and pitching an idea to your boss (or if you take the 2nd option
pitching it to someone in the administration or student government). Your memo should be
clear and concise. You don't want to waste anybody's time, so, other things equal, shorter is
better. But you also need to make sure that what you write is detailed enough to have been
worth reading. In other words, you need to say enough to make a compelling case (i.e., make
arguments for your conclusions, back those arguments up with facts, and make sure you
consider counter-arguments). A good length to target is 1000 – 1500 words (approximately 3
single spaced pages), although that's a very rough guideline.

You are encouraged to meet with me to talk about your memos over the course of the semester.
The earlier you do so the more feedback I will be able to give you, and the better your final
product will likely be. Note, too, that learning to write well is one of the most important skills
you can develop in college. Accordingly you will be graded in part on the quality of your
writing. Below is a rough guide to how the memo will be graded:
 10 points – Your memo was clear, concise, and well-written. You thoroughly addressed
all of the objectives outlined in the guidelines above, and you chose an interesting topic and
made a novel and/or well researched argument that clearly displayed significant effort and
thoughtfulness.

9 points – Your memo thoroughly addressed all of the objectives outlined above.
However, your memo either failed to be clear and concise, or it was well-written, but
failed to make an original argument that displayed substantial research effort on your
part.

8 points – Your memo did an ok job of addressing the guidelines, but was not especially
well-written. Or, your memo was well-written, however you failed to address the
guidelines thoroughly. For example, you failed to adequately support your arguments
and/or you ignored fairly obvious counter-arguments.

7 points or less – Your memo was poorly written and/or you fell significantly short of
meeting the guidelines described above.

*Memo Follow-up

If you are not satisfied with your memo grade you have the option of requesting an optional
follow-up assignment. The follow-up assignment will be a question that asks you to either
develop a point made in your memo in more detail, or that asks you to respond to a counter-
argument or fact that your memo did not account for. As with the memo, there is no length
requirement for the follow-up responses, although they need not be as long as the initial memo.
They will be graded according to a similar rubric, and your grade for the follow-up response
will be averaged with your initial memo grade. Note, however, that there is no guarantee that
this will improve your grade. If, for example, you got a B+ on your initial memo and petition for
a follow-up assignment, it is possible that a poor response to the follow-up question will result
in a lower final grade.

Due Dates

Memos are due by Saturday May 12th. However, if you wish to take advantage of the follow-
up opportunity you need to turn in your memo by no later than Friday April 27th, and you will
need to request the follow-up assignment by Saturday May 12th. This is to allow me time to
grade your memo and come up with a follow-up question for you. Follow-up responses will
then be due by the last day of finals week (Friday May 18th).

5. University Policies

Please familiarize yourself with the following Chapman University policies.

Attendance, Holidays, and Absences

Attendance is expected in this course, however, you will not be graded on the basis of your
attendance and missing a few classes will not significantly impact your grade provided that you
consistently contribute to class discussion when you do attend.

In accordance with University policy the course will observe all holidays recognized in the
official University Academic Calendar. We will not meet on University holidays, nor will work
be assigned to be done on those days. Additionally, holidays or special events observed by
organized religions will be honored for those students who affiliate with a particular religion,
and absences either pre-approved by the Dean of Students (or Dean’s designee) or associated
with a serious medical condition will also be honored.

Students with Disabilities

In compliance with ADA guidelines, students who have any condition, either permanent or
temporary, that might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to contact the
Office of Disability Services. If you will need to utilize your approved accommodations in this
class, please follow the proper notification procedure for informing your professor(s). This
notification process must occur more than a week before any accommodation can be utilized.
Please contact Disability Services at (714) 516-4520 or (www.chapman.edu/students/student-health-
services/disability-services) if you have questions regarding this procedure, or for information and
to make an appointment to discuss and/or request potential accommodations based on
documentation of your disability. Once formal approval of your need for an accommodation
has been granted, you are encouraged to talk with your professor(s) about your accommodation
options. The granting of any accommodation will not be retroactive and cannot jeopardize the
academic standards or integrity of the course.

Chapman University Academic Integrity Policy

Chapman University is a community of scholars, which emphasizes the mutual responsibility of

all members to seek knowledge honestly and in good faith. Students are responsible for doing
their own work, and academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated anywhere in the
university. If you ever have any questions about what this policy requires of you please contact
me before you turn in the relevant work.

Equity and Diversity

Chapman University is committed to ensuring equality and valuing diversity. Students and
professors are reminded to show respect at all times as outlined in Chapman's Harassment and
Discrimination Policy: https://www.chapman.edu/faculty-staff/human-
resources/_files/harassment-and-discrimination-policy.pdf. Any violations of this policy should
be discussed with the professor, the Dean of Students and/or otherwise reported in accordance
with this policy.