Jindal Global Business School

Course Outline

Course Title Business Ethics and Corporate Social

Responsibility
Core or Elective Core
Program and Batch MBA-2021
Semester & Academic Year Spring 2023
Credits 3
Discipline/Area Strategy-General Management
Provide details, if this course is a Prerequisite for NA
any course/specialization
Name of the Faculty Member/Course Instructor Prof. Paribhasha Sharma, Prof. Archana
Poonia
Contact Details of the Faculty Member [email protected]
[email protected]
Contact Details of Support Staff [email protected],
Faculty Member’s Open Office Day/s & Time TBD

Introduction to the Course

The course is designed to highlight the importance of business ethics and corporate citizenship in
management education. The course sensitizes students towards their larger responsibility towards the
society. The changing business environment of current times has increased the need for business
managers to deal, negotiate and function along with other stakeholders in society. While the shareholders’
interests are crucial for a business, this course aims to provide the students with an understanding of
stakeholders and examine different ways in which businesses interact with them and the moral dilemmas
involved therein. The course will discuss the values based on which capitalist corporations’ function and
how it might affect the performance of ethical and moral values within business practices. In light of the
discussion on capitalist values and the moral and ethical dilemmas it creates, the course will also explore
alternative ways of organizing and building innovative enterprises centred on values that ensure the
interests of business stakeholders in a better manner. The course would engage with modernist ethical
theories, like utilitarianism, ethics of duty, and rights and justice to equip students with the conceptual
tools required for ethical leadership and decision-making using examples from real business situations.
The course not only gives an understanding of business ethics but also focuses on how to identify and
analyze ethical dilemmas.

Course Learning Objectives

At the end of the course, students should be able to
1. CLO01- Develop awareness towards local and global business issues
2. CLO02- Critically analyze and examine ethical issues from different perspectives
3. CLO03- Identify stakeholder’s interests in problems of the organizations

Programme Competency Goals

MBA Programme Competency Goals MBA Programme Learning Objectives (PLOs)

(PCGs) Students will be able to
1 Technological Agility: Ability to adopt 1. Understand relevant business technologies
relevant technologies for better business 2. Understand future technologies in business domain 
decision making.
2 Responsible Global Citizenship: 3. Understand the interplay between local and global
Ability to understand the interplay business issues
between local and global issues and to 4. Demonstrate sensitivity towards ethical issues
act with sensitivity towards ethical and 5. Demonstrate sensitivity towards social issues
social issues
6. Address societal issues
3 Effective communication: Ability to 7. Present their ideas with clarity
effectively exchange ideas and 8. Prepare an organized and logical business document
information
9. Use technology for effective communication
4 Critical Thinking: Ability to identify, 10. Identify main issues of business problems
analyze business problems and propose 11. Examine information from different sources
effective solutions
12. Draw inferences from analysis
13. Evaluate alternatives
14. Summarize and conclude
5 Leadership: Ability to take initiative, 15. Take initiative
inspire and collaborate with others 16. Contribute effectively in groups

CLO-PLO-PCG Assessments Mapping Matrix

Course Learning Program Learning Program Competency Course Assessment

Outcomes (CLOs) Objectives (PLOs) Goals (PCGs) Item
On successful This course helps you to This course helps you to This learning
completion of the develop the following develop the following outcome will be
course, students should Program Learning Program Competency assessed in the
be able to: Outcomes: Goals: following items
CLO1. Develop PLO3, PLO4, PLO5, PCG2 A1, A2, A3, A4
awareness towards local PLO6
and global business
issues
 CLO2. Critically PLO7, PLO8, PLO9, PCG3, PCG4 A1, A2, A3, A4
analyze and examine PLO10, PLO11, PLO12,
ethical issues from PLO13, PLO14
different perspectives

CLO3. Identify PLO10, PLO11, PLO12, PCG4 A1, A2, A3, A4

stakeholder’s interests in PLO13, PLO14
problems of the
organizations

Evaluation Schema

The assessments will remain the same in offline and online mode of delivery. The course grade will be
determined based on:

Assessment Assessment Weightage Nature Week of PLOs to be Assessed

Item Task Assessment
A1 Class 10% Individual Throughout PLO3, PLO4, PLO5,
Participation the course PLO6, PLO7, PLO10,
and civility PLO11
A2 Midterm 20% Individual 8th week PLO3, PLO4, PLO5,
PLO6, PLO7, PLO10,
PLO11
A3 Project 12% + 8% Individual Weeks 13-15 PLO7, PLO8, PLO9,
Assignment PLO10, PLO11, PLO12,
with peer PLO13, PLO14
grading
A4 End Term 50% Individual In PLO3, PLO4, PLO5,
Exam Examination PLO6, PLO7, PLO8,
Week PLO10, PLO11, PLO12,
PLO13, PLO14

Description of Assessments:
A1 – Class Participation and civility

Class Participation maybe captured variously in multiple sessions and formats, including guest lectures.
For e.g., reflective notes, verbal participation in class, participation in guest lectures, etc. Students will be
marked for their punctuality, class decorum, active engagement in the discussions (quality of the
discussion, response towards fellow students) and raising of relevant questions throughout the course. The
participation marks in each class will be marked on a scale of 0-2. 

A2 – Midterm

Closed book pen & paper-based midterm exam will be conducted in the 8 th week. Pen-paper-based
mid-term examination of 20 marks. The duration of the mid-term exam will be 90 minutes.
A3 –Ethical Dilemma Audit Project

Each student will conduct an ethical audit of the organization they know well ( they should ideally choose
the organizationa in which they have done their internship) and submit a paper. The weightage for the
paper is 12%. In the paper, the student have to include organization profile, identify likely ethical issues
in the organization based on the course content, describe how the organiation currently handles such
issues/handled the issues, whether you agree or disagree with the approach as well as describe design
solutions that may minimize these ethical issues. The word limit for the paper is 2,000 words (1 spaced,
12 point font, Times New Roman; exhibits extra) and submit over UMS on or before the due date. The
final paper submissions are only in MSWORD format.

Each student has to read and grade 4 paper which will be anonymyzed. The weightage for the paper is
8%. The rubric for grading is shared below. In this process, each student gets to understand not just one
ethical dilemma but 5.

Students are not permitted to copy from websites and they will be penalized if found copying/lifting from
the website (There will be a plagiarism check). However they can quote the source and accession at the
end of the text. All word documents should be in standard report formats with required headings to make
for easy reading. They should be as per the above guidelines and on a A4 paper with 1-inch default
margin. In general appendices and tables do not count towards the page limit. Please use the tables and
appendices judiciously and only where appropriate.

A4 – End term Examination

It will be a closed book, sit-down pen and paper exam, covering the lecture materials, relevant chapters
from the textbook (see course schedule), and in-class discussion.

Rubrics for Assessment

A1: Class Participation
The participation marks in each class will be marked on a scale of 0-2. 

CP Marks Total
Does not contribute at all 0
Provides information that is mostly accurate supported by evidence 1
Contributes to the class discussion with insightful reflections relevant to the current 2
discussion supported with evidence and shows respects and interest in viewpoints of
others

A3: Ethical Dilemma Audit Project

Students will be graded on following parameters:

Parameter Marks Does not meet Meet expectation

expectation
Analysis (Relevantly connecting 10 Minimal application Consistent and highly insightful
ethical concepts/theories as of research theories application of ethical
discussed in the class to topic)  to topic theories/concepts to topic. Plentiful
detail/ clearly explained
 
Logical Flow (Whether the 2 Organization of Organization of ideas extremely
organization of ideas is clear or ideas not clear. clear.
not), ccitations and referencing
Presentation does Proper citation (including in-text
not develop citation) and references used
audience interest
due to poor
engagement
techniques.
Peer Grading 8 Minimal effort; Treat this assignment carefully by
random grading reading and provide feedback

Teaching Method

The course will have a judicious mix of lectures and case discussions covering all the relevant subjects.
Here the onus of learning will be with the student and the instructor will be a facilitator. Instead of
learning ‘what to do’, the readings and cases will also be used as examples of real-world phenomenon
where a particular issue or set of issues arises and good and bad practices are seen. The key to learning
this way is to see many examples and many situations and learning inductively from the different
experiences of student managers. The core readings will constitute the minimum required reading.
Additional articles, videos and news items will be shared as the class progresses.

