California State University, Bakersfield

School of Business and Public Administration

Department of Management and Marketing

BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY

BA 3108 Instructor: Christopher Bailey
Term: Spring 2019 Contact #: 559-909-2472
Email: cbailey11@csub.edu

BA 3108-03 (32739) CLASSROOM: DDH 103E MEETING TIMES: M/W 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm
BA 3108-06 (32742) CLASSROOM: BDC 155B MEETING TIMES: T/TH 8:30 pm – 9:45 pm

Office: BDC 105A Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm and by Appointment

Text: Caroll and Buchholtz, Business and Society :Ethics, Sustainability and Stakeholder Management,
9th Ed., Southwestern, 2015. ISBN 978-1-285-73429-3.

Prerequisite
Junior status or higher and either (1) complete JYDR or (2) corequisite any JYDR course.

Course Attribute
Theme S: Sustainability & Justice
Upper Division D

Catalog Description
This course focuses on the interrelationships between society, business, and government. We will
examine situations where the market system fails to solve problems that society deems important.
Topics include ecological impact of technology, and the relationship of technology to employment and
quality of work life, consumerism, ethics, and corporate social responsibility. Special emphasis will be
given to sustainability and social responsibility within GE Theme S. Critical thinking and oral
communication will be reinforced. We will examine issues using perspectives from social sciences
including social psychology/sociology, economics, and political science.

GENERAL COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs)

1. To become a more informed citizen.
2. To be aware of the responsibilities of business to the broader society.
3. To develop an awareness of ethical issues.
4. To adopt a personal philosophy of ethical decision-making.
5. To understand the interplay between business and governmental entities.
6. To gain an increased understanding of environmental issues associated with business, with
special focus on sustainability.
7. To view corporations from the stakeholders’ perspectives, including employees, customers,
owners, and members of society/communities.
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 8. To reinforce speaking, critical thinking and logical reasoning skills.
9. To understand how the social sciences can inform the examination of issues involving business,
government and society.
10. Demonstrate an understanding of multiple factors that influence sustainability and social
responsibility and analyze their connectedness.

GENERAL EDUCATION LEARNING OBJECTIVES (TSs)

Theme S: Sustainability and Social Responsibility
Outcome TS-1A: Students will demonstrate an understanding of at least two factors that influence
sustainability and social responsibility; factors may be economic, social, ethical, cultural,
political, and/or scientific, among others.
Outcome TS-1B: Students will analyze the connectedness between at least two factors that
influence sustainability and social responsibility.
Oral Communication Reinforcement
Outcome OR-1A: Students will create organized oral presentations using appropriate information
for the subject and the audience.
Outcome OR-1B: Students will present information in a professional manner using well-developed
oral presentation skills.
Critical Thinking Reinforcement (CTR)
Outcome CTR-1: Students will demonstrate critical reasoning and problem solving by building on
the following skills: argument analysis, argument evaluation, and/or argument construction.
Area D: Social and Behavioral Sciences (Ds)
Outcome D-1: Students will define and use basic principles, theories, and concepts in the social
and behavioral sciences to predict and explain behavior as it relates to the specific area of
study.
Outcome D-2: Students will apply disciplinary knowledge in the specific area of study to the
understanding of individuals and groups as it relates to local, and global issues and problems
in their contemporary and historic contexts.
Outcome D-3: Students will explain how social and behavioral scientists establish and evaluate
theories in the area of study using the scientific method and demonstrate an understanding of
the challenges and opportunities in integrating diverse perspectives and achieving
epistemological consensus.

