Overview
This unit examines the interrelated topics of personal and business ethics and business sustainability. It critically reviews the socio-cultural environment in which business operates and how this can change dramatically between countries and cities. Ethical frameworks for managerial decision-making are critiqued with reference to various stakeholder groups and you will examine the debates surrounding sustainable development as they impact on organisations in their local and global contexts. The interactions between personal ethics and how ethics is managed within an organisation are also considered. Technological, societal and cultural sources of ethical challenges are reviewed and cases will be discussed outlining how various organisations might respond to these challenges.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Self-reflection and teaching team
Importance of class attendance and engagement.
Highlight to students the importance of attending and participating in all class activities as these simulate real-world scenarios. Participation presents students with the opportunity to express their opinions while allowing them to learn how to make ethical decisions, particularly when facing ethical dilemmas.
- Develop an understanding of the interconnections between business ethics, morality, law, sustainability, globalisation and evaluate their impacts on business and society
- Explain the aspects of business social responsibility and sustainability, including the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs) and how these impact upon business strategy
- Analyse the major ethical theories and frameworks and be able to utilise these in a contemporary business setting to enhance business decision making
- Develop an understanding of the management of ethics within an organisation and explore the role of tools and concepts such as corporate social responsibility, codes of ethics and conduct, and anti bribery strategies as a means of improving business and civil society
- Demonstrate commonly accepted professional ethical standards in the work place and in your behaviour toward others.
The unit does not link to any specific external professional accreditation.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
1 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 50% | |||||
2 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 30% | |||||
3 - Take Home Exam - 20% |
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
1 - Knowledge | |||||
2 - Communication | |||||
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||
4 - Research | |||||
5 - Self-management | |||||
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||
7 - Leadership | |||||
8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures |
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
1 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 50% | ||||||||
2 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||
3 - Take Home Exam - 20% |
Textbooks
BUSINESS & SOCIETY ETHICS, SUSTAINABILITY & STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
Edition: 11th (2022)
Authors: Carroll, A.B., Brown, J., & Buchholtz, A.
Cengage Learning Australia
ISBN: 9780357718629
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
g.phan-athiroj1@cqu.edu.au
s.macht@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
An introduction to Business Ethics
Concepts, definitions and key issues
Chapter
Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2018) Ch 1
McDonald (2015) Ch 1
Carroll, Brown and Buchholz (2022) Ch 7
Please refer to the Moodle site for unit notes, additional readings and journal articles.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Morality, Moral Reasoning and Cognitive Moral Development
Moral Accountability and conditions of Personhood
Chapter
Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2018) Ch 5 & 6.
McDonald (2015) Ch 11.
Carroll, Brown and Buchholz (2022) Ch 7
Please refer to the Moodle site for unit notes, additional readings and journal articles.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Compulsory Moral Accountability Cases
Compulsory Moral Inventory Diagnostic Tool
Module/Topic
Values, Culture and Relativism
Are ethics and morality culturally based, or are absolute?
The challenges of relativism in international business
Chapter
Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2018) Ch 6 (Section on Relativism)
McDonald (2015) Ch 11
Carroll, Brown and Buchholz (2022) Ch 10
Please refer to the Moodle site for unit notes, additional readings and journal articles.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Compulsory Relativism Case Study
Compulsory Values Inventory Diagnostic Tool
Module/Topic
Ethical Decision Making.
Understanding Decision Context.
Ethics determined by:
1. Outcome
2. Process
3. Character
Chapter
Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2018) Ch 5 & 6
McDonald (2015) Ch 10 & 11
Velasquez et al. (2013) article
Please refer to the Moodle site for unit notes, additional readings and journal articles.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Compulsory ethical case studies
Module/Topic
Business and Society, and Stakeholder Approaches
Foundations of civil society and the common good
Chapter
Carroll, Brown and Buchholz (2022) Chpts 1 & 3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Group formation and allocation of organisations for CSR or Sustainability Analysis
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Sustainable Organisations: Corporate Social Responsibility
What are the responsibilities of organisations to society?
