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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "ETH/BUS 301 -2"
COURSE NAME: "Business Ethics"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2026
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Steven Joseph Woodworth
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: One previous course in Philosophy or Junior Standing. Co-requisite: EN 110
OFFICE HOURS:
by appointment
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course examines some of the most important ethical issues in business today, such as businesses’ responsibilities to workers, consumers, and investors, the pros and cons of “free markets,” the challenges posed by environmental damage and automation, the ideas of “social” responsibilities and “ethical” consumption, and the special dilemmas faced by multinational businesses. Issues will be studied through a selection of contemporary cases, issues, arguments, and approaches, along with much class discussion, with the aim of helping students to develop a familiarity with the issues and debates and their ability to discuss, reflect on, and defend their own ethical views.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Readings and topics, in general, fall into one of the following categories:
--- Discussion of what we are doing when we do business ethics.
--- The justification of markets and business practices, and the relation between public policy, business, and justice.
--- Various topics in business ethics, including compensation, advertising, fair pricing, meaningful work, globalization, and corporate culture.
--- Case studies of ethically noteworthy corporate conduct and policy, good and bad.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
In this course you will:
--- gain proficiency in the tools and techniques of ethical theory, especially as applied to topics of business and the market;
--- deepen your understanding of what markets are and when they are ethically problematic;
--- come to recognize, articulate, and analyze ethical challenges facing business managers, employees, and consumers;
--- develop a solid grasp of the main existing frameworks for ethical decision-making within a managerial, business environment;
--- cogently express your thoughts pertaining to the course material orally and in written forms, in both individual and group contexts.
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TEXTBOOK:
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Course participation | Classes will involve a mixture of lectures, seminar discussions, small group work, debates, and other activities. The emphasis will be on helping you to develop your own opinions and arguments and your ability to discuss them with others, as well as your understanding of the materials, issues, and relevant ethical concepts and arguments. Your active involvement in discussions and other class activities, based on adequate preparation outside class, is essential. | 15 |
| Reading questions | Prior to the beginning of each week I will release one to three reading comprehension questions for each of the assigned texts. Your answers are to be turned in on Moodle before the beginning of the class in which we will discuss the text. Note that no credit will be granted for late work falling under this category of exercise. | 20 |
| Midterm exam | There will be a midterm exam in week 7 covering material from the first part of the course. You will have to answer several short-form questions as well as produce a short essay. Possible questions for the essay will be provided to you a week in advance; on the exam you will be presented a small selection of these, from which you will answer one. | 20 |
| Presentation | You will be responsible for a short presentation to the class of the real-world ethical issue in business that you plan to examine in your paper. Presentations will occur on Thursdays in weeks 8, 9, and 10. | 5 |
| Paper | In your circa 1,500-to-2,000-word paper you will identify a real-world example of a business acting wrongly. Then, drawing on any of the ethical frameworks we will have encountered in class, you will construct an argument which identifies and explains the wrong –– why is it wrong? During your essay you will have to consider and respond to whatever might be said on the other side of the debate, and you will have to make recommendations of how the wrong might be corrected. | 15 |
| Final Exam | A final exam will take place during the designated exam week. While the exam will cover material from throughout the semester, it will be biased toward the second half. As on the midterm, you will have to answer several short-form questions as well as produce a short essay. Possible questions for the short essay will be provided to you during the last week of classes; on the exam you will be presented a small selection of these, from which you will answer one. | 25 |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Students are expected to come to class prepared for the day's material. It is highly recommended that Students attend all classes given that the material is comprehensive by nature. Attendance will be considered in your participation grade.
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.