BSBA PROGRAM LEARNING OBJECTIVES (PLOs)

The course addresses the following PLOs for the BS in Business Administration:
PLO 1: Communication Skills (writing and oral presentation assignments)
PLO 2: Critical Thinking and Quantitative Methods (writing assignments)
PLO 4. Ethical Reasoning (“Personal Ethics” and “Ethics in Practice” assignments)

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POLICIES AND REGULATIONS:

CSUB POLICIES
The CSUB Catalog, Schedule of Courses, and General Catalog Web Site contain the following policies
and regulations which you should review: Principles of the Community, Principles of Academic
Freedom, Nondiscrimination Policy, and Unlawful Harassment Policy, Policy of the Rights of Individuals,
Privacy Rights of Students in Education Records, and Student Discipline.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The following is an excerpt from the CSUB 2009-2011 Catalog:

There are certain forms of conduct that violate the university’s policy of academic integrity. ACADEMIC
DISHONESTY (CHEATING) is a broad category of actions that involve fraud and deception to improve a
grade or obtain course credit. Academic dishonesty (cheating) is not limited to examination situations
alone but arises whenever students attempt to gain an unearned academic advantage. PLAGIARISM is
a specific form of academic dishonesty (cheating) that consists of the misuse of published or
unpublished works of another by claiming them as one’s own. Plagiarism may consist of handing in
someone else’s work as one’s own, copying or purchasing a pre-written composition and claiming it as
one’s own, using paragraphs, sentences, phrases, words or ideas written by another without giving
appropriate citation, or using data and/or statistics compiled by another without giving appropriate
citation. Another example of academic dishonesty (cheating) is the SUBMISSION OF THE SAME, OR
ESSENTIALLY THE SAME PAPER or other assignment for credit in two different courses without
receiving prior approval from the instructors of the courses.

When a faculty member discovers a violation of the university’s policy of academic integrity, the
faculty member is required to notify the CSUB Dean of Student Life and CSUB Student Conduct
Coordinator and the student(s) involved. A course grade of ‘F” may be assigned, or another grade
penalty may be applied at the discretion of the course instructor. Additional academic sanctions are
determined by the student conduct coordinator. Academic sanctions may include disciplinary probation,
suspension, permanent expulsion from the University or the entire CSU system, administrative hold on
the release of records, and withholding a degree. Students have the right to a formal hearing relating to
sanctions devised by the student conduct coordinator. Please review the section of your CSUB Catalog
titled, “Rights and Responsibilities of Students.” CSUB students also can formally grieve a final grade
when they believe the grade assignment violated established policy or resulted from a clerical error,
prejudicial evaluation, or capricious evaluation. A copy of the procedures to grieve a final grade can be
obtained online (www.csub.edu/undergradstudies) or through the BPA Dean’s Office.

CLASSROOM CONDUCT
“The classroom is essential for the achievement of academic freedom, the pursuit of truth, and the
development of students. Because of its importance, students are expected to exhibit respect for the
views of others, the professionalism of the instructor, and the goals and academic freedom whenever
they are in the classroom.” (CSUB 2009-2011 Catalog) As such, student conduct that disrupts the
learning process will not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action and/or removal from class.
Cell phones and other electronic equipment must be turned off and put away during class and
exams. You will be instructed when you may use an electronic device in class. Non-course
related use of a cell phone or other electronic device during class will result in a 5-point
deduction from that student’s accumulated points.

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CLASSROOM COURTESY POLICIES:
1. I expect you to give me and your classmates and me the same respect in the classroom that you
expect. This means I will NOT tolerate ANYONE engaging in private conversations while I am
speaking—or while one of your classmates is speaking. This is rude, inconsiderate,
disrespectful, and inappropriate. Constant private conversations that are not part of class
discussions will result in a severe penalty for the participation portion of the grade! If you engage
in private conversations during class, I reserve the right to reseat you if you remain enrolled in this
course. I may also ask you to leave the room for the rest of the class period and/or the course if
you continue to engage in private conversations with other students in the class after I have
asked you to cease this behavior.
2. My policy is to respond to student emails within 48 hours under most circumstances, so do
NOT expect a response sooner than that period. I also send periodic emails to the class with
updates on class meetings, activities, assignments, and due date. Therefore, you MUST have a
working email connected to the campus AND a CSUB Net ID, or you will NOT receive these
notifications!
3. I DO NOT accept any assignments via email—EVER. You must post them with YOUR NAME
in the subject line and the time/date stamp on Blackboard under the appropriate
submission link for each assignment. If you do not submit this way, I assume you do not
expect credit for the assignment and I WILL NOT give you credit. If you neglect to write your
name on an exam, scantron, or assignment, posting, or project of any kind, you will receive NO
credit. NO EXCEPTIONS. Even if I can determine you are the only student who has not written
your name on the exam, scantron, assignment, posting, or project, you will receive NO CREDIT
—NO EXCEPTIONS!
4. Each student could collect up to 10 extra points by briefly presenting a current topic that was just
published related to one of the topics discussed in the textbook.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate students with special needs. It is the responsibility
of the student to contact the instructor with sufficient lead time to make any requested accommodations
feasible. “To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Office of
Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) as soon as possible. The SSD office is located in SA
140, and the phone number is 661-654-3360 (voice), or 661-654-6288 (TDD).” (Academic Senate
Policy) If you have an accommodations letter from the SSD Office documenting that you have a
disability, please present the letter to me during my office hours as soon as possible so we can
discuss the specific accommodations that you might need in this class.

