PHIL3191: Ethics in Business Practice

• PHIL2041 Moral Theory

• None

• To introduce students to key philosophical questions in business ethics
• To provide students with the tools to understand the links between philosophical theory and business practice
• 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

• The topics to be covered will be normally drawn from the following list:
• The paradox of business ethics
• Competing theoretical frameworks for business ethics
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Limits of markets
• Ethics of pricing, marketing and employment
• Human rights and business practice
• Environmental sustainability and climate change in business practice
• Epistemic injustice and financial institutions
• Well-being and the work environment
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) in business practice
• Research ethics in business practice
• Trust and accountability

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Students will be able to:
• Understand the main challenges facing the application of ethical principles in business environment
• 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
• 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 practice

Subject-specific Skills:

• Students will be able to:
• Identify key issues, questions and debates in business ethics and regulation
• 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

• Teaching will take the form of 90 minute seminars. There will be two kinds of seminar: seminars covering theoretical issues (e.g. competing frameworks for business ethics) will be a mix of lecture and discussion. Seminars covering particular applied issues (e.g., price-gouging) will consist of a brief introductory lecture, followed by a student group presentation on a relevant case study, followed by class 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 practice. 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. Advance reading will be required for each seminar.
• The seminar style teaching will enable smaller groups of students to target a specific research area (based on the essay topic they have chosen) and participate in in-depth discussions of this particular topic. They will have a chance to examine the wider ramifications of their research area and reflect on the practical relevance within commercial and practical contexts.

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