Ethics in Business

PHIL 2600, 3 Credit Hours

Fall 2022

MWF 11:00-11:50 AM, Newcomb Hall 115

 

Instructor’s name: David Ween

Office location: Newcomb 107

Office hours: Monday, 1:00-2:00 PM

Phone number: (509) 808-0282

Email address: dween@tulane.edu

 

 

Course description:

This course is about how to deal with moral problems in business management with integrity. The scope and resources for making principled responses to ethical challenges will be examined and a variety of cases will be analyzed.

 

Course Goals

This course is meant to:

1. Introduce students to common problems in consumption, production, and coordination,
2. Provide students with theoretical and strategic tools for dealing with these problems, and
3. Give students opportunities to practice applying conceptual tools and ethical principles to real-world cases.

 

Course Learning Objectives

After completing this course, students will be able to:

1. Accurately explain common problems in production and consumption including problems in sustainability, advertising, and compensation.
2. Accurately identify coordination problems in business settings, and
3. Successfully apply appropriate ethical and game-theoretic tools to solve these problems.
4. Accurately explain the main criticisms and defenses of free markets and market regulation.
5. More clearly articulate their own moral commitments when it comes to ethical consumption and production

 

Program-Level Outcomes (Major/Minor)

This course satisfies applied ethics requirements for business majors, and SLAM majors and minors.

 

 

 

 

Required Student Resources

 

All the required reading will be available on Canvas.

 

Optional texts:

 

Markets Without Limits: Moral Virtues and Commercial Interests, by Jason Brennan and Peter Jaworski (1^stEdition, Routledge; 2015) ISBN: 978-0415737354

 

Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don’t Talk About It), Elizabeth Anderson (Princeton University Press; 2019) ISBN: 978-0691192246

 

Evaluation Procedures and Grading Criteria

Attendance and Participation: 15% — to get full attendance and participation credit the student must attend class and contribute meaningfully to discussion, both in the classroom and on discussion boards. This means you should be prepared to discuss the reading and then actually engage. I construe participation broadly, and attending office hours or putting exceptional work into online discussions can easily substitute for verbal interaction in class, but I encourage you to participate whenever possible.

 

You are allowed two unexcused absences.

 

Discussion Forum and Homework: 15% — Each week you will either a) write an original post commenting on or criticizing the reading or other course material or b) responding to your classmates posts. More detailed instructions will be included on the discussion board page and we will discuss this in class.

 

In the second week you will have a small homework assignment instead. You are allowed to work collaboratively on this, which we will discuss.

 

Group Projects: 30% — We will discuss this in more detail as we start module 2. The group project includes three presentations and one contract, which you will develop, detailing how you have all agreed to work in the group. This is meant to give you an opportunity to test-drive what you’re learning in a controlled environment.

 

Journal: 20% — You will, throughout the term, submit journal-style reflections on the material we are discussing. This is an opportunity for you to talk yourself through things you are having trouble with, explore your own thoughts and ideas, and think about how you might apply this course to your life, studies, and career.

You must submit 8 journals, but you may submit more. I will drop the lowest grades and grade solely on the basis of the best 8 submissions.

Final Paper: 20% — No more than 1700 words or six double spaced pages. It can be shorter if it is of exceptional quality. This paper can take a number of forms. I might suggest:

 

1. An examination of your group’s experience and what you learned from it, specifically in terms of moral decision-making.
2. A response to one of the reading assignments. You cannot advance a robust original argument in six pages, but you can raise an objection.

 

(Very) rough drafts of the final paper are due the Friday before Thanksgiving (Nov 18). These do not need to be polished, or six pages, but should include a preliminary thesis statement and an idea of where the paper will go.

 

A note: I encourage all of you to think of alternative assignments and propose them to me. Perhaps a video essay would be a better fit for you than a written final paper. Perhaps a scrapbook project or a series of brief, researched essays would be better than journaling. Come talk to me and we’ll workshop your idea. I encourage you to identify the ways you learn best and let me know! A non-negotiable is that you must do the group project with your group.

Tulane Grade Scale

A          93-100

A-        90-92.99

B+        87-89.99

B          83-86.99

B-        80-82.99

C+        77-79.99

C          73-76.99

C-         70-72.99

D+       67-69.99

D         63-66.99

D-        60-62.99

F          <59.99

 

Attendance Statement

Faculty and students must comply with University policies on COVID-19 testing and isolation, which are located here [https://tulane.edu/covid-19/health-strategies]. Faculty and students must wear face coverings in all common areas, including classrooms, and follow social distancing rules. Failure to comply is a violation of the Code of Student Conduct and students will be subject to University discipline, which can include suspension or permanent dismissal.