Contact information for Services for Students with Disabilities: dtrunkey@csub.edu (661) 654-3360
http://www.csub.edu/UnivServices/SSD/

WRITING ASSISTANCE
Please contact the instructor if have any questions regarding the writing assignments. If you would like
help with writing mechanics, you may wish to contact the following resources. Remember, the earlier you
start, the greater the chance you will produce a paper you can be proud of.
MyWritingLab CB 100 Phone: 661-654-2823; Email: mwlp@csub.edu
Writing Resource Center Administration East, Room 105 661-654-6411; Email: wrc@csub.edu
ABSENCES (Students should not be graded on attendance per se but given the interactive and
participative nature of this course, attendance during class member presentations and discussions can
be used in determining a course grade.)

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Attendance to class is expected. The class is interactive in nature and requires you to attend and
participate in classroom discussions and exercises. Please be on time. If you are absent from class,
it is your responsibility to check on announcements made while you were away. Arriving after
attendance, leaving before attendance, or leaving class early will result in being marked absent for
the class period.
Three absences may be excused. Those students not missing more than two sessions will be eligible
for the course curve.
WITHDRAWAL
Students are expected to complete the course if they remain registered through February 15th.

GRADING
Assignments and exams will be weighted in the following manner to determine course grades. The
following learning outcomes will be reinforced by these factors.
POINTS Your Score
Midterm I 100 _________ CLO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9: TS-1A, TS-1B; D-1, D-2
Midterm II 100 _________ CLO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9: TS-1A, TS-1B; D-1, D-2
Oral Presentation of Proposal 100 _________ CLO 3,6,8,9,10; TS-1A, TS-1B; OR-1A, OR 1-B; CTR-1; D-2
 (Due on a given date assigned in the first week)
Legislation Proposal 200 _________ CLO 3,6,8,9,10; TS-1A, TS-1B; CTR-1; D-2
 (Due Week 16, Second Session, Blackboard submission)
Personal Ethics Assignment 100 _________ CLO 3,4,8; TS-1A, TS-1B; CTR-1
 (Due Week 14, Second Session, Blackboard submission)
Social Science Briefing Papers 100 _________ CLO 5,6,7,8,9,10, CTR-1; D-1, D-2, D-3
 (Due Week 15, Second Session, Blackboard submission)
Discussion Questions/Participation 100 _________ CLO 3,8,10; CTR-1
Final Exam 200 _________ CLO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10; TS-1A, TS-1B; D-1, D-2
TOTAL 1000 _________

Class members are expected to have read the assigned material before coming to class and thought
about how to best use our class time. Your participation is expected in classroom activities.

GRADING STANDARDS
This course is challenging and difficult. It will require a significant amount of time for you to achieve the
grade you desire. The approach I take to grading is this; submission of an assignment that merely
meets the requested criteria is worthy of a “C” grade. Additional effort and application of pertinent
knowledge evident in the submitted assignment, as identified in the assignment rubric, which exceeds
the minimum requirements, is worthy of a “B” grade. Exceptional effort and application of pertinent
knowledge evident in the submitted assignment, as identified in the assignment rubric, which exceeds
the minimum requirements, is worthy of an “A” grade.

Your letter grade is posted and available on Blackboard in the “Grades” section. The letter grade stated
upon completion of the course is the letter grade that will be submitted to the school.