Freidman (Classical) vs Socio-Economic Approaches to CSR
Chapter
Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2018) Ch 2
Carroll, Brown and Buchholz (2022) Ch 2
McDonald (2015) Ch 2
Please refer to unit notes on the Moodle site for additional text and journal readings.
Events and Submissions/Topic
First individual assignment (Reflection Essay) due Friday of this week.
Reflective Essay: Ethical Decision Making Due: Week 6 Friday (19 Apr 2024) 6:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Sustainable Organisations: Developing Ethical Cultures
Approaches to Organisational Ethics
Chapter
Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2018) Ch 7, 8 & 9.
McDonald (2015) Ch 12.
Carroll, Brown and Buchholz (2022) Ch 8
Please refer to unit notes on the Moodle site for additional text and journal readings.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Sustainability: Economic and Ecological Sustainability
The United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals
Chapter
Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2018) Ch 12
McDonald (2015) Ch 2
Carroll, Brown and Buchholz (2022) Ch 15
Biermann, Kanie and Kim (2017)
Waage et al. (2015)
Please refer to unit notes on the Moodle site for additional text and journal readings.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Role of Government and Regulation
The role of Industry Groups and the effectiveness of Self Regulation
Compliance vs Self Regulation
Chapter
Carroll, Brown and Buchholz (2022) Chpts 11 & 12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
International Business Ethics
Bribery and Corruption and risks to the personal and corporate reputation of unethical practice
Why bribery is unethical?
The impacts of corruption on society
International anti-corruption legislation
Chapter
Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2018) Ch 10
McDonald (2015) Ch 9
Carroll, Brown and Buchholz (2022) Ch 10
Please refer to unit notes on the Moodle site for additional text and journal readings.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Group Presentations
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Group Presentations 15-20 minutes per group.
Powerpoints to be provided to the facilitator prior to presentation.
Distribution of case for take-home paper.
Information on take-home procedure and expectations.
Group Presentation and Executive Report Due: Week 11 Friday (24 May 2024) 6:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Unit review and take-home paper preparation
Chapter
Review of key chapters and readings.
Preparation for take-home paper.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Take Home Case Study Due:
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Reflective Practice Assignment
Assessment Type
Reflective Practice Assignment
Task Description
The key aspect of reflection is a critical evaluation of the self. Students will undertake a number of in-class cases between weeks 2-5 and must use two (2) of the nominated cases as the basis for their self-analysis completed in class.
The unit coordinator nominates which ones will be used as part of the assessment and will release the nominated cases in week 2 - these cases will be the required cases for this assessment. Students are not permitted to self-select cases. Students will also complete at least two (2) ethical diagnostic tools in class and must attach the results sheet as an appendix. Please note that general tools such as the Johari Window or communication tools are not acceptable. The tools must be identifiable as ethical or moral diagnostics. The task is to analyse the decisions you made at the time of the two cases that were discussed during workshops. Students are expected to look at each decision they made and use ethical theory to classify the approach they took or the justifications used. Students must reflect on their decisions by examining their assumptions about ethics, business purpose, etc. Students must specifically refer to the results from a minimum of two diagnostic tools to gain further insight into their own ethical behaviours and preferences. Students must contrast these results against the decisions made in the cases and their assumptions and values. Students are to provide a conclusion that considers whether or not they would change their decision based on the ethical and moral theories discussed in class.
Students are not to re-analyse the cases and come up with new decisions.
A detailed rubric and audio file are available on the Moodle site, providing further details for this assessment task.
Week 6 Friday (19 Apr 2024) 6:00 pm AEST
Assignments are to be submitted via the Moodle site. A 5% penalty is applied for assignments submitted each day past the due date.
