COURSE OUTLINE

Course Name BUSINESS ETHICS Prepared 11th

Course Code SOC-350 On January,
Credit Hours 48 2019
Course Prereq. None Revised 12th
Code On September,
Course Type Core Course Elective 2020
Program BBA
Semester Spring 2020
Instructor: Dr. Shazia Rehman Khan
Course Description
The purpose of teaching “Business Ethics” is to make students understand the relationship of business
with society, the problems created by the economic activity, and to highlight the responsibilities and
considerations that comes with running an ethical business organization. This course is designed to
inculcate critical thinking about ethical issues in business, to understand various ethical theories, and to
draw conclusions about the impact of business on human lives and on ourselves. The purpose of this
course is to promote the habit of critical thinking that is essential to understand the complex business
environment, of which students will become part of in future. By discussing and reflecting on these
issues, this course aims to develop wise and ethical persons that will enable them to map their terrain in
the business world.
Course Learning Outcomes Program Goal
Sr. No PG1 PG2 PG3 PG4 PG5

CLO1 To understand the basics of business ethics    

and its application in the business world
CLO2 To understand the ethical issues that  
arises in business
CLO3 To inculcate critical thinking  
CLO4 To appreciate the role of ethical decision 
making in developing ethical
organizations
CLO5 To help students become wise and  
ethical person through deliberation and 
discussion about ethics

Teaching & Learning Methodology

Teaching and learning goes hand in hand. The best learning occurs when teachers and
students both came prepared to the class ready to deal with the issues that are presented. In
this spirit, it is expected that students will assume the responsibility for their own learning,
which includes:

a. Regularly attending the class (atleast 75 % attendance is compulsory to take

your final exam).

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 b. Respect & listen to the one who is talking.
c. Present their ideas in a clear and articulate way.

The teaching methodology will include:

 Lectures

 Articles / Case Studies

 Discussions

 Activities

 Small Scenario Analysis

 Group Project
Textbook(s)
 Business Ethics: Concepts & Cases by Manuel G. Velasquez, 7th Edition, 2016,
Pearson Education
Reference Book(s)
 Honest Work by Joanne B. Ciulla, Clancy Martin & Robert C. Solomon. Oxford
University Press, 2013.
 Business Ethics: Decision making for Personal Integrity & Social Responsibility by
Laura P. Hartman, Joseph Desjardins and Chris MacDonald, (Third Edition), 2014
Case Studies
Will be provided in the class.
Magazine Articles/ Published Material
Will be assigned as reading assignments in the class.
Grading Policy
Assessment Instruments Percentage
Quizzes (4) + Grand Quiz 15%
Oral Viva (5%) + Case 20%
solutions (5%)+ Critical Writing
(5%) + poster project (5%)
Mid Term Exam 25%
Final Exam 40%

2
Week/
Session
Contents
Ethics & Business
 Business ethics as Ethical
Decision Making
 Business Ethics as
Personal Integrity and
Social Responsibility
 Ethics and the Law
 Ethics as Practical Reason
Week 1
Activities (Critical Thinking)
Discussions Topics, Case
Learning Objectives
Studies, Roleplays, Movie
Addressed
Clips, Assignments, Research
Papers, Presentations
Discussions
 Distinguish ethical norms
and values from other
business-related norms and
values (CLO1, CLO2).
 Distinguish legal
responsibilities from
ethical responsibilities
(CLO1)
CLO1, CLO2, CLO3,
 Explain why ethical
CLO4
responsibilities go beyond
legal compliance. (CLO1)
 Describe ethical decision
making as a form of
practical reasoning
(CLO4)

Activity 1: Case Study/ Critical

Writing from ethical perspective
(Marked) (5 marks) (CLO3)
Ethics & Business Discussions
 Morality & Moral
Standards  Distinguish between moral
 Business Ethics & and non-moral standards
Cultural Differences (CLO1)
 Business Ethics &  Arguments supporting
Technology ethics in business (CLO3)
CLO1, CLO2, CLO3
Week 2  Moral Development  International issues in
Stages business (CLO2)
 Understanding moral
reasoning (CLO1)

Activity 2: Case Study/ Critical

Week 3 Ethical Principles in Business
 Traditional Utilitarianism
 Measurement Problems
 Utilitarian Replies to
Measurement Objections
 Rights and Duties
 The Concept of a Right
 Negative and Positive
Rights
 Moral Rights Justice and
Fairness
Writing from ethical perspective
(Marked) (5 marks) (CLO3)
Discussions /Video Clip  CLO1, CLO3, CLO4
 