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The grading scale is as follows:
A 94-100 B 84-86 C 74-76 D 64-66
A- 90-93 B- 80-83 C- 70-73 D- 60-63
B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69 F < 60

Your ability to communicate effectively through your written assignments and homework is a major
component of your grade. Please review the “Writing Assistance” section of the syllabus to identify
potential resources available to you.

Assigned Reading
Assigned reading is to be completed prior to the scheduled course discussion. Example: Chapter 1:
The Business and Society Relationship will be discussed during class on Session 2. As such, to be
fully prepared and participate in the day’s topic, the reading is to be completed before class on
Session 2.

Homework/Assignment Submission
With the exception of the “Discussion Questions” clarified below, all homework and assignments are to
be completed and then submitted through Blackboard. All submissions must be attached as a Microsoft
Word document (.doc or .docx file extension), or as a PowerPoint (.pptx file extension) for the
presentation. Typing directly into the submission field will not be accepted, and no points will be
awarded.

All submitted assignments are graded on contextual spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure,
and style. I utilize a program named Grammarly to assist in the identification of these issues.

Late assignments are not accepted and result in a grade of zero points.

Attendance for Presentations and Assignments

In-class exercises assist in reinforcing the material read in the text and discussed in class. Exercises will
be unannounced, and you must be in attendance to participate in the exercise and receive points.
Homework and other assignments will be given throughout the semester. Assignments will be
announced one or two class periods ahead of the due date in Blackboard. Assignments will be turned in
at the beginning of a class period and cannot be made up if you miss class or be turned in late for credit.

Participation & Professionalism

Participation is vital to the learning process. Participation is not merely attending a class; you must
initiate dialogue, ask questions and respond to questions of others. Be sure to read the material
assigned each day and be ready to discuss it, or if there is an exercise, be prepared and ready to
participate. Participation is expected and required.

Being a professional in your chosen field means much more than wearing a coat and tie or possessing a
college degree and a noted title. Professionalism also has to do with how you conduct yourself during
your business affairs. True professionals possess a number of important characteristics that can apply to

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virtually any type of business. Failure to participate and demonstrate professionalism throughout the
semester will result in a reduction in the points earned for the participation and professionalism
component.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Each class member will be responsible to hand in individual machine-printed discussion questions at the
beginning of class the night we begin each chapter starting with Chapter 1. Put each chapter on a
separate sheet with appropriate heading information. Turn in at least two discussion questions that you
have created for each chapter. The quality of these questions will be the most important part of your
participation grade. Late or handwritten questions will receive fractional credit.

ORAL PRESENTATION OF LEGISLATION PROPOSAL

Each student will be required to develop and present an oral presentation on their legislation proposal.
The oral presentation rubric outlines the graded components of the oral presentation.

All assignments turned in through Blackboard must be submitted with the following formatting
criteria: Appropriate use of document header with the student name, class, assignment title, and
date identified in the top right hand side of the page, one-inch margins, Times New Roman font,
point size 12, and single spaced.

LEGISLATION PROPOSAL
Class members will develop a proposal for a piece of legislation dealing with an issue related to the
class GE theme “Sustainability & Social Responsibility.” The proposal will be shared orally with the class
on the evening when we discuss the relevant chapter. The presentation (exclusive of class questions)
should contain 10 minutes worth of content and be delivered in very close to 10 minutes. The class and
instructor will have the opportunity to raise questions and provide feedback to help the presenter on the
content of the proposal after the initial presentation. This presentation will be graded for format and
delivery using the rubric found on Blackboard. The instructor will be available to provide feedback on the
night of the presentation. The written version of the proposal will be due in week 16. Assignment of
general topical areas will be made during the first week. Individuals must get approval for the final topic
of their proposal from the instructor.

Detailed instructions and potential topics can be found at the end of the syllabus. Your grade will likely be
directly proportional to the amount of thought evidenced by the paper. While grading will emphasize on
the paper’s responsiveness to the guidelines and content, mechanical problems can result in a severely
reduced grade. All written work should be at the level of collegiate juniors or above.

