A relevant business ethics curriculum

Transcription

1 A relevant business ethics curriculum Robert Shaw Graduate School of Business Guangdong University of Foreign Studies Victoria Business School Orauariki, New Zealand 29 July 2013

2 2 The internationalization of education has given business ethics new life. The business ethics curriculum in universities appears in one of four stages of development. In some business degrees ethics is a compulsory subject and in others it is largely ignored. Whilst national character, business philosophy and societal aspirations impact on the curriculum, this presentation attempts to justify a business ethics curriculum which has epistemological coherence, academic credibility, and is a response to our global situation.

3 3 Agenda 1. History of business ethics 2. Curriculum decision framework & my preferences 3. The business ethics curriculum in China

4 4 What the Business Schools say 1. Ethics is integral to most disciplines and thus we cover business ethics. 2. Business ethics ensures employees are good. Our compulsory course helps students identify issues. 3. Business ethics is difficult to define so we provide several elective courses. 4. We prepare people for the real world. We present case studies which often involve ethics.

5 5 Global trends Little agreement on course objectives Courses generally superficial Fragmentation of the discipline Breakthrough is via new topics Research is becoming more profound Diversification of legitimate goals for courses

6 6 Topics in business ethics The subject business ethics appeared in the 1960s Employee dishonesty Codes of conduct Working conditions - health and safety Respect for other cultures Corporate lying Monitoring Bribes & child labour in foreign countries Whistle blowing Workplace rights - drug testing, surveillance Corporate social responsibility

7 7 New topics Social justice distribution of wealth Economic theory neoliberalism Capitalism & socialism Limits of democracy Corporate morality Technology & society Ethics of cyberspace Eco-phenomenology Human rights privacy, housing Indigenous rights land rights, cultural harvest Animal rights Freedom Big data sets

8 8 United States The Business Schools war BE is the battle ground Half the Business Schools emphasise ethics De George - 3 strands, BE is: Ethics in business Academic field A movement

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10 10 Europe UK Battle over schooling not business British empiricism, industrialisation Plowden report (primary schools, 1967) Newsom report (secondary schools, 1963) Reaction to the public demand Continental philosophical tradition

11 United Kingdom 11

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13 13 Misunderstandings about BE Ethics is about what people ought to do Contrast with the law Contrast with science If you want to know how to get people to obey the law, ask the police, criminologists, psychologists, sociologists Business ethics courses will not make people more honest, nor should they try to do this

14 Executive decision-making skills For top execs Commercial & government Goal: Ombudsman / Courts 14 Pedagogy Half-day + three-days Based on real cases Ethics with rules Davis et al Administrative Discretionary Justice How to implement policy

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16 16 Kinds of statements & forms of enquiry Teaching sequence: What is the difference between a business student and a science student? What kinds of statements are there? Verification Truth How science advances The purposes of business / management

17 17 The aims of business ethics The goal intellectual discipline The intellectual aspects of leadership Scholar-Practitioner Thought in the philosophy of management, ethics, political philosophy, jurisprudence

18 18 The aims of business ethics Courses & research draw upon the Western tradition Parmenides & Kant rationality Aristotle flourishing & codes of ethics Kant moral autonomy & deontology Bentham & Mill utilitarianism

19 19 The aims of business ethics The goal courses To discuss what people ought to do Moral dilemmas Intellectual development Scholarship The goal students Develop decision-making skills To make better decisions [not: act differently] Scholarship

20 The aims of business ethics courses The moral person / leader / manager Heteronomous Follows rules Autonomous Independent in thought & action Moral autonomy Make your own decisions Do so rationally Strength-of-will to act as you decide 20

21 Students do ethics COURSE / TUTOR ORIENTATION/GOALS Heteronomy (rule following) Topic choice Respect the law Respect authority Follow the rules Autonomy Topic choice Level: political, global 21 How you ought to act. Ought to Prescriptive Theory & pedagogy Codes of conduct (Aristotle) Identify ethical issues Virtue ethics Character education movement Dilemmas solved Inspirational people Theory & pedagogy Nature of decision-making The discipline of ethics Aristotle Kant Utilitarian's Serious discussions Students learn about ethics Why people act as they do. The facts are Topic choice CEOs convicted SFO enquires Treatment of prisoners Child labour Gender discrimination Statistics in ethics courses International comparisons Corporate Social Responsibility Theory & pedagogy Ethical theory minimal Topic choice Individual Corporate Government Theory & pedagogy Piaget Kohlberg

22 22 The Scholar-Practitioner concept Realistic aims for Business Schools Aotearoa strength

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24 What I see in China 24 80% of businesses small or medium Nationalism Values Pride Confidence Unity Localisation The Chinese way Identity Openness to ideas Role of leadership Scholar practitioner concept

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26 26 Profit Law Other Western concerns in business decision-making

27 27 Values Relationships Law Chinese concerns in business decision-making

28 What internationalization means 28

29 Thank you