Course Description
Today the relationship between business firms and their external social constituencies is becoming increasingly complex. Over the past several decades, society has become increasingly concerned with such issues as corporate ethics, product safety, stockholder rights, environmental stewardship, job security, equal opportunity, and human rights. The globalization of business, the emergence of advocacy organizations in the United States and abroad, and new government regulations as well as international agreements have all significantly altered the job of managers and the nature of strategic decision-making within the firm.

This course will evaluate these developments and consider their implications for managerial practice. We begin with an overview of the social responsibility debate and methods of ethical reasoning in business. We next consider the relationship between business and government, recent trends towards deregulation, and patterns of political influence by business.

The main body of the course examines the relationship between business and its various stakeholders: stockholders, consumers, employees, and the community. We will then examine business's obligations with respect to the natural environment, including such issues as global warming and ozone depletion.

We will conclude with a final look at business's ethical obligations in a changing global order and at the future of business-society relations. The final module will include a special Web-based exercise. Discussion of cases, many drawn from contemporary press accounts, will form an integral part of the course material throughout the semester.

This page has been viewed 411 times since August 29, 2000.