 

If a student cannot attend class for any reason, the student is responsible for communicating with their instructors to make up any work they may miss. Faculty will provide online options for class participation, outlined in this document, and unless a student is seriously ill, they are expected to use this option. The University Health Center will provide documentation verifying a student is ill, as well as verification that a student may return to class. With the approval of the Newcomb - Tulane College dean, an instructor may have a student who has excessive absences involuntarily withdrawn from a course with a WF grade after written warning at any time during the semester.

 

Students have two unexcused absences. For an absence to be excused, please let the instructor know prior to the class missed. I realize there are often extenuating circumstances, and I will certainly take these into account. Please do not be afraid to reach out and let me know if you need support or accommodation, and please let me know as soon as you do if you will need to miss class meetings or assignments.

 

 

ADA/Accessibility Statement

Tulane University strives to make all learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers based on your disability, please let me know immediately so that we can privately discuss options. I will never ask for medical documentation from you to support potential accommodation needs. Instead, to establish reasonable accommodations, I may request that you register with the Goldman Center for Student Accessibility.  After registration, make arrangements with me as soon as possible to discuss your accommodations so that they may be implemented in a timely fashion. Goldman Center contact information: goldman@tulane.edu; (504) 862-8433; accessibility.tulane.edu.

 

Code of Academic Conduct

The Code of Academic Conduct applies to all undergraduate students, full-time and part-time, in Tulane University. Tulane University expects and requires behavior compatible with its high standards of scholarship. By accepting admission to the university, a student accepts its regulations (i.e., Code of Academic Conductand Code of Student Conduct) and acknowledges the right of the university to take disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion, for conduct judged unsatisfactory or disruptive.

 

Except for group presentations, all assignments must be completed individually, and must be the original work of the student. Group presentations must be the original work of the group as a collective, as spelled out in your group contract, which you will complete at the beginning of the semester.

 

Religious accommodation policy

Per Tulane’s religious accommodation policy (with hyperlink), I will make every reasonable effort to ensure that students are able to observe religious holidays without jeopardizing their ability to fulfill their academic obligations. Excused absences do not relieve the student from the responsibility for any course work required during the period of absence. Students should notify me within the first two weeks of the semester about their intent to observe any holidays that fall on a class day or on the day of the final project.

Course Schedule

This schedule is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.

 

Week	Dates	Topic	Reading
1	Monday, August 22	Introduction
	Wednesday, August 24	Game Theory, Choice, and Coordination	Handouts Posted on Canvas
	Friday, August 26
2	Monday, August 29
	Wednesday, August 31
	Friday, September 2
3	Monday, September 5	Labor Day: No Class!
	Wednesday, September 7	Wealth and Affluence	Peter Singer, Famine, Affluence, and Morality: selections on Canvas Note: We will not meet in person on Friday.
	Friday, September 9
4	Monday, September 12	Career Choice	William MacAskill, Replaceability, Career Choice, and Making a Difference: Guest Speaker
	Wednesday, September 14	No Class: Meet with and finalize your groups for presentations
	Friday, September 16	Grandstanding	Tosi and Warmke, Moral Grandstanding (Sections I-II)
5	Monday September 19		Tosi and Warmke, Moral Grandstanding (Sections III)
	Wednesday, September 21		Ebenezer Scrooge: Man of Principle
	Friday, September 23	Honesty and Integrity	Susan Wolf, Moral Saints (419-427)
6	Monday, September 26		Susan Wolf, Moral Saints (427-439)
	Wednesday, September 28		Jennifer Saul, "Just God Ahead and Lie"
	Friday, September 30	Meet with your groups to prepare presentations
7	Monday, October 3	First Round of Presentations
	Wednesday, October 5
	Friday, October 7	FALL BREAK! No Class
8	Monday, October 10	Markets	Virgil Storr, Why The Market?
	Wednesday, October 12
	Friday, October 14		Virgil Storr and Ginny Seung Choi, Do Markets Corrupt Our Morals? (Selections)
9	Monday, October 17		John Thrasher, Do Markets Wreck the Planet? 215-226
	Wednesday, October 19		John Thrasher, Do Markets Wreck the Planet? 227-232
	Friday, October 21		Jason Brennan and Peter Jaworski, Markets Without Limits (Selections)
10	Monday, October 24	Wages and the Workplace	Jason Brennan, "Should Employers Pay a Living Wage?
	Wednesday, October 26
	Friday, October 28		Workplace abuse and Sexual Harassment: Readings On Canvas
11	Monday, October 31	2nd round Presentations
	Wednesday, November 2
	Friday, November 4
12	Monday, November 7	Immigration	Michael Huemer, "Is There a Right to Immigrate?"
	Wednesday, November 9
	Friday, November 11		Discussion on the right to immigrate: Optional Reading by Jason Brennan
13	Monday, November 14	Workplace Democracy	Elizabeth Anderson, Private Government, p. 37-48
	Wednesday, November 16		Elizabeth Anderson, Private Government, p. 48-61
	Friday, November 18		Elizabeth Anderson, Private Government, p. 61-71 Paper Draft Due
	Monday, November 21	Thanksgiving: No Class!
	Wednesday, November 23
	Friday, November 25
14	Monday, November 28	Workplace Democracy	Cowen's Response to Anderson, Private Government, p. 108-116
	Wednesday, November 30		Concluding Remarks on Private Gov't and Workplace Democracy: No Reading
	Friday, December 2	Outrage and Cancel Culture	Bhargava, Firm Responses to Mass Outrage: p. 379-387
15	Monday, December 5	Final Presentations
	Wednesday, December 7
	Friday, December 9
Finals	Monday, December 12	Finals: Papers and Summaries Due
	Wednesday, December 14
	Friday, December 16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title IX:

