Business, Ethics and Society

REL/MGT 228 1

Course Description
This course is an examination of various ethical and moral issues arising in
contemporary business and its activities that affect society and the world. The course
will examine classical ethical theories like utilitarianism, deontology, teleology, as
well as theories of justice and proper social, political and economic order from a
religious perspective. It will apply these theories to concrete issues and cases in the
business environment, working under the demonstrable principle that businesses
benefit when they employ sound ethical practices and take into consideration moral
principles drawn from various religious traditions.

Course Objectives
1. Students will be able to identify the fundamental concepts of religious ethics
as they apply to cases in our business and economic worlds. (REL #1 & #4)
2. Students will be able to apply ethical theories and principles to business cases.
(REL #6, 8 & 9)
3. Students will be able to compare and contrast the elements of different ethical
theories as these apply to business cases. (REL #2)
4. Students will be able to support and defend a critical ethical stance of their
own in relation to business cases studied in this course. (REL #3 & 4)
5. Students will interpret the material well enough to begin to engage in personal
reflection on their own preconceptions and practices. (REL #5)
6. Students will apply critical techniques to their understanding of the economy
and the limited role business plays in the economy. (REL #3, 4, 6 & 8)
7. Students will use religious and philosophical resources and texts so that they
will be able to organize and present their own thoughts and value judgments to
engage in dialogue with others. (REL #10)
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REL/MGT 228 2

Expectations
1) Synchronous Online Participation
Reading the assignments and coming to the four synchronous online sessions
prepared are essential. This course has been designed with the expectation and
requirement that you will spend at least six hours per week preparing readings
and assignments. Being in college is hard work, but hopefully it is work you enjoy
doing, and take pride in doing well. You owe it to yourself, to others in the class,
and to the integrity of the learning process to approach your academic work with
sufficient seriousness. The synchronous online sessions will be dominated by in-
class discussion of ethical cases. Participation is worth 5% of your final grade.

2) Discussion Board
Each week students will contribute to a collaborative case study discussion found
on under the Discussion Board at the Blackboard site. There are 10 graded
discussion board assignments in total. Students are encouraged to post their own
threads and/or comment on the posts of other students. Not posting or posting
single words or meaningless statements like “Cool!,” “I Disagree,” or “LOL,” will
receive no academic credit. You will be graded on the quantity and quality of their
informed contributions to online classroom discussions. Discussion Board
assignments are worth 15% of your final grade.

2) Case Analyses
Students will be graded on the quality of their contributions to online case
analyses through the Discussion Board at Blackboard. Each student must do one
case study per week (7 total). Students are asked to analyze as thoroughly as
possible the designated case according to theories and principles learned in this
course. All papers must be submitted through http://www.turnitin.com using
Class ID: 3028657 and Enrollment password: rel228. Students will need to create
user accounts through turnitin.com in order to submit material to this course. Any
paper that is not submitted to turnitin.com will receive a failing grade for that
paper at the end of the course. These discussions are worth 35% of your final
grade.

3) Case Studies
Each student will produce three papers consisting of at least three pages (2 1/2
does not equal three pages). The papers will be typed in double space, 1.25"
margins and 12 pt Times New Roman font. These papers should ethically analyze
cases we have studied in class. The cases to be analyzed can be found on
blackboard under Course Documents. The due dates for these papers can be
found in the course schedule. Specific directions for which cases may be
analyzed can be found in the course schedule on the day that the case study is
due. Students may choose any case study except for those they have already
analyzed on the Discussion Board assignment. All papers must be submitted
through http://www.turnitin.com using Class ID: 3028657 and Enrollment
password: rel228. Students will need to create user accounts through
turnitin.com in order to submit material to this course. Any paper that is not
submitted to turnitin.com will receive a failing grade for that paper at the end of
the course. These papers are worth 45% of your final grade.
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REL/MGT 228 3

Grading
1) Case Studies, Case Analyses an Discussion Board assignments will be
evaluated on the following bases:
a. The student's grasp of course content: lectures, readings and other
materials.
b. The student's ability to write clear and correct prose in a way that readily
conveys meaning.
c. The student's ability to organize his/her thoughts logically and
comprehensively.
d. The student's ability to articulate and support an informed and critical
stance of her/his own.
e. A superior grade will require not only good knowledge of course materials,
but the ability to locate and respond to central issues raised therein, to pose
one's own helpful and critical questions to the materials read, and the issues
raised (i.e., to go beyond memorization and feedback to critical and even
creative thinking).

2) Attendance and Participation will be evaluated on the following bases:

a. Absences and lack of engagement with the course will be treated in the
same manner they are treated in the business world. Excessive absence and
lack of engagement can result in termination, or in this case, failure. Students
can receive credit for attendance/participation by attending the online class
seminars, by viewing the recorded class sessions, by accessing various
content sections of blackboard, by viewing lectures, presentations and other
required content.
b. The quality and quantity of individual participation can potentially raise or
lower the attendance/participation score.

