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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "ETH/BUS 301 - 1"
COURSE NAME: "Business Ethics"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2026
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Kyle Thomas Moore
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: MW 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: One previous course in Philosophy or Junior Standing. Co-requisite: EN 110
OFFICE HOURS:
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.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course seeks to highlight, analyse, and think through issues of business ethics from an economic, social, and political lens. Our aim will be to dissect and discuss ethical questions——as they relate to producers, consumers, and society as a whole—along analytical, normative, and speculative dimensions. While there are many possible avenues of exploration, we will focus on some of the core themes animating the field of business ethics; more specifically, we will have the chance to investigate the ethics of profit, pricing, work, social responsibility, corporate governance, and globalisation. These themes will be broken down and studied through a selection of relevant texts, thinkers, case studies, and open discussion. Each week will begin with a seminal text that frames a specific topic in business ethics; the following class will apply our reading to a more contemporary event or debate. Our goal will be to shine a new light on some of the more controversial issues in business in order to foster a better understanding of our own ethical positions  and, perhaps in some cases, to challenge these views.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course you will be able to:

- analyse ethical issues as they relate to consumers, shareholders, workers, wider communities, government, and the environment;
- become aware of theoretical approaches, concepts, and debates in business ethics;
- develop a critical mindset towards the possibility of business ethics
- explain and analyse course material orally and in written forms, and in individual and group contexts;
- make appropriate use of original and academic resources and undertake guided research work.
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Attendance and ParticipationClass participation will be highly valued and contribute to a significant portion of your final grade. This will require that students come prepared each class having read the assigned material and be ready to discuss it. In class discussion, emphasis will be placed on thinking—that is, the degree to which the student explores the source material with the aim of applying their own unique voice. Understanding that not all students feel comfortable voicing their ideas in class, there will also be the opportunity to email questions in advance.25
PresentationStudents will be asked to make one short, in-class presentation over the course of the semester. This presentation will serve as a 10 minute introduction to the reading of the week where the student will have the opportunity to "set the tone" by offering up their own ideas and comments.15
Midterm PaperStudents will be asked to prepare a 1500-2000 word midterm paper that engages with one of the topics covered in the first half of the course. The student will be free to choose their own question or problematic if they wish, alternatively, they will be able to select from a list provided. For students who wish to formulate their own question, they will have the opportunity to meet in office hours to advance and explore their ideas.30
Final PaperFollowing on he second half of the course, students will be asked to prepare a 2500 - 3000 word final exam paper that engages with material covered during the course. Once again, the student will be free to choose their own question or problematic if they wish, alternatively, they will be able to select from a list provided. For students who wish to formulate their own question, they will have the opportunity to meet in office hours to advance and explore their ideas.30

-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:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
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 Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
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.
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.
SCHEDULE

Introduction

 

Week 1: General Introduction

-  Peter Singer, “Can Business be Ethical?”

-  Milton Friedman, “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits”

 

 

Part I: Economics and ethics?

 

Week 2: The idea of separation

-  George Stigler, excerpts from “The Economist as Preacher”

 

Week 3: The idea of integration

-  Amartya Sen, excerpts from On Ethics and Economics

 

 

Part II: Economics as moral science

 

Week 4: Just Price Theory

- Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Q. 58, 77, and 78: “What is Justice?”; “Of cheating, which is committed in buying and selling”; “On the Sin of Usury”

- Michael Sandel, “Jumping the Queue” in What Money Can’t Buy

 

Week 5: Labour Theory of Value—Classical Foundations

- Adam Smith, Book 1, Chapters V and VI in The Wealth of Nations

- Discussion on Fair Trade. Reading TBD.

 

Week 6: Labour Theory of Value—Exploitation

- Karl Marx, “Chapter 6: The Sale and Purchase of Labour-Power” in Capital

- Upton Sinclair, excerpts from "The Jungle"

 

Week 7: Marginalist Revolution

- Carl Menger, excerpts from Ch.1 and 3 in Principles of Economics

- Jeffrey Moriarty, "Why Online Personalized Pricing is Unfair"

 

Part III: Social responsibility and related topics

 

Week 8: Stakeholder Theory

- Edward Freeman and David Reed, “Stockholders and Stakeholders: A New Perspective on Corporate Governance”

- Slavoj Zizek, “New Spirit of Capitalism” in First as Tragedy, Then as Farce

 

Week 9: Meaningful Work

- Max Weber, “Luther's Conception of the Calling. Task of the Investigation” in Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

- David Graeber, excerpts from Bullshit Jobs

 

Week 10: Universal Basic Income

- Thomas Paine, “Agrarian Justice”

- Yanis Varoufakis and Daron Acemoglu debate on Universal Basic Income

 

Week 11: Population

 - Malthus, excerpts from Essay on the Principle of Population

 - Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons"

 

Week 12: Environment

 - Aldo Leopold, "The Land Ethic"

 - John B. Foster, excerpts from Marx's Ecology

 

Week 13: Progress and destruction

 - Joseph Schumpeter, excerpts from Can Capitalism Survive? Creative Destruction and the Global Economy

 - Clayton Christensen, excerpts from The Innovator's Dilemma

 

Week 14: Review for final exam