Tulane University recognizes the inherent dignity of all individuals and promotes respect for all people. As such, Tulane is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of discrimination including sexual and gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence like sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking. If you (or someone you know) has experienced or is experiencing these types of behaviors, know that you are not alone. Resources and support are available: you can learn more at allin.tulane.edu.  Any and all of your communications on these matters will be treated as either “Confidential” or “Private” as explained in the chart below. Please know that if you choose to confide in me I am required by the university to share your disclosure in a Care Connection to the Office of Case Management and Victim Support Services to be sure you are connected with all the support the university can offer.  The Office of University Sexual Misconduct Response and Title IX Administration is also notified of these disclosures.  You choose whether or not you want to meet with these offices. You can also make a disclosure yourself, including an anonymous report, through the form at tulane.edu/concerns.

 

 

Confidential

Private

Except in extreme circumstances, involving imminent danger to one’s self or others, nothing will be shared without your explicit permission.       §  Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) | (504) 314-2277   §  The Line (24/7) | (504) 264-6074   §  Student Health Center | (504) 865-5255   §  Sexual Aggression Peer Hotline and Education (SAPHE) | (504) 654-9543

Conversations are kept as confidential as possible, but information is shared with key staff members so the University can offer resources and accommodations and take action if necessary for safety reasons. §  Case Management & Victim Support Services | (504) 314-2160 or srss@tulane.edu §  Tulane University Police (TUPD) | Uptown - (504) 865-5911 | Downtown – (504) 988-5531 §  Office of University Sexual Misconduct Response and Title IX Administration | (504) 865-5611 or titleix@tulane.edu §  Student Affairs Professional On-Call (24/7) | (504) 920-9900

 

 

 

 

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement (EDI)

 

"Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are important Tulane values that drive excellence in our learning environments and help us build a supportive culture and climate for every member of our community  Diversity refers to many different identities and experiences that include the following and more: race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, military status, veteran status (or any other classification protected by applicable law). To live our values of EDI with one another, we acknowledge that each of us have areas of strength and growth in our EDI learning and competency that we each continuously work on to sustain EDI on our campus."

 

Emergency Preparedness & Response:

 

EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS: TU ALERT	SEVERE WEATHER
In the event of a campus emergency, Tulane University will notify students, faculty, and staff by email, text, and/or phone call. You were automatically enrolled in this system when you enrolled at the university.   Check your contact information annually in Gibson Online to confirm its accuracy.	§  Follow all TU Alerts and outdoor warning sirens §  Seek shelter indoors until the severe weather threat has passed and an all-clear message is given §  Do not use elevators §  Do not attempt to travel outside if weather is severe   Monitor the Tulane Emergency website (tulane.edu/emergency/) for university-wide closures during a severe weather event
ACTIVE SHOOTER / VIOLENT ATTACKER	EVERBRIDGE APP
RUN – run away from or avoid the affected area, if possible HIDE – go into the nearest room that can be locked, turn out the lights, and remain hidden until all-clear message is given through TU ALERT FIGHT – do not attempt this option, except as a last resort §  For more information or to schedule a training, visit emergencyprep.tulane.edu	§  Download the Everbridge app from the App Store or Google Play store §  The Report feature allows you to silently and discreetly communicate with TUPD dispatchers §  The SOS button allows you to notify TUPD if you need help §  The Safe Corridor button serves as a virtual escort and allows you to send check-in notifications to TUPD

From: Tulane Office of emergency preparedness and response