3) Failure to complete all of the required assignments will result in an "F"

grade. To avoid an "F" in the case of incomplete assignments a student must
negotiate an incomplete, or "IN" grade with the instructor before the end of the
course. The course ends on the date of the final exam. Any material handed in
after this date will be ignored unless an incomplete grade has been negotiated.

4) Late assignments will be downgraded a fractional grade level for each class
period beyond the due date. Assignments will not be accepted if they arrive more
than two weeks late. After two weeks, assignments that have not been submitted
receive an "F." Papers not submitted to turnitin.com will not receive a grade.

5) Plagiarism: Students in this course should be aware of the strong sanctions

against plagiarism stated in the current Bulletin/Student Handbook. If proven, a
charge of plagiarism could result in an "F" for the course and possible expulsion.
If you have any questions or doubts about what plagiarism entails or how to
properly acknowledge source materials and the works of others, be sure to
consult the instructor. Proper citation procedures are provided in all standard
writing manuals.

Online Class Participation: 5%

Class Discussions: 15%
Case Analyses: 35%
Case Studies: 45%
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REL/MGT 228 4
Grade Calculation
Grades are calculated based on the Grade Point Average (GPA) system used to
report final grades. The advantage of GPA grading is that final grades do not need to
be translated from a different point or percentage system and, for this reason, the
final grade tends to be more transparent to students. Therefore, every graded
assignment in this class will be assigned a letter grade and every letter grade carries
a corresponding numerical value based on the GPA system. For the sake of
simplifying calculations, the GPA values will be multiplied by 3 in order to yield whole
numbers:
Letter Grade GPA Value Course Value
A 4.0 12
A- 3.66 11
B+ 3.33 10
B 3.0 9
B- 2.66 8
C+ 2.33 7
C 2.0 6
C- 1.66 5
D+ 1.33 4
D 1.0 3
F 0 0

This course will also recognize the honor grade of A+ or 13, as the highest possible
grade for individual assignment and D- or 2 as the lowest, even though A+ and D-
are not grades that can be awarded for a final grade at DePaul. Therefore, when you
view the point value for each assignment you will note that every assignment has a
potential value of 13 points. The actual points earned for each assignment is then
multiplied by the percentage that individual assignment is worth. Below is an
example of how the grade of an imaginary student in this course might be
calculated.
Assignment Letter Grade Course Value Percentage Final Value
Case Study B+ 10 .15 1.5
Case Study A- 11 .15 1.65
Case Study B+ 10 .15 1.5
Case Analysis C+ 7 .045 .315
Case Analysis B 9 .045 .405
Case Analysis D+ 4 .045 .18
Case Analysis A 12 .045 .54
Case Analysis B+ 10 .045 .45
Case Analysis B+ 10 .045 .45
Case Analysis A- 11 .045 .495
Case Analysis B- 8 .045 .36
Case Analysis B 9 .045 .405
Case Analysis A 12 .045 .54
Participation A 12 .1 1.2
Final Grade B+ 9.99
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REL/MGT 228 5

Grade Definitions
A
Is the highest academic grade possible; an honor grade which is not
automatically given to a student who ranks highest in the course, but is reserved
for accomplishment that is truly distinctive and demonstrably outstanding. It
represents a superior mastery of course material and is a grade that demands a
very high degree of understanding as well as originality or creativity as
appropriate to the nature of the course. The grade indicates that the student
works independently with unusual effectiveness and often takes the initiative in
seeking new knowledge outside the formal confines of the course.
A-
B+
B
Denotes achievement above acceptable standards. Good mastery of course
material is evident and student performance demonstrates some degree of
originality, creativity, or both. The grade indicates that the student works well
independently and often demonstrates initiative. Analysis, synthesis, and critical
expression, oral or written, are evidenced.
B-
C+
C
Indicates a satisfactory degree of attainment and is the acceptable standard for
graduation from college. It is the grade that may be expected of a student of
average ability who gives to the work a reasonable amount of time and effort.
This grade implies familiarity with the content of the course and acceptable
mastery of course material; it implies that the student displays limited evidence
of originality and/or creativity, works independently at an acceptable level and
completes all requirements in the course.
C-
D+
D
Denotes a limited understanding of the subject matter, meeting only the
minimum requirements for passing the course. It signifies work, which in quality
and/or quantity falls below the average acceptable standard for the course.
Performance is deficient in analysis, synthesis, and critical expression; there is
little evidence of originality, creativity, or both.
D-
F
Indicates inadequate or unsatisfactory attainment, serious deficiency in
understanding of course material, and/or failure to complete requirements of the
course.