GC UNIVERSITY, FAISALABAD

FACULTY OF ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

LYALLPUR BUSINESS SCHOOL (LBS)

Course Specifications

Business Ethics and Corporate Social

Responsibility
MGT-503

Fall - 2020
 http://www.gcuf.edu.pk/
COURSE SPECIFICATIONS
Basic Information
Course Title: Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
Course Code: MGT-503
Course credits/week: Theory: 03 Lab: Nil Total: 03
Pre-requisite(s): NONE
Co-requisite(s):
Program(s) on which the course is given: BBA-5thSemester
Is the course major or minor element of the program: Major: Minor:
Department offering the program: Lyallpur Business School (LBS)
Department offering the course: Division of Management
Academic year/level: 3
Revision #: 1
Last revised on (date): 28.09.2020

Overall Aims of the Course

Course Description:
This course provides an introduction to ethics and their application in the arena of
business. It is an exploration of ideas and concepts in the areas of moral philosophy and
corporate social responsibility as they were, and continue to be, presented, refined and
contested in the academic world, and put into practice in the business world with all the
attendant criticism and cynicism. The challenges posed by ethical dilemmas in real-
world situations will be encapsulated through the use of narratives and a few case
studies. A broad perspective on ethics and morality must include the role of religion and
culture, which becomes our point of departure for discussing the Islamic ethical
philosophy and prescriptions for business.
Course Objectives are:
The objective of this ethics course are to:
 Develop an in-depth understanding of the “three-pillars” of the discipline, viz.
moral philosophy, ethical issues and dilemmas, and corporate social
responsibility
 Strengthen students’ ability to anticipate, critically analyze and appropriately
 respond to some of the critical ethical challenges which managers confront in the
business world
 Enable students to appreciate the Islamic principles of ethical conduct in business
Learning Outcomes:

After taking this course, students should be able to:

 Know themselves better
 Understand and apply moral reasoning through the lens of various ethical
theories
 Appreciate the importance of ethical decision making and the difficulties inherent
therein
 Navigate the terrain of external and internal stakeholders of business with regard
to ethical issues
 Understand the concept of CSR and the debates around it
 Comprehend the role of religion and culture in analyzing ethical issues

Class Format & Weekly Work Plan:

Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility is a concept based and discussion-
driven course with application, thus the vast majority of our classes will be focused on
concept discussion and practical implications.

Our weekly class Instructions and discussions will follow this format:

1st – 2nd Week

Chapter – 1: Ethics and Business: The Nature of Business Ethics; Ethical Issues in
Business; Moral Responsibility and Blame (Page 3 – 49) (Business Ethics: Concepts
and Cases by Manuel G. Velasquez, 8h Edition)

3rd-4th Week
Chapter – 2: Ethical Principles in Business Introduction: Utilitarianism: Weighing
Social Costs and Benefits; Rights and Duties (Page 57 – 114) (Business Ethics: Concepts
and Cases by Manuel G. Velasquez, 8h Edition)

5th – 6th Week

Chapter – 3: The Business System: Government, Markets, and International Trade:
Free Markets and Rights: John Locke; Free Markets and Utility: Adam Smith; Free
Trade and Utility: David Ricardo; Marx and Justice: Criticizing Markets and Free
Trade; Conclusion: The Mixed Economy, the New Property, and the End of Marxism.
(Page 125 – 153) (Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases by Manuel G. Velasquez, 8h
Edition)

7th - 8th Week

Chapter – 4: Ethics in the Marketplace: Perfect Competition; Monopoly Competition;
Oligopolistic Competition; Oligopolies and Public Policy. (165-193)(Business Ethics:
Concepts and Cases by Manuel G. Velasquez, 8h Edition)

Mid Semester Examination

10th Week
Chapter – 5: Ethics and the Environment: The Dimensions of Pollution and Resource
Depletion; The Ethics of Pollution Control; The Ethics of Conserving Depletable
Resources. (Page 207 – 245)(Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases by Manuel G.
Velasquez, 8h Edition)

11th Week
Chapter – 6: The Ethics of Consumer Production and Marketing. (Page 259-280)
(Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases by Manuel G. Velasquez, 8h Edition)

12th Week
Chapter – 7: The Ethics of Job Discrimination. (Page 303 – 329) (Business Ethics:
Concepts and Cases by Manuel G. Velasquez, 8h Edition)

13th Week
Chapter – 8: Ethics and the Employee. (Page 349 – 373) (Business Ethics: Concepts and
Cases by Manuel G. Velasquez, 8h Edition)

14th Week – 15th Week

Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: Arguments for and against CSR Principles of
Social Responsibility in Business Schools of Thought on Social Responsibility.
Reading: Detienne, K.B., Lewis, L.W. “The Pragmatic and Ethical Barriers to Corporate
Social Responsibility Disclosure: The Nike Case.” Journal of Business Ethics. 2005.