Week 8 Friday (3 May 2024)
Moodle
Examine the decisions made from the two cases nominated by the unit coordinator or class facilitator, completed in class (online)
- Utilise and reflect on the results of a minimum of 2 diagnostic tools (results page must be attached as appendices)
- Discuss and analyse the decisions, referring to the diagnostic results, ethical theories, and concepts.
- Utilise key ethical and moral theories and concepts of moral personhood to describe and analyse their own positions or beliefs.
- Provide a reflection on why they made the original decision and whether they would adopt a different approach given the concepts studied in class.
- The use of between 12-16 quality references, including key readings and recommended texts Ferrell et al., (2018); McDonald (2015) and Carrol and Buchholz (2018), using APA referencing and including a reference list.
These are the minimum requirements. Students should note that satisfactorily meeting the minimum requirements will typically result in the minimum pass grade being awarded.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Develop an understanding of the interconnections between business ethics, morality, law, sustainability, globalisation and evaluate their impacts on business and society
- Analyse the major ethical theories and frameworks and be able to utilise these in a contemporary business setting to enhance business decision making
- Demonstrate commonly accepted professional ethical standards in the work place and in your behaviour toward others.
2 Presentation and Written Assessment
Assessment Type
Presentation and Written Assessment
Task Description
All students will be allocated to a group by the facilitator or unit coordinator in week 6 of the term. These groups will be non-negotiable. Students will undertake an analysis of an organisation examining its external engagement through its corporate social responsibility and its sustainability strategy and processes. Each group will present as a team of consultants, such as KPMG, Ernst and Young, etc. and assume that the organisation has hired them to conduct the analysis and present it to the CEO and/or Board of Directors. Students must not present a case study of the organisation. This assignment requires an analysis of the organisation's implementation of these policies and procedures against the models and concepts examined in the unit. This requires students to present an analysis of the organisation's approach to CSR and sustainability using a number of CSR and Sustainability models as an analytical framework, including the CSR models of Carroll and Ho and other sustainability models (e.g., the United Nations's 17 SDGs, etc.). Organisations are to be benchmarked against similar organisations (another two organisations). Then, gaps between the "best practices" and approaches of the selected organisations are to be identified, and, where appropriate, a series of supported recommendations are to be made. Students must not simply conduct a SWOT analysis.
Each group will be afforded 10-15 minutes to present and must submit an Executive Report of approximately 1000 words with a detailed reference list. A copy of the presentation must be uploaded to the Moodle submission folder prior to the presentation. Each student must be in a group and present as part of that group. This is the minimum standard expected for this assignment. Students who only meet the minimum should expect to receive the minimum pass grade.
As Masters students, you are required to engage in research as per the Australia Quality Framework (AQF) guidelines. Two specific requirements need to be considered.
1. students need to demonstrate "a body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in the discipline and/or area of professional practice, and;
2. demonstrate "knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to a field of work and/or learning.
Each topic in your course has a number of required weekly readings in terms of academic texts, journals and business publications that represent the appropriate body of knowledge and recent developments referred to by the AQF. In order to demonstrate the ability to engage in appropriate research, students should read and utilise these texts and journals and publications, and as Masters students, indicate a willingness to research beyond this minimum standard through additional texts, journals and studies that demonstrate an ability to engage in independent research. Please note that students MUST include citations of the recommended texts of Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2018), McDonald (2015) and Carroll, Brown and Buchholz (2018).
A detailed rubric and audio file are available in the Assessment folder on the Moodle site that provides further information regarding this assessment.
Please note that Presentations are normally undertaken in class and will receive immediate feedback. Students are to submit via the assessment folder in Moodle by the due date - on-campus students are required to submit their PowerPoint Presentation in week 11 before their scheduled presentation, and distance students are required to submit their PowerPoint presentation on or before 6pm Friday of week 11. The continuing COVID pandemic may adversely affect the ability of students to present in class. In such cases, a prerecorded presentation may be available.
Group report (all campuses) is due at 6pm, Friday of week 11.
