PHIL41515: Business Ethics

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• To introduce students to key philosophical questions in Business Ethics
• To provide students with the tools to understand the links between philosophical theory and the practice and theory of business
• To examine topics, debates and concepts at the heart of the field and thereby promote an advanced critical understanding of a wide range of concerns and discussions in Business Ethics
• To provide students with the knowledge and skills required to research and write about a specific topic under the guidance of members of staff

• Topics may vary depending on staff expertise. A list of indicative topics is as follows:
• Philosophical theories of business ethics
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Ethical limits of markets
• Ethics of pricing, marketing and employment
• Human rights and business practice
• Models of ethical decision making
• The paradox of business ethics

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Students will be able to:
• Understand the main challenges facing the notions of ethical leadership in a business context
• Gain insight into the theories that may be able to shed light on and/or resolve some of these challenges
• Apply ethical thinking and studies to real life cases and examples
• Understand the background issues that shape the debate and influence current discussion in the field
• Be able to draw parallels between different kinds of cases and examples by means of conceptual analysis and philosophical theory
• Recognise the relevance of philosophical research to business theory and practice

Subject-specific Skills:

• Students will be able to:
• Identify key issues, questions and debates in business ethics
• Draw analogies between these issues, questions and debates
• Identify and make use of relevant literature
• Identify a philosophical problem, formulate a philosophical position and employ critical skills to address the problem
• Write an essay which answers a question in an appropriately focused manner, with a clear and concise discussion of the topic area and a structured argument

Key Skills:

• Students will be able to:
• Identify and locate research materials
• Write in a clear and rigorous style
• Manage their time efficiently
• Pursue interdisciplinary research
• Make a responsible decision about their chosen essay topic
• Think clearly and independently in a variety of professional and commercial contexts

• Most of the teaching will take the form of seminars, which will consist of a mix of lecture and discussion. In the seminars, we will address questions that are central to the relevant field and apply ethical thinking to real life cases in business. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and debate the topics outlined in the lecture, and will be encouraged to develop their own opinions and defend their own points of view with the help of philosophical concepts and distinctions. They will be guided through the material and have a chance to develop both their analytic and argumentative skills.

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