SOCIAL SCIENCE BRIEFING PAPERS

Class members in teams of three will develop three briefing papers for a corporate CEO that will
describe how the social sciences can inform the discussion of corporate social responsibility. Detailed
instructions can be found at the end of the syllabus.

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PERSONAL ETHICS ASSIGNMENT
Each class member will develop a personal values (ethical) framework, respond to six ethics cases from
the text and discuss the lessons learned/insights they have gained through this assignment. The focus
should be on our ethical responsibilities. Detailed instructions can be found at the end of the syllabus.

EXAMS
Midterm examinations will be objective in nature with questions drawn from the text. The final exam will
contain items from the midterms, items from the chapters not covered in the midterms, and essay
questions.

Subject to Change
This syllabus and course schedule are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.

COURSE SCHEDULE END OF

DATE LECTURE TOPIC(S) CHAPTER TEXT CASE

WEEK 1 Course Introduction

Business & Society 1
Learning Objectives
 Characterize business and society and their interrelationships.
 Describe pluralism and identify its attributes, strengths, and weaknesses.
 Clarify how a pluralistic society becomes a special interest society.
 Identify, discuss, and illustrate the factors leading up to business criticism.
 Pinpoint the major criticisms of business and characterize business’s general response.
 Describe the major themes of the book: managerial approach, ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder
management.

Assignment: Read Chapter 1

Three Projects and oral presentation will be assigned

WEEK 2 Business & Society 1 31

Corporate Citizenship 2
Learning Objectives
 Explain how corporate social responsibility (CSR) evolved and encompasses economic, legal, ethical,
and philanthropic components.
 Provide business examples of CSR and corporate citizenship.
 Differentiate between and among corporate citizenship, social responsibility, social responsiveness,
social performance, and sustainability.
 Elaborate on the concept of corporate social performance (CSP).
 Explain how corporate citizenship develops in stages in companies.
 Describe the triple bottom line and its relevance to sustainability.
 Describe the socially responsible investing movement’s characteristics.

Assignment: Read Chapter 2

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Preliminary presentation of the Technology in Action Papers

WEEK 3 Corporate Citizenship 2

Corporate Citizenship 2 25

WEEK 4 Stakeholder Approach 3 Oral Presentations

Stakeholder Approach 3 1 Oral Presentations
Learning Objectives
 Define stake and stakeholder and describe the origins of these concepts.
 Differentiate among the production, managerial, and stakeholder views of the firm.
 Differentiate among the three values of the stakeholder model.
 Expound upon the concept of stakeholder management.
 Identify and describe the five major questions that capture the essence of stakeholder management.
 Identify the three levels of stakeholder management capability (SMC).
 Describe the key principles of stakeholder management.

Assignment: Read Chapter 3

WEEK 5 Corporate Governance 4 Oral Presentations

Corporate Governance 4 6 Oral Presentations
Learning Objectives
 Link the issue of legitimacy to corporate governance.
 Identify the best practices boards of directors can follow.
 Discuss the problems that have led to the recent spate of corporate scandals and the efforts that are
currently underway to keep them from happening again.
 Discuss the principle ways in which shareholder activism exerted pressure on corporate management
groups to improve governance.
 Discuss the ways in which managers relate to shareholders and the issues arising from that
relationship.
 Compare and contrast the shareholder-primacy and director-primacy models of corporate governance.
What are their respective strengths and weaknesses? Which do you prefer and why?

Assignment: Read Chapter 4

WEEK 6 Business Ethics 7 Oral Presentations

Business Ethics 7 17 Oral Presentations
Learning Objectives
 Describe how the public regards business ethics.
 Define business ethics and appreciate the complexities of making ethical judgments.
 Explain the conventional approach to business ethics. Differentiate it from the principles approach and
ethical tests approach.
 Analyze economic, legal, and ethical aspects of a decision by using a Venn Model.
 Identify and explain three models of management ethics. Give examples of each.
 Describe and discuss Kohlberg’s three levels of developing moral judgment.
 Identify and discuss the elements of moral judgment.
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Assignment: Read Chapter 7