Text Book / Course Package / Other Readings

The required text books for the course include the following:

# Title Author Code Weeks

1 Business Ethics- Managing Corporate TB 1 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8,
Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age Andrew Crane, Dirk 9, 10
of Globalization 5th Edition (2019) Matten, Sarah Glozer,
Oxford University Press and Laura Spence
2 Business Ethics: A Textbook with Cases, William.H. Shaw TB 2 3, 4, 5
9th Edition (2017)
Wadsworth/Cengage Publishers
3 Business Ethics, Ethical Decision O.C. Ferrell, John. TB 3 11
Making & Cases, 12th Edition (2019) Fraedrich and Linda
Boston, MA: Prentice Hall Ferrell

In addition to the textbook, there are other supporting articles for each session. These materials are
available publicly and/or in the library. The required readings in the class schedule are provided below. I
will assume that you have done those readings when you come to the class. The discussions will take the
book material as a starting point and probe deeper into the issues. If something in the material is not clear
to you, please do not hesitate to ask.
Guest Lectures

Guest Speakers Week #

S. No. Faculty member(s)
[Name, designation, and company] (Tentative)

1. Mr. Koushal Sinha, Dy Head, CSR, Tata

Metalliks Week 7
1 Prof. Paribhasha 2. Akshay Syal (Regional Head of Ethics and
Compliance - Group Functions Oxford University Week 11 
Press)
To be shared after confirmation with the guest Week 7
2 Prof. Archana Poonia
speakers Week 10

Session Plan (Each session is of 90 minutes’ duration)

Session Details PLOs Covered
Session 1 Introduction: Relevance of Ethics in Business
Objective of At the end of the first session, you will have a basic
the Session understanding of the concept of business ethics and its
importance at both an academic level and in terms of practical PLO3-7
management in different types of organizations. You will also
learn how globalization represents a critical context for business
ethics.
Subtopics to Definition of business ethics, importance of ethics for managers,
be covered business ethics in various organizational contexts, globalization
and ethics, sustainability
Readings Chapter 1 of the textbook (TB 1)
Carr, Z. A. (1968). Is Business Bluffing Ethical? Harvard
Business Review, January – February.
Caruci, R. (2016). Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices.
Harvard Business Review
Case title and NA
Number
Pedagogy Lecture and discussion
Class Exercise Think of an ethical dilemma you or someone you know has faced
in business/personal life. How did/would you deal with it and
why?

Session 2 Framing Business Ethics: Corporate Responsibility,

Stakeholders, and Citizenship PLO3–7
Objective of At the end of the session, you will know different ways of
the Session framing business ethics in the context of the corporation being
part of a wider society. You will have an overview of concepts
such as corporate social responsibility and stakeholder theory,
that leads on to an analysis of key contemporary concepts such as
corporate accountability and corporate citizenship which offer
important conceptual space for understanding business ethics
beyond its traditional boundaries
Subtopics to Why corporations have social responsibilities? corporate social
be covered responsibility in terms of its levels, strategies, and outcomes,
stakeholder theory of the firm, concepts of corporate citizenship,
 accountability, and transparency to the political role of
corporation, the implications of applying these theories and
concepts to different international contexts.
Readings Chapter 2 of the textbook (TB 1)
Milton Friedman, The Social Responsibility of Business is to
Increase its Profits, New York Times Magazine (September 13,
1970)
Mayer, C. (2021). The future of the corporation and the
economics of purpose. Journal of Management Studies, 58(3),
887-901.
Stout, L. A. (2012). The Problem of Corporate Purpose
The Business Roundtable, Statement on the Purpose of the
Corporation, 2019

Case title and American Apparel: a new fashion for CSR? (P.80 of TB 1)
Number
Pedagogy Lecture and case discussion

Sessions 3 Evaluating Business Ethics: Normative Ethical Theories and PLO10-14

and 4 Justice and Economic Distribution
Objective of By the end of this session, you will have an understanding of the
the Session role of normative ethical theory for ethical decision-making in
business, the international differences in perspectives on
normative ethical theory, applicability of Western modernist
ethical theories, i.e. utilitarianism, ethics of duty, and rights and
justice. You will also be able to appreciate the Indian concept of
Dharma on ethics. You should be able to understand and apply
alternative ethical theories, i.e. virtue ethics, feminist ethics,
discourse ethics, and postmodernism and conduct a pluralist
business ethics evaluation
Subtopics to Teleological, deontological and alternative ethical theories
be covered
Readings Chapter 3 of the textbook (TB 1)
Chapter 2 & 3 of textbook (TB 2)
Caselets from the textbooks
Moral Theory, Frameworks, and the Language of Ethics and
Business – by Robert Neal and Philip L. Cochran

