NORTH SOUTH UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY
DHAKA, BANGLADESH
❖ Course Title: Business Ethics
❖ Course No: PHI (401)
❖ Instructor: Md. Ezazul Karim (EzK)
❖ Email- [email protected]
❖ Office Room: [North Building (NAC); Room no: 1156]
❖ Introduction to the Course:
Business ethics is the discipline that evaluates business action, transaction, decision, and policies
as moral or immoral. It falls within the discipline of applied ethics. As applied ethics deals with
applying ethics in various dimensions, business ethics also incorporates the same characteristics.
In this 400 level GED course, we will explore the different domains of business in ethical traditions
both in their theory and practice, whether they are springing from utilitarianism or deontology or
virtue ethics, or fairness ethics and so on. Furthermore, we will venture into the domain of business
responsibilities, different types of firms, whistle blowing, harassment and discrimination,
moreover we will explore capitalism and its various impacts, employee rights and duties,
and aspects of advertisement. All of these will be explored in light of various ethical
interpretations, which are compelling and exciting in their unique ways, not to mention relating
these things in the context of Bangladesh.
❖ Goals of the Course:
• This course aims to view various ethical traditions regarding business both in light of their
positivity and negativity; in a more dynamic way.
• The course aims to have a broader outlook regarding a greater sphere of the business
domain rather than having a one-dimensional outlook of right and wrong.
• The course aims to make one critically analyze business values and norms.
• The course aims at mastering the strength and accepting the scope and limitation of
business norms and traditions.
• The course aims to relate, compare and contrast between international and national aspects
of business.
❖ The outcome of the Course:
• One of the outcomes of the course will be developing reading habits, along with reading
skills. As you are supposed to read study materials for each unit, it will help you develop
the reading habit. And gaining this skill will help you the rest of your life as it will help
you maintain a reading habit in the long run.
• Students will acquire the art of self-expression. Students will be habituated to express
themselves regardless of whether they are being criticized or not. This will come in play as
there will be compulsory group discussion for everyone. For example, students will be
asked to discuss various topics in their exams. By doing so, they will be able to express
themselves.
• They will also develop the skills of argumentation, analysis, comparison, and critical
evaluation. They will acquire this through writing assignments or taking exams regarding
the study materials, where they have to demonstrate the ability of analysis, comparison,
and critical evaluation.
• Another outcome is learning various concepts. By this, you will be able to define them, as
the original thinkers have used them, and you will also be able to use them yourself in
various arguments.
❖ Expectation towards the students
• The students are expected to be present in each class on time unless they have some major
issues so that they cannot participate or be late. In that case, the student needs to inform the
course instructor and describe the reason for his or her absence or being late to the class.
• During the class, the students are expected to concentrate and be mindful of the topic being
taught. It is appreciable that the student reads about the topic that the class is going to be
before coming to the class as the instructor of the class will provide the study material a
few days before the class.
• The students must turn on the camera if it is an online class.
❖
❖ Course Work
Attendance and cooperation will carry 10 marks. There will be two quizzes, one midterm and
one final exam. Regarding the quiz there will be two quizzes of 15 marks each, and the rest of the
exams such as midterm and the final will be written questions consisting of 20 & 30 marks
respectively. Regarding the written questions, the students will have to choose to answer some
questions, among many. Each question will have a few segments, divided into sections such as
remembrance, understanding, application, analysis, and evaluation. There will be a viva of 10
marks before the final exam. The students must not be absent during the midterm or finals unless
providing proof of their justified absence; otherwise, they will get a 00 in that specific exam, and
there will not be any chance to retake it.
❖ Grading:
Numerical Scores Letter Grade Grade Points
93 and above A 4.0
90-92 A−
3.7
87-89 B+ 3.3
83-86 B 3.0
80-82 B−
2.7
77-79 C+ 2.3
73-76 C 2.0
70-72 C−
1.7
67-69 D+ 1.3
60-66 D 1.0
Below 60 F*
Failure
❖
❖ Mark Distribution:
Attendance and Cooperation: 10
1st Quiz: 15
Midterm Exam: 20
2nd Quiz: 15
Final Exam: 40
Mark regarding attendance: 60%-69%=1; 70%-79%=2; 80%-89%= 3; 90%-95%=4; 96%-100%=5
❖ BASIC BOOKS
● Crane, Andrew et al. (2010), Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and
Sustainability in the Age of Globalization, 3rd Edition, Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
● Velasquez, Manuel (2013), Business Ethics Concepts and Cases, New York: Pearson.