WEEK 7 Midterm I (Chapters 1-4, 7) Oral Presentations

COURSE SCHEDULE END OF

DATE LECTURE TOPIC(S) CHAPTER TEXT CASE

WEEK 8 Personal Ethics 8 9 Oral Presentations

Learning Objectives
 Understand the different levels at which business ethics may be addressed.
 Differentiate between consequence-based and duty-based principles of ethics.
 Enumerate and discuss principles of personal ethical decision making and ethical tests for screening
ethical decisions.
 Identify the factors affecting an organization’s ethical culture and provide examples.
 Describe and explain actions, strategies, or “best practices” to improve an organization’s ethical
climate.
 Identify and describe concepts from “behavior ethics” that affect ethical decision making and behavior
in organizations.

Assignment: Read Chapter 8

Ethics & Technology 9 Oral Presentations

Learning Objectives
 Discuss the role that technology plays in our business lives.
 Gain an understanding of the technological environment and the characteristics of technology that
influence business ethics and stakeholders.
 Identify the benefits and side effects of technology in business.
 Gain an appreciation of society’s intoxication with technology and the consequences of this intoxication.
 Learn to differentiate between information technology and biotechnology and their ethical implications
for management.
 Identify the ethical issues involved in biotechnology and present arguments on both sides of the issues.

Assignment: Read Chapter 9

WEEK 9 Ethics & Technology 9 30 Oral Presentations

Global Ethics 10 15 Oral Presentations
Learning Objectives
 Differentiate between the concepts of internationalization and globalization of business.
 Explain the ethical challenges of multinational corporations (MNCs) in the global environment.
 Summarize the key implications of the following ethical issues: infant formula controversy, Bhopal
tragedy, sweatshops and human rights abuses, and the Alien Tort Claims Act.
 Define corruption, differentiate between bribes and grease payments, and outline the major features of
the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
 Describe the growing anticorruption movement and the key players in this movement.
 Identify and discuss strategies for improving global ethics.

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  Assignment: Read Chapter 10

WEEK 10 Regulation 11 Oral Presentations

Regulation 11 20 Oral Presentations
Learning Objectives
 Articulate a brief history of government’s role in its relationship with business.
 Appreciate the complex interactions among business, government, and the public.
 Identify and describe government’s non-regulatory influences, especially the concepts of industrial
policy and privatization.
 Explain government regulation and identify the major reasons for regulation, the types of regulation,
and issues arising out of deregulation.
 Provide a perspective on privatization versus federalization, along with accompanying trends.

Assignment: Read Chapters 11

WEEK 11 Government & Public Policy 12 Oral Presentations

Government & Public Policy 12 19 Oral Presentations
Learning Objectives
 Articulate a brief history of government’s role in its relationship with business.
 Appreciate the complex interactions among business, government, and the public.
 Identify and describe government’s non-regulatory influences, especially the concepts of industrial
policy and privatization.
 Explain government regulation and identify the major reasons for regulation, the types of regulation,
and issues arising out of deregulation.
 Provide a perspective on privatization versus federalization, along with accompanying trends.

Assignment: Read Chapter 12

WEEK 12 Midterm II (Chapters 8-12)

Consumers I 13 21 Oral Presentations
Learning Objectives
 Recite the consumer’s Magna Carta and explain its meaning.
 Chronicle the evolution of the consumer movement, highlighting Ralph Nader’s role.
 Identify the major abuses of advertising and discuss specific controversial advertising issues.
 Describe the role and functions of the FTC.
 Explain recent consumer-related legislation that has been passed.
 Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of regulation and self-regulation of advertising.

Assignment: Read Chapter 13

WEEK 13 Spring Break

WEEK 14 Consumers II 14 Personal Ethics Assignment

Consumers II 14 23 Paper Due
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Learning Objectives
 Describe and discuss the two major product issues: quality and safety.
 Explain the role and functions of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Food and Drug
Administration.
 Enumerate and discuss the reasons for concern about product liability, and differentiate strict liability,
absolute liability, and market share liability.
 Outline business’s responses to consumer stakeholders, including customer service, Total Quality
Management (TQM programs), and Six Sigma.

