International Business Ethics

ECTS : 6

Description du contenu de l'enseignement :

Overview
This course was created to grant international students’ insight into the responsibilities incumbent to high level decision making. With theoretical learning and practical applications, it is designed to prepare business students to the ethical dimensions of careers in middle or upper management.
Students are called upon to set their own learning objectives, as well as skill development goals. They will be expected to harness abstract concepts and apply them to practical business contexts. Teaching is through thematic lectures, focused class discussions and simulated case study debate.

Course Structure

1. Presentation of course objectives and outline of learning requirements. Introduction to value empowerment in business decision making and its relevance to management style and the development of leadership skills.
2. Overview of embedded issues in international business ethics and their pertinence to business orientations and management prerogatives. Ethics in relation to law, to broader social imperatives and forms of regulation.
3. Ethics quiz and discussions of ethical analysis and behavioral modeling. Theoretical overview of values, attitudes and behavioral characterization. Utility and limitations of social psychology in ethical behavioral analysis.
4. Review of the larger schools of thought in ethical theory and discussion of the pros and cons of each type of logical structuring of ethical philosophy.
5. The historical evolution of business ethics within corporate organizations.
6. 1st case study focused on ethical perceptions as characterized by prior value orientations. Discussion of situational assessments and consequent implications for ethical decision-making. Value defined image analysis.
7. History of Ethics, Archaic Greek competition theory and emergence of autonomous moral philosophy. Correlation of Sophist relativism with modern competitive theory and early sources of cooperative behavior.
8. Class analysis of a 2nd case with ethical reengineering within a company pursuant to class action lawsuits and loss of reputation. Discussion of the issues of ethics versus compliance in the legal context of business ethics.
9. History of Ethics, investigation into the fundamental insight contributed by Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. How to determine the source of values, understand what role for virtues, and define human social organizations.
10. Theoretical interpretation of Hellenic period ethics in a modern context. 3rd case study examining complex international business ethics criteria.
11. Comparison of Buddhist ethics, Islamic Business Ethics, worldview definition from philosophy to ethical choice of roles and action modes. Student presentations of independent research on chosen ethical topics.
12. Kantian principles of Universalizability, Duty and Respect as correlated to modern Corporate Social Responsibility and awareness of Stakeholders. Student presentations of research on chosen ethical topics.
13. Final Exam

Compétence à acquérir :

Course Objectives
This course was especially designed as an accelerated learning platform for students destining themselves for a career in upper management or higher responsibilities in other fields, seeking to gain a personal understanding of the concepts and logics underpinning ethical business practices. Students will gain theoretical insight into ethical philosophies and correlate these with relevant managerial imperatives in business decisions. They will also develop a professional skill-set with ethical value orientations and a prioritization of decision parameters. This will help them better define their own ethical management style, expressing vision and a unique leadership philosophy.

Learning Outcomes
Students will have the opportunity to deepen their intellectual understanding of ethics, and its growing role in business organizations. They will acquire the ability to assess ethical values at work within management decisions and analyze their empowerment in business methodologies. The more advanced achievers will structure key values into the business process, and creatively combine vital organizational goals with clear ethical orientations. Most students will gain a broad understanding of the stakes of ethics in international business, and be better able to contribute responsibly to achieving future employers’ objectives in a distinctly ethical managerial capacity.

Mode de contrôle des connaissances :

Mode of Assessment
Required case study preparation, class discussion participation and independent research.
Graded 50% for collaborative group presentations and 50% for the individual final exam.
 
The numerical grade distribution will dictate the final grade. The passing grade for a course is 10/20.
 
Class participation: Active class participation – this is what makes classes lively and instructive. Come on time and prepared. Class participation is based on quality of comments, not quantity.
Exam policy: In the exam, students will not be allowed to bring any document (except if allowed by the lecturer). Unexcused absences from exams or failure to submit cases will result in zero grades in the calculation of numerical averages. Exams are collected at the end of examination periods.

Academic integrity
Be aware of the rules in Université Paris Dauphine about plagiarism and cheating during exams. All work turned in for this course must be your own work, or that of your own group. Working as part of a group implies that you are an active participant and fully contributed to the output produced by that group.

 

Bibliographie, lectures recommandées :

Bibliography
Handbook of the Philosophical Foundations of Business Ethics. Christoph Lütge (ed.) - 2013 - Heidelberg: Springer.
A Defence of Philosophical Business Ethics. Roger Crisp  - 2003 - In William H. Shaw (ed.), Ethics at Work: Basic Readings in Business Ethics, Oxford University Press. Pp. 9–25
Beyond Empiricism: Realizing the Ethical Mission of Management. Julian Friedland - 2012 -Business and Society Review 117 (3):329-356
Institutionalization of Organizational Ethics Through Transformational Leadership. Dawn S. Carlson & Pamela L. Perrewe - 1995 - Journal of Business Ethics 14 (10):829-838.
The Sound of Silence – A Space for Morality? The Role of Solitude for Ethical Decision Making. Kleio Akrivou, Dimitrios Bourantas, Shenjiang Mo & Evi Papalois - 2011 - Journal of Business Ethics 102 (1):119-133.
Responsible Leadership in Global Business: A New Approach to Leadership and its Multi-Level Outcomes. [REVIEW] Christian Voegtlin, Moritz Patzer & Andreas Georg Scherer - 2012 - Journal of Business Ethics 105 (1):1-16.
Real Corporate Responsibility.
Eric Palmer - 2004 - In John Hooker & Peter Madsen (eds.), International Corporate Responsibility Series. Carnegie Mellon University Press. pp. 69-84
Value Maximization, Stakeholder Theory, and the Corporate Objective Function. Michael C. Jensen - 2002 - Business Ethics Quarterly 12 (2):235-256
Innovation and Ethics, Ethical Considerations in the Innovation Business. Yves Fassin - 2000 - Journal of Business Ethics 27 (1-2):193-203
A Right to Work and Fair Conditions of Employment. Kory Schaff - 2017 - In Fair Work: Ethics, Social Policy, Globalization. London: Rowman and Littlefield, Intl. pp. 41-55
Comparing Ethical Ideologies Across Cultures. Catherine N. Axinn, M. Elizabeth Blair, Alla Heorhiadi & Sharon V. Thach - 2004 - Journal of Business Ethics 54 (2):103-119

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Lecturer's Biography
Richard OREN - American & French nationalities Teacher at Paris-Dauphine PSL, University of Paris VIII, ENSTA Paris-Tech

Academic background in Business Administration, Political Economics, Applied Economics, Management Controls & Finance, Business Systems and Organizational AI Architecture. Extensive Teaching Experience in various fields.

?Professional Background in Field Management, Project Engineering, Management Methods, Corporate Restructuring, Business Systems, Software Design, Executive Information Systems, Group Information Systems, Bilingual Journalism, Social Service Advocacy and Labor Relations.