 The utilitarian approach to  
moral decision-making  
(CLO1)
 Application of human
rights to business
situations (CLO1, CLO4)
 Understanding ‘Justice’
(CLO1)
 Importance of personal
relationships in ‘ethics of
care’ (CLO1,CLO3)

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Ethical Principles in Business
 The Ethics of Care
 Partiality and Care
 Integrating Utility, Rights,
Justice and Caring
 An Alternative to Moral
Week 4 Principles: Virtue Ethics
 The Nature of Virtue
Ethical Decision Making:
Personal and Professional
Contexts
 Decision-Making Process
for Ethics
 When Ethical Decision
Making Goes Wrong:
Why Do “Good People
Engage in “Bad” Acts?
Week 5  Ethical Decision Making
in Managerial Roles
Week 6 The Market and Business
 Free Markets and Rights:
John Locke
 Free Markets and Utility:
Adam Smith
 Free Trade and Utility:
David Ricardo
 The Mixed Economy, the
New Property, and the
End of Marxism.
Activity 3: Case Study/ Critical
Writing from ethical perspective
(Marked) (5 marks) (CLO3)
Discussions/Case study Exercise
 Various approaches to
moral evaluation (CLO1)
 The role of character in
morality (CLO1,CLO5)
 Moral automaticity and the CLO1, CLO4, CLO5
role of unconscious in
moral decisions.
(CLO1,CLO4)
 Quiz 1
Discussions/  Case study Exercise
 Describe a process of
ethically responsible
decision making. (CLO4)
 Apply this model to ethical
decision points.
(CLO2,CLO4)
 Explain the reason why
“good” people might CLO2, CLO3, CLO4
engage in unethical  
behaviour (CLO3)  
 Explore the impact of
managerial roles on the
nature of our decision
making. (CLO4)
Activity 4: Case Study/ Critical
Writing from ethical
perspective (Marked) (5 marks)
(CLO3)
Discussions CLO1, CLO3, CLO4
 John Locke’s idea of
private property rights
(CLO1)
 Adam Smith’s idea of no
government interference in
free market (CLO1)
 David Ricardo’s idea of
free trade and its benefits
(CLO1)
 Karl Marx voice against
injustices inherent in free
market capitalism
(CLO1,CLO4)
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Ethics in the Marketplace
 Perfect Competition
 Monopoly Competition
 Oligopolistic Competition
 Oligopolies and Public
Policy
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9 MID-TERM EXAMS
Ethics & Environment
 The Dimension of
Pollution and Resource
Depletion
 The Ethics of Pollution
Control
 The Ethics of Conserving
Depletable Resources
Week 10
Week 11 The Ethics of Consumer
Production and Marketing
 The manufacturers duty
for safe products
 The relationship between
business and its customers
 The duty to protect
customers from injury or
harm
Activity 5: Case Study/ Critical
Writing from ethical perspective
(Marked) (5 marks) (CLO3)
Discussions
 To understand perfectly
competitive free market
(CLO1,CLO2)
 Monopoly and its ethically
questionable status
(CLO1)
 Oligopolies and CLO1, CLO2, CLO3,
anticompetitive behaviours CLO4
(CLO2)
 What can be done to
remedy the ethical
shortcomings of
monopolies and
oligopolies (CLO3,CLO4)
Quiz 2
Revision Week
Discussions
 The two main threats to
the environment and how
serious they are. (CLO1,
CLO2)
 The ethical issues which
are raised by pollution
from commercial and CLO1, CLO2, CLO3,
industrial enterprises. CLO4, CLO5
(CLO2)
 Obligations to conserve
resources. (CLO3, CLO4,
CLO5)
Activity 6: Case Study/ Critical
Writing from ethical perspective
(Marked) (5 marks) (CLO3)
Discussions CLO1, CLO2, CLO4,
CLO5
 How far must
manufacturers go to make
their products safe (CLO1,
CLO2)
 The relationship between
customers and business is
more than a contract
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  The responsibility in case
of unforeseen injuries
The Ethics of Consumer
Production and Marketing
 The function of
advertising
 The duty to protect
customers’ privacy
Week 12
(CLO4)
 Knowing more about
products impose a duty on
business for customer
protection (CLO2, CLO4)
 The responsibilities
businesses have for
customer injuries when no
one could reasonably have
foreseen or prevented
(CLO4)
  Quiz 3
Discussions/Case study Exercise
 Does advertising help or
harm consumers? (CLO1,
CLO3, CLO5)
 Do companies have a duty CLO1, CLO2, CLO3,
to protect their customer’s CLO5
privacy (CLO2, CLO3,  
CLO5)

