AC313: Business and Professional Ethics

Module code: AC313

Module provider: Business Informatics, Systems and Accounting; Henley Business School

Credits: 20

Level: 6

When you'll be taught: Double Presentation: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Ms Rhianydd Dow, email: rhianydd.dow@henley.ac.uk

Additional teaching staff 1: Dr Edward Tew, email: w.tew@henley.ac.uk

Additional teaching staff 2: Dr Pei Ling Lee, email: peiling.lee@henley.edu.my

Pre-requisite module(s): BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE AC110 (Compulsory)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded: IN TAKING THIS MODULE YOU CANNOT TAKE MM295 OR TAKE MM359A OR TAKE MM359B (Compulsory)

Placement information: na

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 19 November 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

An introduction to the moral norms of international accounting and financial management, the ethical choices to which they give rise and the resources on which such choices can be based.

Business has its own moral norms, which often differ from those in society at large, while both business and social norms evolve over time and vary between cultures. Within business, the area of finance and accounting raises particular issues in this respect as the micro-culture of financial trading, the professional norms of the accounting profession and the overwhelming preoccupation with money and profit introduce a variety of conflicting moral pressures.

This module aims to equip students with the intellectual foundations for negotiating the moral world that ensues. Application to real-world situations are used both to develop students' analytical, reflexive and decision-making skills and to introduce them to the range of moral issues and contexts encountered in the practices of accountancy, investment and financial management.

The module lead at the University of Reading Malaysia is Lee Pei Ling.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Identify the moral elements of complex business and management situations, and analyse these from a variety of perspectives. 
2. Describe and discuss the main schools of philosophical ethics, and evaluate the strengths and limitations of their arguments. 
3. Critically evaluate contemporary debates in relation to the field of accounting and business ethics, and the arguments put forward in those debates. 
4. Identify and apply the basic principles of ethical reasoning, based on different cultural and philosophical traditions. 
5. Construct a reasoned ethical argument for responding in a particular way, including responses to possible criticisms, from both moral and economic perspectives, and research and present their arguments, supported with appropriate academic literature, in the required format.  

Module content

The module will include, but will not be limited to, discussion and evaluation of the following:

1. The institution of morality, and variations of moral norms across time, cultures and contexts.
2. Ethics and life choices, distinction between ethics and morals.
3. Schools and traditions of ethical reasoning; their achievements and limitations.
4. Business and moral culture; corporate governance and ethics.
5. The moral norms of international accounting and finance.
6. Applications of ethical reasoning to international accounting and finance.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This module is run twice – once in Semester 1 and once in Semester 2 for students on different programmes. Hours in Semester 2 will be the same as those shown under Semester 1.

This module uses a combination of traditional lectures, flipped and blended learning to provide students with face-to-face and on-line activities and support, direct their reading and prepare them for student-led seminars in which they will evaluate and report on case studies highlighting key ethical issues.

This module may be taught in a different semester if you are studying at our campus in Malaysia.

For students studying at our campus in Malaysia: This module may be taught in a different semester and the breakdown of study hours may differ to those set out in the Study Hours table (please refer to the Module Handbook for the correct breakdown). In addition, you will be required to complete an additional 40 hours of study, taking the total number of study hours to 240 for this module. This is to comply with the Malaysian Quality Agency (MQA).

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

In addition to regular scheduled office hours, students will have the opportunity to discuss, and receive formative feedback on, their ideas for the coursework with the lecturer. Group discussion in class will also offer students the chance to receive formative feedback from peers on their developing ideas, and this will be supported by on-line discussion forums. Students will develop the ability to conduct a reasoned debate with people from different cultures and perspectives on complex and emotively laden issues.

Reassessment

Additional costs