GSB 751 Business and Professional Ethics
Thinking and talking about ethics is a normal part of everyday life—we all make judgements about our own actions, the activities of businesses, governments and other people. GSB 751 focuses on the ethical dimension of business activities. The process involved in making ethical judgements is made explicit and the justifications that might be claimed to underpin these judgements are considered. It is not the aim of the unit to provide conclusive answers to a set of specific ethical questions; however, it is argued that moral reasoning is a rational activity. That ethical concepts are contested and there are no simple answers is stressed.
This is not a unit in which reading and understanding the unit materials is sufficient to do well; it is also necessary to spend a significant amount of time thinking and talking about the issues. Students are encouraged to engage critically with the materials and to develop and defend their own informed view of business ethics. The unit requires students to question beliefs that for many people are both deeply held and uncritically accepted. For some this can be a challenging and sometimes uncomfortable experience; however, feedback suggests that students enjoy the unit and find it has very practical applications in their workplaces. Moreover, students who engage with the materials typically do very well in this unit (of course I wouldn’t expect that this would influence your decision whether or not to enrol!). Ideally students work consistently throughout the trimester; however, it is also possible to approach the unit in ‘bursts’ keeping in mind the due dates for assignments. As already noted, the nature of the unit requires time for thinking, reflecting and talking about the issues so you can be ‘doing’ business ethics (almost) anywhere and at any time.