Please note a late penalty of 5% per day applies for each day or part-day (including weekends) for assignments submitted after the due date.
Week 11 Friday (24 May 2024) 6:00 pm AEST
Presentations will occur in the scheduled class of week 11.
Review/Exam Week Wednesday (5 June 2024)
Results available via gradebook.
Students are to demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter and effective presentation skills by:
- Providing a concise and structured presentation with an introduction, main presentation and conclusion.
- Effectively using audiovisuals and verbal communication delivered within the time allocation (15 minutes per group)
- Use key CSR and sustainability models, concepts and theories as an analytical framework.
- Identifying the organisation's practices against the CSR and Sustainability analytical framework.
- Providing a clear set of recommendations supported by literature (if and when appropriate)
- Demonstrating a commitment to professional business presentation standards, paralleling those of professional consulting firms.
- Ensuring all group members make a balanced contribution to the presentation.
- A copy of the presentation (PowerPoint) MUST be provided to the unit facilitator prior to the presentation.
Students are to demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter and effective written skills by:
- Providing a concise overview of the content of the presentation of approximately 1000 words.
- Using key CSR and sustainability models, concepts and theories as an analytical framework.
- Identifying the organisation's practices against the CSR and Sustainability analytical framework.
- Providing a clear set of recommendations supported by literature (if and when appropriate).
- Using a minimum of 12-16 quality references made up of recommended texts, academic journal articles and the selected companies' websites so as to demonstrate breadth and quality of research, including citation of the recommended texts.
- The use of the APA in-text referencing system to correctly cite academic sources.
- Ensuring a list of references used in the presentation is attached to the executive report.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Explain the aspects of business social responsibility and sustainability, including the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs) and how these impact upon business strategy
- Develop an understanding of the management of ethics within an organisation and explore the role of tools and concepts such as corporate social responsibility, codes of ethics and conduct, and anti bribery strategies as a means of improving business and civil society
- Demonstrate commonly accepted professional ethical standards in the work place and in your behaviour toward others.
3 Take Home Exam
Assessment Type
Take-Home Exam
Task Description
Students will be provided with a case study in Week 11, which will be the basis of an analysis to be completed in Week 13 under a time restriction of 2 hours. The case will contain a description of decisions, contexts and perspectives that raise ethical issues and challenges from personal, organisational, national and international levels. A series of questions will be provided 10 minutes before the opening of submissions that will require the application of ethical theories and concepts to reach justifiable and ethical solutions.
Review/Exam Week Friday (7 June 2024) 6:00 pm AEST
The take-home exam will start at 6:00PM AEST and end at 8:00PM AEST
Results available via gradebook
This is an open book-style take-home case. Accurate definitions and theories are therefore expected as a minimum. Whilst brief definitions and outlines of theories are expected, students will primarily be awarded marks for the accuracy and quality of their responses to ethical dilemmas. Incorrect definitions or theories descriptions will be penalised.
The key assessment criteria include:
- The correct use of key ethical concepts and theories as an analytical frame to identify ethical or moral issues in the case.
- The use of ethical theories to provide options in decision-making.
- The correct use of key CSR and sustainability models, concepts and theories as an analytical framework.
- Correct use or reference to national and international legislation.
- Students must note that advocating unethical or illegal practices as solutions or recommendations to case dilemmas is not acceptable and will attract no grades.
Referencing Style
American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
- Knowledge
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Develop an understanding of the interconnections between business ethics, morality, law, sustainability, globalisation and evaluate their impacts on business and society
- Explain the aspects of business social responsibility and sustainability, including the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs) and how these impact upon business strategy
- Analyse the major ethical theories and frameworks and be able to utilise these in a contemporary business setting to enhance business decision making
- Develop an understanding of the management of ethics within an organisation and explore the role of tools and concepts such as corporate social responsibility, codes of ethics and conduct, and anti bribery strategies as a means of improving business and civil society
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.