Module 3 Overview & Objectives

Overview

The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and to influence their actions. - John Hancock: American merchant

The focus of this module is the role of ethics and social responsibility in business decision-making.

  • What is business ethics?
  • Why it is important to understand the role of ethics in business?

We are facing extraordinary times (consider COVID) and there is a pressing need to recognize ethical issues when they arise. We will explore the issues in this module. 

In this module, we will consider the steps businesses can take to improve ethical behavior in their organizations.  We do not have to choose ethics over profits or profits over ethics. Profits and ethics can be achieved together.

We'll dive into an interesting Warby Parker and VisionSpring Case Study. The two organizations work together to achieve their social and ethical visions. Both have very interesting business models and clear visions for socially conscious and ethically-run businesses. You will use information from the case study to complete the Mini Case Ethical Dilemma Assignment. 

Note: In order to prepare for the next module's assignment - Interview a Business Owner - you will want to schedule an appointment soon to interview a business owner. There is an assignment in this module to help you prepare for that.

 

Objectives

By the end of this module, you will:

  1. Describe the philosophies and concepts that shape personal ethical standards.
  2. Explain how organizations encourage ethical business behavior.
  3. Describe trends in ethical and corporate social responsibility.