Activity 7: Case Study/ Critical

Writing from ethical perspective
(Marked) (5 marks) (CLO3)
The Ethics of Job Discrimination Discussions

 What distinctions can

 The distinctions companies reasonably
companies reasonably make between job
can make between job applicants without
applicants without engaging in
engaging in discrimination? (CLO1,
discrimination CLO2)
Week 13 CLO1, CLO2, CLO4,
 The widespread nature of  How widespread is job
CLO5
job discrimination discrimination? (CLO4)
 The problem and wrongs  Why it is wrong to
of discrimination discriminate? (CLO4,
 Affirmative action CLO5)
 What is affirmative action
and why is it so
controversial? (CLO4,
CLO5)
Quiz 4
Week 14 Ethics and Employee Discussions/Case study Exercise/ CLO1, CLO3, CLO4,
 The rational model of Video Clip CLO5
business organization  
 The conflict of interest  How does the rational
 Factors to be considered model define a business
when determining a “fair organization? (CLO1)
wage”  What is the conflict of
interest and how can it be
avoided? (CLO3, CLO4)
 What factors should be

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 considered when
determining a fair wage?
(CLO3, CLO4)

Activity 8: Case Study/ Critical

Ethics and Employee
 The Political model of the
organization
 Modern organization and
government
 Political tactics in
business
 Key ethical issues of
caring in organization
Week 15
Writing from ethical perspective
(Marked) (5 marks) (CLO3)
Discussions/ Video Clip
 How does the political
model of the organization
differ from the rational
model? (CLO1, CLO2)
 In what ways is a modern
organization like a
government? (CLO3)
 What kind of political
CLO1, CLO2, CLO3,
tactics are most often
CLO4
encountered in business
organizations? (CLO4)
 What are the key ethical
issues from the perspective
of the caring organization?
(CLO4)

Activity 9: Case Study/ Critical

Writing from ethical perspective
(Marked) (5 marks) (CLO3)
Grand Quiz & Viva
Week 16 Poster Display Week  Written & Oral test  

Week 17 Revision Week

Final Exams
Week 18

Guidelines – Assignement & Quizzes

Poster Display/ Case Studies/ Critical Writing Exercises:

Case studies or critical thinking writing can be solved in a group. The solution of case
studies and critical writing pieces will be due in the same class. This assignment should be
hand written and should be legible. More so, audio or video of the discussion between all
the group members during solving each case should be sent to the teacher. Any group
member who will not participate in the discussion will be marked zero in the activity. All
these activities will be marked, and aggregated as total marks of assignment.

In addition to this, there will be a group project, in which you are required to do
community work and share your work in the class in the form of case study and video as a
proof. This activity will also be part of class assessment and will contribute towards the
marks of assignment.

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Class Quiz: Class quizzes and grand quiz is mandatory and will be marked. These marks
will be aggregated and awarded as the total marks of quiz.

Course Instructor: Dr. Shazia Rehman Khan

Assistant Professor
Department of Business Studies
Email: shazia.buic@bahria.edu.pk

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 BBA/MBA Program Goals

Program Goal 1: Ethical Consideration and Behavior

P.L.O 1: Develop professional and ethical behaviour of students through team work along
with ensuring the contribution of individual team members working on complex and
unfamiliar business projects.

P.L.O 2: Demonstrate professional behaviour including the ability to communicate and lead
in ways that are ethically and socially responsible.

Program Goal 2: Leadership skills

P.L.O 1: Depict Leadership skills for analysing business opportunities and prioritizing tasks
to effectively achieve organizational goals.

P.L.O 2: To efficiently manage teams in the organization and develop innovative ways of
business problem solving

Program Goal 3: Effective communication

P.L.O 1: Emphasize on verbal and non-verbal communication and presentation skills for
professional connection in a Business Environment

P.L.O 2: Develop skills for effective written communication along with official
documentation and correspondence in organizations.

Program Goal 4: Experiential learning

P.L.O 1: Demonstrate understanding and analysis of specialized business issues or problems

by making recommendations for improvements based on the application of concepts, skills,
knowledge and techniques acquired in various business areas

P.L.O 2: Demonstrate the efficient integration of various advanced quantitative and

qualitative tools for problem evaluation and solving using the latest available technology and
technology based instructional design

P.L.O 3: Demonstrate self grooming through curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular

activities embedded in the program design

Program Goal 5: Critical thinking

P.L.O 1: Develop skills that can be used to critically analyze, and evaluate theoretical and
practical issues in a range of applied business situations.

P.L.O 2: Demonstrate effective decision making in strategic Business scenarios.