ETHICS AND MANAGERIAL CHOICE
PPM 501
Spring 2008
Bill Myers
Classroom: HB 228
Wednesday, 6-9
Office: HC 222
Phone: 226-4868
Office Hours: M
Email: bmyers@bsc.edu
Homepage: http://csunx4.bsc.edu/bmyers
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Ethical Theory and
Business, Beauchamp and
A course packet.
Articles from the course webpage.
OBJECTIVES:
The
primary objective of this course is to enable you to raise effectively ethical
issues related to the general managerial process. In recent years, managers in
both the private and public sectors have been called upon to evaluate more
carefully their roles as decision makers and to evaluate their decisions from
an ethical perspective. Both the popular
and professional journals have given much space to the ethical problems
managers face. While it is surely not the case that making ethical decisions is
the exclusive domain of the philosopher, it is an assumption of this course
that philosophy with its long history of the discussion of ethical problems can
make some contribution to the issues at hand. In order to develop skills in
this area, we will examine some of the classical writers in philosophical ethics
as well as commentators on the more specifically designed area of management.
METHODS AND STRUCTURE:
Our classes will be a blend of lecture, discussion, cases
studies and class presentations. As a community of inquiry, we will be learning
from one another. As such, it is imperative that for each meeting, you read
carefully the materials for that day. This kind of course only works when all
are prepared.
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Paper and Panel: Each of you will turn in a paper on one of four
cases (weeks 6, 8, 9, or 10). Your paper should focus on an analysis of the
ethical and managerial issues involved in the case along with a possible
solution or recommendation. Your paper should be 6-8 pages (at least six!), to be handed in to me at
the beginning of the class period. On the evening your paper is due, you will
participate in an informal panel discussion of the case, utilizing the analysis
delineated in your paper. See below for more details.
2. A
final paper of 2500-3000 words (8-10 typewritten pages) will be required. For
this paper, there is a great deal of latitude in regard to the subject matter.
The issue(s) you address, though, must deal with some ethical question
concerning problems of managing.
While you certainly need not limit yourself to the topics actually covered in
class, you must demonstrate a command
of the relevant tools of analysis derived from the class. Your topics for this paper may be of two
varieties:
(a)
A case of your own devising, from your own experience, research, etc. If you
choose this option, you should give enough details of the situation to make the
case meaningful to an outsider. Then you analyze the case as we have been doing
all semester, making certain that you bring the relevant theoretical
considerations to bear.
(b)
An issue which arises in the readings and/or discussion which you would like to
explore without the apparatus of a case analysis. You might wish to explore,
for example, the more abstract topics of economic justice, the morality of a
capitalist system, preferential treatment, etc.
This
final paper will be due on May 14 at our scheduled final exam time. In
preparation for your final paper, I will accept proposals for your topic no
later than April 16 (though I will take them any time before then). While these
proposals are not required, it is in your best interest to at least approve
your topic. If you do not have it approved, and your general topic is
unacceptable (e.g., irrelevant for our class), then your paper will receive a
failing grade. Also, I have had some
difficulty with students turning in papers that do not have properly documented
sources. You must document your sources
fully! As graduate students, it is simply unacceptable for you to turn in
work that is not documented. Undocumented papers will be returned, uncorrected,
with a failing grade. If you have any doubt as to the proper procedures for
documenting sources, there are numerous resources available (e.g., Kate
Turabian's A Manual for Writing Term Papers, or see my handout at http://csunx4.bsc.edu/bmyers/PAPER.htm).
Any consistent and complete method of citation is acceptable. The consistent
part is obvious--pick a method, and only one method, and use it. By complete I
mean that you must offer enough information to enable me to go directly to the
proper page of the cited source. Also, please observe the following
requirements (if you think they're nit-picky, consider--why needlessly annoy
the person grading your essay?): Number your
pages. Staple your pages in the upper
left hand corner. Do not use plastic
report covers. Leave reasonable margins. Observe
the required page limits. Use a standard 12 point font. Put a word count on
the first or last page of your essay.
3.
On week three you will be evaluated on your understanding of the theoretical
discussions of the previous two weeks. In order to prepare for this, I will
give you a list of questions at the end of the
first or second week. You should be prepared to discuss those questions in
class and to hand in your written answers. Note that the written part of this
is to be fairly informal. Don’t break
your back trying to type up anything fancy. These can be handwritten.
4. Your informed
participation is assumed. You are expected to have read carefully the materials
for the week. I will have no hesitancy in calling on anyone, whether a hand is
raised or not. Each student is expected to attend all of the class meetings and
to be an active participant in those meetings. If you are not able to attend
class or you are not able to be prepared, you should let me know. If your job
takes you away from class time, or you are ill, you should prepare a brief
analysis of the major issues assigned for that day. Note that this paper is not
required. But, if you do the short paper and it is satisfactory, the absence
will be nullified. You may do this no more than two times. But, note carefully: Each
unredeemed absence will count significantly against the participation portion of your
grade.
GRADING:
The final paper, panel paper, and your class participation will each
count for 30% of your grade, and the discussion from week three counts for
10%. Evaluation of class participation
is, as you can imagine, difficult at best, but the “Guidelines for Class
Discussion” (given below) will be used in an attempt to be fair. Evaluation of
papers is also difficult. I attempt to evaluate them according to the criteria
noted below. I assume that everyone enrolled in this course has the ability to
perform well and I expect each of you to make an acceptable grade.