The University’s attendance policy is described in the catalogue. Persistent absence or tardiness usually precludes satisfactory performance in the course, and jeopardizes that part of the grade that is based on class presentation and participation. Students are expected to arrive to class on time; students are responsible for all material covered by the syllabus and/or discussed in class, whether or not they are actually present in class.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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Week 1
Tuesday 01/20: Introduction to the course
Thursday 01/22: Objectivity in ethics and corporate malfeasance
---Elaine Sternberg, "Ethical Misconduct and the Global Financial Crisis"
Week 2
Tuesday 01/27: Profit and the Aim of Business
---Milton Friedman, "The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits"
Thursday 01/29: Liberty and the Market Mechanism
---Milton Friedman, "The Relation between Economic Freedom and Political Freedom" and "The Role of Government in a Free Society"
Week 3
Tuesday 02/03: Entrepreneurs and the Aim of Business
---"Rethinking the Social Responsibility of Business" – A Reason debate featuring Milton Friedman, Whole Foods' John Mackey, and Cypress Semiconductor's T.J. Rodgers
Thursday 02/05: Corporate social responsibility
---Archie B. Carroll, "The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility: Toward the Moral Management of Organizational Stakeholders"
Week 4
Tuesday 02/10: Stakeholder theory
---R. Edward Freeman, Jeffrey S. Harrison, and Andrew C. Wicks, Managing for Stakeholders: Survival, Reputation, and Success, chapter 1: "Managing for Stakeholders"
---R. Edward Freeman, "Managing for Stakeholders: Trade-offs or Value Creation"
Thursday 02/12: Case Studies and ESG
---Global History of Capitalism Project, "Nestlé's Corporate Reputation and the Long History of Infant Formula"
Week 5
Tuesday 02/17: Moral theory and moral logics
---Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer, "Creating Shared Value: How to Reinvent Capitalism–and Unleash a Wave of Innovation and Growth"
Thursday 02/19: Business ethics in an international context
---Li Wang and Robin Snell, "A Case Study of Ethical Issues at Gucci in Shenzhen, China"
Week 6
Tuesday 02/24: CEO compensation
---Jeffrey Moriarty, "Do CEOs Get Paid Too Much?"
Thursday 02/26: Review and Discussion
Week 7
TUESDAY, MARCH 3RD: IN-CLASS MIDTERM EXAM
Thursday 03/05: Ethical consumerism
---Johanna Thoma, "On the Ethics of Boycotts"
---The Chronicle opinion piece "Racism, fatphobia and child labor: Duke welcomes Lululemon with open arms"
MONDAY, MARCH 9TH TO FRIDAY, MARCH 13TH: SPRING BREAK
Week 8
Tuesday 03/17: The Market Failures Approach
---Joseph Heath, "A Market Failures Approach to Business Ethics"
Thursday 03/19: Presentations (and further discussion of Heath)
Week 9
Tuesday 03/24: The Moral Limits of Markets
---Debra Satz, Why Some Things Should Not Be For Sale: The Moral Limits of Markets, chapter 1: "What Do Markets Do?" and chapter 4: "Noxious Markets"
Thursday 03/26: Presentations (and further discussion of Satz)
Week 10
Tuesday 03/31: Markets in reproductive labor
---Debra Satz, Why Some Things Should Not Be For Sale: The Moral Limits of Markets, chapter 5: "Markets in Women's Reproductive Labor"
Thursday 04/02: Presentations
Week 11
Tuesday 04/07: Duties of a Salesperson
---James M. Ebejer and Michael J. Morden, "Paternalism in the Marketplace: Should a Salesman Be His Buyer's Keeper?"
---George Brockway, "Limited Paternalism and the Salesperson: A Reconsideration"
Thursday 04/09: Duties of an Employee
---Ronald Duska, "Blowing the Whistle on Fellow Professionals"
---Robert A. Larmer, "Whistleblowing and Employee Loyalty"
SUNDAY, APRIL 12th: ESSAY DUE
Week 12
Tuesday 04/14: Business ethics and AI
---Juan M. Elegido, "The Ethics of Price Discrimination"
Thursday 04/16: Global capitalism, health, and tariffs
---Nicholas Freudenberg, At What Cost: Modern Capitalism and the Future of Health, chapter 1: "The Changing Face of US and Global Capitalism"
Week 13
Tuesday 04/21: Business ethics and contemporary politics
---John Maynard Keynes, "National Self-Sufficiency"
---James Pogue, "This Rural Congresswoman Thinks Democrats Have Lost Their Minds. She Has a Point" (NYT Opinion Guest Essay)
---Ana Swanson and Lauren Hirsch, "'Golden Share' in U.S. Steel Gives Trump Extraordinary Control" (NYT article)
Thursday 04/23: Managerial solutions, institutional solutions
---John R. Boatright, "Does Business Ethics Rest on a Mistake?"
---Jeffery D. Smith, "Moral Markets and Moral Managers Revisited"
Week 14
Tuesday 04/28: Moral motivation and business culture
---Joseph Heath "Business Ethics and Moral Motivation: A Criminological Perspective"
Thursday 04/30: Course Review and Wrap Up
Week 15
Sometime from May 4th and May 8th: Final Exam
(the Registrar will specify the place and time later during the semester)
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