Assignment: Read Chapter 14

Complete Soci Evaluations

WEEK 15 Environment 15 Social Science Briefing

Environment 15 28 Paper Due
Learning Objectives
 Discuss the concept of sustainability and compare and contrast it with environmentalism.
 Describe ten major natural environment issues.
 Describe the NIMBY and its impact on environmental problems.
 Discuss the roles that business and government play in environmental issues.
 Explain the concept of environmental ethics.

Assignment: Read Chapters 15

WEEK 16 Employees I 17 33 Legislation Proposal

Learning Objectives Paper Due
 Identify the major challenges occurring in the workforce today.
 Outline the characteristics of the new social contract between employers and employees.
 Explain the employee rights movement and its underlying principles.
 Describe and discuss the employment-at-will doctrine and its role in the employee rights.
 Discuss the right to due process and fair treatment.
 Describe the actions companies are taking to make the workplace friendlier.
 Elaborate on the freedom-of-speech issue and whistle-blowing.

Assignment: Read Chapters 17

Employees II 18 37
Learning Objectives
 Articulate the concerns surrounding the employee’s right to privacy in the workplace.
 Discuss the right to safety and the right to know and summarize the role and responsibilities of OSHA.
 Elaborate on the right to health and safety in the workplace, with particular reference to violence in the
workplace, smoke-free workplaces, and family-friendly workplaces.

Assignment: Read Chapters 18

WEEK 17 Final Exam

M/W class final will be Friday, May 17th from 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
T/Th class final will be Thrusday, May 16th from 8:00 pm – 10:30 pm
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Legislation Proposal
Your paper should have the following headings/sections. Responsiveness, completeness and
independent thought will be the main criteria for determining a grade. It is expected that a minimum of 8
pages will be required to do a quality proposal. While you are not required to reference sources in the
body of the paper, you should include a list of sources you used at the end. You will share your proposal
orally with the class on the date assigned.

1. Statement of Problem (1-3 pages)

Begin by discussing the problem your legislation is meant to address including any background research
that would inform the reader about the problem.

2. Proposed Legislation (1-4 pages)

Begin by describing and/or quoting your proposed legislation. The legislation should deal with some
aspect of sustainability and/or social responsibility. When developing the law(s), imagine you are a
federal, state or city attorney prosecuting those who violate the proposed law. What are the associated
penalties? How are infractions defined? What is the intent of this legislation? Legislation takes place at
the national, state and local levels. The language must be specific for the law(s) to be feasible. See
online quote below for federal legislation.

Bills - A bill, when passed into law, has the full power of enforcement behind it, because the national
Congress has jurisdiction. Therefore, a bill establishes the details and nuances behind how a
particular law must work, including when it takes effect, how much of the treasury (tax levy) will be
appropriated (if applicable), how infractions/violations will be dealt with, etc. There are quite a few
online resources available to assist in drafting legislation. A basic bill template can be found at
https://sites.google.com/congressionaldebate.org/home/resources/legislation-templates

3. Likely Benefits of the Legislation (about 2 pages)

Try to be as comprehensive in this section as possible.
a. Tangible Benefits
Tangible benefits are the positive outcomes that would likely accompany your proposal and are
easy to assign a dollar value to. Decreases in costs borne by society or increased economic
activity are two types of tangible benefits. You should try to estimate the value of all benefits. Be
sure to describe the assumptions and/or methodology used to estimate the associated expected
benefits.
b. Intangible Benefits
Intangible benefits can be very important, even if they are harder to quantify. Increased freedom
or safety can be very valuable but assigning a particular dollar value to them may be difficult.
Happiness, freedom, peace of mind, etc. are all important, yet intangible, benefits.

4. Intended Costs Associated with the Legislation (about 2 pages)

Again, try to be as comprehensive as possible in this section.
a. Tangible Costs

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 Examples may include salaries and benefits, the cost of equipment, the cost of incarceration, the
cost of facilities, etc.
b. Intangible Costs
Examples may include less choice for consumers or lower quality of life. Intangible costs may be
significant even if it is difficult to assign a dollar value to them.

5. Who would likely support this legislation? Why? (1-3 pages)

Try to think of as many groups/individuals as possible. Be sure to indicate why they would support it. You
should try to include major political parties, interest groups, different demographic groups, etc.