16th Week – 17th Week

Islamic Business Ethics: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (Beekun, 1996)
Reading: Khan, Kishwar. Aftab, Sarwat. Consumer Protection in Islam, Australian
Economic Papers. 2000.

Final Semester Examination

Weekly Course Objectives:

Week Module Intended Learning Objectives

 To understand the nature of business ethics.

 Ethics and  To understand ethical issues in the business world.
1-2
Business  To understand the moral responsibly and learn how
the businesses can become morally responsible.

Ethical Principles in  Understand the four widely used bases for making
3-4
Business ethical decisions in various business contexts
The Business  Appreciate the arguments for and against markets and
System: free trade
5-6 Government,
Markets, and
International Trade

Ethics in the  To understand the various types of market

7-8 Marketplace competitions and to learn how behave (morally) in
each type of competition.
Ethical Issues in  Explore how certain business practices damage the
Business Settings: environment, and the ethical responsibility of
External businesses
Stakeholder Issues
10
(Environment)
 Ethical Issues in
Business Settings:
External  Discuss different theories of a firm’s duties to
11 Stakeholder Issues consumers, and the ethical dimensions of advertising
(Production and and consumer privacy
Marketing)

Ethical Issues in  Analyze the nature and extent of job discrimination

Business Settings: along with the ethical dilemmas inherent in
Internal Stakeholder affirmative action
12
Issues (Job
Discrimination)

Ethical Issues in  Understand the employee’s rights and responsibilities

Business Settings: and a firm’s duties to the employee
Internal
Stakeholder Issues
(Ethics and the
13
Employee)
(Industrial Visit to
perform Social
Activity)

Required Learning Resources

Text Book(s): Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases by Manuel G.
(Title, Author, Edition, Publisher) Velasquez, 8h Edition (Latest Edition) PEARSON
Publisher.
Reference Book(s): Crane, A., Matten, D., Glozer, S., & Spence, L.
(Title, Author, Edition, Publisher) (2019). Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship
and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford
University Press.
 Joyner, B. E., & Payne, D. (2002). Evolution and
implementation: A study of values, business ethics and
corporate social responsibility. journal of Business
Journals/Periodicals: Ethics, 41(4), 297-311.
(Title, Publisher)  Giacalone, R. A., & Thompson, K. R. (2006). Business ethics
and social responsibility education: Shifting the
worldview. Academy of Management Learning &
Education, 5(3), 266-277.
Facilities Required for Teaching and Learning
-White Board
-Multimedia

Assignments Schedule & Quiz

No. Week Assigned Week Due QUIZ TESTS

1 3 4 Three surprise quiz tests will be

conducted during the semester, best of
2 6 7 two will be counted for final grade. There
3 11 12 will be no makeup of these tests.
4 14 15
Examination / Weighting of Assessments & Quizzes
Quizzes + Assignments + Class Participation + Projects 20 %
Mid-semester examination 30 %
End-semester examination 50 %

Grading Criteria
Letter Grade Percentage Marks
A 80 -100 EXCELLENT
B 65-79.99 GOOD
C 50-64.99 SATISFACTORY
D 40-49.99 PASS

Instructor Responsibilities:
In keeping with the format of this class, I see myself as your immediate
supervisor. In that sense, I plan to mentor each of you so that you learn how to
make the best decisions possible, to understand and apply key marketing
concepts, and to prepare you to become productive employees upon graduation.
I will do my best to help each of you grow into the best marketer you choose to
become. Thus, besides class time -- where I will often put you on the spot -- I
expect there will be many times we will communicate outside of class, and I will
do my best to help you in a timely fashion.

Student Responsibilities:
You are expected to arrive to class on time, professionally dressed, and
prepared for the day. You should be fully prepared to discuss and debate the
course material assigned for that date. You are expected to participate at all
levels and offer objective praise and criticism of your classmates’ analyses and
conclusions. This course is not for the meek or timid. You must contribute to the
greater understanding of Consumer Behavior. This course is a combination of
doing (homework), thinking, and discussing.

Useful Tools / Advice:

This course is time and labor intensive. Be certain to schedule enough time in
your weekly planning to accommodate.
You need to have good access to the Web and an e-mail account.
Please always do your best work.
Contact Details:
Dr. Muhammad Waseem Bari
Office Hours
Phone(office): 041-9203020
Course Specifications Developed By:
Dr. Muhammad Waseem Bari
Date: 01-10-2020
Assistant Professor
Room No. 121, 1st Floor
Lyallpur Business School (LBS),
Faculty of Economics & Management Sciences,
GC University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Monday to Friday 08:00 AM to 04:00 PM
E-Mail: mwaseembari@gcuf.edu.pk
Reviewed By (Dean FE & MS):
Prof. Dr. Hazoor Muhammad Sabir
Date: 04-10-2020