Some guidelines for paper and panel:
Remember, your presentation should focus on the assigned
case with an eye towards the relevant assigned readings. That is, you should analyze the case in terms
of the broader issue for that week. Ideally, we will all have read the case, so
you should not get bogged down in the facts. I want you to cut right to the
chase. Please note that outside research for this project is encouraged but not
required.
On
your assigned evening, your group will gather at the front of the class. I will
pick someone to start--that person will then take about five minutes (maybe a
bit more, but not less) to present his/her basic perspective on the case at
hand. Others will do likewise, though we don't need to do it in simple, serial
fashion--that is, we want to have a discussion
of the issues at hand.
Your
paper should be considered a formal paper, and it must be formatted as such.
All sources must be fully documented and cited. If the sources are not
adequately cited, I will return the paper to you for correction, and a late
penalty will be assessed. Please note that the paper is the primary source of
the grade, not the discussion, though the discussion will go towards your
participation grade. Also, please remember the page requirements--at least six pages.
General Guidelines for papers:
In developing a well-argued position on a case, you
should be concerned with the relevant facts and with the implications of
alternative courses of action. You should defend your proposed course of action
or position with reasonable arguments. The articles in our text (as well as the
ample outside sources available) should help your support your position.
As noted above, a major assumption of this course is that
the philosopher has something relevant to bring to the ongoing dialogue
concerning moral issues in management. Your paper should address that
assumption, either explicitly utilizing the philosophical categories presented
or rejecting the relevance of such categories with solid supporting arguments.
Remember to consult my handout
on writing papers for further guidelines
Some guidelines for
evaluating your papers:
(1) If the paper is about a particular case, are the
facts of the case fairly presented? Succintness and precision are to be valued
over extensive and repetitive summaries.
(2) Are various alternatives noted, discussed,
considered, and analyzed? Are the consequences of alternative positions
examined fairly?
(3) Are the appropriate theoretical categories used to
shed light on evaluate the situation described?
(4) Does the paper utilize articles from the text to aid
in the analysis? Are other sources, when available, brought to bear on the
analysis of the problem?
(5) Are the uses of sources properly documented with
standard citation paraphernalia, e.g., Turabian, MLA/APA?
Guidelines for Class Discussion:
The following guidelines have been borrowed and
adapted from Kirk Hanson of Stanford University School of Business.
(1) Are the points made substantive, relevant to the
discussion? Are they linked to the comments of others?
(2) Is the participant a good listener? Do comments show
the participant has been listening?
(3) Do comments show evidence of analysis of the issue at
hand?
(4) Do comments add
to our understanding of the situation?
(5) Does the participant distinguish among different
kinds of data (i.e., facts, opinions, beliefs, etc.)?
(6) Is there a willingness to test new ideas or are all comments
“safe” (e.g., repetition of case facts without analysis and conclusions)?
(7) Is the participant willing to interact with other
class members?
(8) Do comments clarify and highlight the important
aspects of earlier comments and lead to the clearer statement of the concepts
being covered?
(9) Has the participant attempted to bring other
readings, both from the text and from other sources, to bear on the cases under
consideration?
(10) Do the comments show awareness of the ethical
dimensions of the problem at hand and do these comments fit into a consistent,
coherent ethical framework?
As you prepare for discussion, you should not only know
the details of the cases but you should hypothesize concerning alternative
situations which might arise. In effect, you will be doing “what if” analysis.
Then you will want to know if changing the factors or assumptions will alter
our ethical evaluations of the case. In preparing for the discussion, be sure
to relate the current issues raised both with the other issues we have already
discussed and with any relevant theoretical considerations.
HONOR CODE:
All work at Birmingham-Southern is done under the student
honor code. If you have any doubts about the application of the code, be sure
to see me about it.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
1. Feb 6 Introduction to the course. Some
introductory discussion of ethical theory.
Reading: ETB 1-44
2. Feb 13 Continued.
Case: “The Parable of the Sadhu.” (Packet).
3. Feb 20 Graded
discussion and exam. Then:
Issues Internal to the Corporation: Rights and
Obligations
Reading: ETB 257-263; 266-296; 473-494
Case:
Peter Green's First Day (Packet); discussion of a number of privacy issues
raised in the readings.
4. Feb 27 Continued.
5. March 5 Sexual Harassment
Reading: ETB 329-331; 361-374; 389-391
Case:
Sexual Harassment (Packet).
March 12: No class—I’m out of
town.
6. March 19 Whistleblowing
Reading: ETB 297-310; 263-265
Case: Ethical Quagmire (Packet)
(Presentations)
March 26: Spring Break!
7. April 2 Issues External to the Corporation:
The Purpose of a Corporation.
Reading: ETB 45-50
Case: Roger
and Me This is not in your book! We'll watch the movie in class.
8. April 9 The Purpose of the Corporation,
continued.
Reading: ETB 50-83
Case:
9. April 16 Corporate Character and Individual
Responsibility
Reading: ETB 95-146
Case: McWane Pipe
(Presentations)
10. April 23 Consumer Risks: Product Liability
Reading: ETB 166-170; 175-189
Case:
Managing Product Safety: The Ford Pinto (Packet) and "Pinto Madness"
by Mark Dowie. (Presentations)
11. April 30 Bluffing, Sales and Advertising
Reading: ETB 401-453
Case: Presentation on advertising and sales.
No case for tonight.
12. May 7 Social and Economic Justice (Rawls, Nozick, and Singer)
Reading: ETB 630-676; Thomson handout.
See
also Harvey Cox, "The Market As God"
13. May 14 PAPERS DUE!!