PP3BE: Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

Module code: PP3BE

Module provider: Philosophy; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Charlotte Newey, email: c.newey@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

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

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module encourages you to explore the world of business ethics. You will be introduced to a range of philosophical questions that will challenge your thinking. You will learn about topics such as the morality of sweatshop labour, the ethics behind advertising, and the corporate obligation to do what is right.

You will learn about competing concerns in business ethics, such as balancing the goals of a business with the needs of the poor. You will consider questions about how to protect both the environment and shareholder interests, using your philosophical skills to defend your own perspective on these complex issues. By the end of this module, you will have a strong understanding of the interplay between these concerns and a newfound appreciation for the intricacies of business ethics.

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Understanding advanced philosophical concepts and theories
2. Writing effectively about ethical issues in business
3. Engage in philosophical discussions with proficiency
4. Conduct independent research to discover and analyse new philosophical material
5. Develop independent learning skills and improve personal effectiveness in written assessments
6. Explore and debate critical issues in business ethics from a moral, practical and, sometimes, political perspective. The module builds on techniques learned at Parts 1 and 2 to develop students’ skills in oral and written argument.

Module content

This module introduces students to core philosophical issues about business ethics, such as understanding the stakeholder and shareholder theories of corporate governance, conflicting interests, respect, autonomy and choice, philosophical issues of responsibility. Questions about global responsibility as well as questions about local responsibility will be discussed.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

A mix of lectures, class discussions, online content, assignments, feedback and structured reading will support you to reflectively and critically engage with the weekly topics. In discussions and in your assignments, you will have the chance to master descriptive and analytic skills, to explain and defend your views successfully.

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.

Examples include small group work, oral presentation, blog, or contributions to a discussion board.

Reassessment

Additional costs