6. Who would likely oppose this legislation? Why? (1-3 pages)

Try to think of as many groups/individuals as possible. Be sure to indicate why they would oppose it. You
should try to include major political parties, interest groups, different demographic groups, etc.

7. List of Sources
Include a complete list of references used to develop your proposal. A minimum of 5 different sources is required.

Examples of Potential Topic Areas

1. Increased corporate reporting requirements.
2. Bans on investing in socially undesirable corporations.
3. Board of director regulations (compensation, reporting, structure, membership).
4. Training requirements (ethics, diversity, sexual harassment, etc.)
5. Regulation of content on the internet.
6. National standards for communications infrastructure.
7. Information privacy.
8. Limits on biological research.
9. Regulation of new biological products.
10. Limits on executive pay.
11. Tax breaks for corporate philanthropy.
12. Revisiting the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
13. Holding corporate officers, including board members criminally responsible for corporate acts.
14. Holding corporate officers, including board members civilly responsible for corporate acts while
not allowing corporations to pay for their personal liability insurance.
15. Criminal penalties for pollution, safety violations.
16. Mandatory recycling.
17. New environmental standards.
18. Consumer protection.
19. Censorship of internet, etc.
20. Taxation of internet commerce.
21. Restrictions on “offshoring” of jobs.
22. Barring commerce with countries not agreeing with US labor and safety laws.
23. Adoption of the Kyoto protocols.
24. Revision of antitrust laws in an age of global competition.
25. Whistleblower protection/incentives.
26. Privacy in the workplace.
27. Recompense for discrimination.
28. Limits or the remove of limits on corporate political spending.

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 29. Censorship/regulation of the media.
30. Liability for ecological disasters.
31. Civil liability for executives when shareholders are misled.

Social Science Briefing Papers

In teams of three, you will develop a briefing paper, written to a manager, which explains how the social
sciences can inform the discussion of corporate social responsibility. The paper will contain multiple
examples of topics/issues that draw upon the social science in question and how the various social
science disciplines can inform the discussion. You should also include a discussion of how diverse
perspectives within the social science can pose problems in arriving at general consensus. Papers
should not exceed six pages, excluding references. The use of headings and subheadings is strongly
encouraged. Provide references for each topic discussed. Under each topical section, you should
explain how each of the following social sciences can inform the discussion of corporate responsibility.
Be sure to include lots of concrete examples from the environment in which business operates.
 Economics
 Sociology & Social Psychology
 Political Science
Potential topics that might be discussed include, but are not limited to, the following. You should cover at
least three.
 The Concept of Legitimacy
 Technological Determinism
 Ethical Lag
 Advertising
 Distribution of Wealth
 Competition
 Ethical Demands of Society
 Rising Expectations/Entitlement
 Legislation
 Community Activism
 Consumer Movements
 Regulation
 Lobbying
 Sustainability
 Employee Issues
 Consumerism
 Globalization

Personal Ethics Assignment

1. Rank order at least six values. You may use the list below. If you substitute values for items
in the list below, please see the instructor for approval. Explain why you ranked your values in
the order you did and tradeoffs/difficulties in placing one value above another. (15 points—at
least one page)
a. Honesty
b. Altruism
c. Kindness
d. Loyalty

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 e. Efficiency/Profitability
f. Career Success

2. Select six Ethics in Practice cases from the text and explain what you would do. Number the
cases from 1 to 6 and include the title of the case. What should be the guiding principles and
or what changes should be made in response to those cases and why they should be made?
Explain how your decisions were guided by your values and any value conflicts you would
encounter. Discuss similar situations you have encountered and any dilemmas you may have
faced in making decisions. (60 points—at least a half page per case)

3. Describe what you learned through this exercise upon reflection. (25 points—at least two
pages)
a. Difficulty in applying values.
b. Value trade-offs in analyzing the cases
c. Inconsistency/hypocrisy in responding to the cases.
d. Any re-ranking of values after analyzing the cases.
e. Lessons that could be used in designing an ethics training program for an organization.
f. Insights you have gained about individual social responsibility.

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