❖ Additional Readings
❖ Boatright, John & Patra, Bibhu (2014), Ethics and the Conduct of Business, New York:
Pearson.
❖ Carrol, Archie B. (2006), Ethics and Stakeholder Management, Kentucky: South-Western
College Publishers.
❖ Ciulla, Joanne, B., Martin, Clancy and Solomon, Robert, C. (2007), Honest Work, Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
❖ Cooper, Terry L ed. (2001), Handbook of Administrative Ethics, London: Taylor and Francis.
❖ Harris, Godfrey (2005), Corruption: How to Deal with its Impact on Business and Society,
New Delhi: Viva Books.
❖ Hartman, Laura & Desjardins, Joe (2010), Business Ethics Decision Making for Personal
Integrity & Social Responsibility, New York: McGraw Hill.
❖ Henn, Stephen K. (2009), Business Ethics A Case Study Approach, New Jersey: Wiley.
❖ Kline, John (2005), Ethics for International Business, New York, Rutledge.
❖ McDonald, Gael (2015), Business Ethics: A Contemporary Approach, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
❖ Qadri, Hussain (2021), Business Ethics in Islam, London: Rutledge.
❖ Saad-Filho, Alfredo and Johnston, Deborah, eds. (2005), Neoliberalism A Critical Reader,
London: Pluto Press.
❖ Sandel, Michael (2010), Justice, New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
❖
❖ Sison, Aljeo Jose G. (2015), Happiness & Virtue Ethics in Business: The Ultimate Value
Proposition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
❖ Zuboff, Shoshana (2019), The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human
Future at the New Frontier of Power, New York: Public Affairs.
❖ Course materials:
The course materials will be provided by the instructor of the course via electronic media. The
students do not need to buy any books or other study materials for the course. Before each class,
the instructor will upload the study materials via electronic media, and the students can simply
download them.
Units Section & Topic Readings
Unit 1: Introduction Introducing Business Ethics; (Lecture: 1) (Lecture: 1) Materials from the
Book by: Velasquez, Manuel;
Business Ethics Concepts and
Cases.
❖
(Lecture: 2, 3, 4) Business Ethics Notion (Lecture: 2, 3, 4) Materials from
according to Utilitarianism with case study. the
Book by: Sandel, Michael;
Justice.
(Lecture: 5, 6, 7 ) Business Ethics Notion (Lecture: 5, 6, 7 ) Materials from
according to Deontology with case study. the
Book by: Sandel, Michael;
Unit 2: Ethical Theories in Justice.
Business
(Lecture: 8, 9, 10) Business Ethics Notion (Lecture: 8, 9, 10) Materials from
according to Virtue Ethics with case study. the Book by: Sandel, Michael;
Justice.
Quiz 1 & Review Class (Lecture 11-
12-13)
--------------Midterm----- (Class 14)
Unit 3-4: Business Implications (Lecture 15) Discrimination & (Lecture: 17) Materials from the
Upon People Harassmen Book by: Velasquez, Manuel;
Business Ethics Concepts and
Cases.
(Lecture: 18-19) Materials from
(Lecture 16-18,) Advertisement & the
Psychological Manipulation Book by: Velasquez,
Manuel;
Business Ethics Concepts and
Cases.
(Lecture: 19-20) Microfinance (Lecture: 20, 21) Course Materials
will be Provided Before the Class
Unit 5: Open Market
Economy (Lecture: 21-22) Surveillance Capitalism (Lecture 22) Zuboff, Shoshana
(2019), The Age of Surveillance
Capitalism: The Fight for a
Human Future at the New
Frontier of Power, New York:
Public Affairs.
(Lecture 23 & 24) Quiz and Review
Final Exam as Scheduled by the
University
❖ Statement on Class Environment:
As we are educated human beings, we must develop respecting others and others' opinions.
We must respect other people's viewpoints. We may disagree with others, but we must give them
the scope to express themselves. Because of that reason, it will be highly appreciated if everyone
maintains a friendly attitude regarding others and other views. We must agree to disagree in a
cultured manner. If there is anything that bothers others, they should express it in a polite and
gentle manner so that others can actually understand where they are coming from. In case there is
an internal issue in the class or even any special need for anyone, the student should at once inform
the instructor of the course.
❖ Statement on Plagiarism:
Education should be an experience that has a touch of novelty in it. As the students are expected
to have a good sense of academic integrity because of that reason, plagiarism will not be allowed.
Plagiarism includes copying anything from the internet, study materials, and slides. Furthermore
copying other students paper is also part of plagiarism. If a student plagiarizes, they might have
to drop the course or even get an F.