Case title and NA

Number
Pedagogy Lecture and case discussion

Session 5 The Nature of Capitalism and Corporations PLO3-7

Objective of By the end of the session, you would have gained an
the Session understanding on the nature of capitalism, key features of
capitalism, moral justification and criticisms of capitalism. You
will also learn about limited-liability company, corporate moral
agency, differing views of corporate responsibility and
institutionalizing ethics within corporations
Subtopics to Historical background of Capitalism, key features of Capitalism,
be covered concept of limited liability, corporate moral agency, debate
 around CSR, institutionalizing ethics within Corporations
Readings Chapter 4 & 5 of textbook (TB 2)

Case title and NA

Number
Pedagogy Lecture and discussion

Session 6 Making decisions in Organizations: Descriptive Ethical PLO10-14

Theories
Objective of By the end of this session, you should be able to explain why
the Session ethical and unethical decisions get made in the workplace, specify
the characteristics of a decision with ethical content, understand a
basic ethical decision-making model, critically evaluate the role
of individual differences in shaping ethical decision-making and
critically evaluate the role of situational influences on ethical
decision-making, including both issue-based and context-based
factors
Subtopics to Ethical decision, ethical decision-making models, importance of
be covered differences between individuals in shaping ethical decision-
making, importance of situational influences on ethical decision-
making (issues and context based)
Readings Chapter 4 of the textbook (TB 1)
Case title and NA
Number
Pedagogy Lecture and case discussion

Session 7 Managing Business Ethics PLO3–7,

Objective of By the end of this session, you should be able to critically PLO10-14
the Session examine the role of codes of ethics in managing the ethical
behaviour of employees, current theory and practice regarding the
management of stakeholder relationships and partnerships and
understand different ways of organizing for the management of
business ethics
Subtopics to Codes of ethics, social accounting, auditing and reporting in
be covered assessing ethical performance
Readings Chapter 5 of the textbook (TB 1)
Case title and Siemens: engineering change in anti-corruption (P. 221 of the
Number textbook TB 1) – ELS 2
Pedagogy Lecture and case discussion

Sessions 8-11 The Corporate Citizen and Its Stakeholders PLO10-14

Objective of By the end of this session, you should be able to understand the
the Session concept of the stakeholders and the various stakeholders who are
directly or indirectly affected by a firm’s functioning
Subtopics to Stakeholder management with respect shareholders, employees,
be covered civil society, Government and regulations
Readings Chapter 6-11 of the textbook (TB 1)
Case title and Himachal Fertilizer Corporation: An Ethical Conundrum,
Number The Case Research Journal, NACRA (2015)
Hitting the wall: Nike & International Labor practices
Apple and Its Suppliers: Corporate Social Responsibility
 Pedagogy Lecture and discussion

Session 12 Ethical Leadership PLO3–7,

Objective of By the end of this session, you should be able to define ethical PLO10-14
the Session leadership, its requirements, its benefits, its impact on
organizational culture, as well as learn leadership styles and
ethical decisions
Subtopics to Define ethical leadership and its requirements, benefits and
be covered impact of ethical leadership, different styles of conflict
management and leadership
Readings Chapter 11 of the textbook (TB 3)
Treviño, L.K., Hartman, L.P., and Brown, M. (2000). Moral
person and moral manager: how executives develop a reputation
for ethical leadership. California Management Review, 42 (4):
128–42
Case title and Building a backdoor to the iPhone: An Ethical Dilemma
Number
Pedagogy Lecture and class discussion

Session 13-14 Sustainability: Ethical and Social Responsibility Dimensions PLO3-7

Objective of By the end of this session, you should be able to define
the Session sustainability, relate sustainability to ethical decision making and
social responsibility, examine global environmental issues and
provide strategic directions for implementation of sustainability
Subtopics to Sustainability from ethical perspective, sustainable consumption,
be covered global environmental issues
Readings Relevant readings will be shared before class
Short cases on ethical dilemmas
Internalising the externalities: Can firms be made accountable for
their carbon emissions? The Economist, Jul 21st 2022
Kelley E. Currie, Here Comes the Sun: ESG and Dirty Solar
Supply Chains

Case title and Unilever's Lifebuoy in India: Implementing the Sustainability

Number Plan
Pedagogy Lecture and discussion

Session 15 Revision PLO-01 - 10

Disability Support  

JGU endeavours to make all its courses accessible to students.  The Disability Support Committee (DSC)
has identified conditions that could hinder a student's overall wellbeing. These include physical and
mobility-related difficulties, visual impairment, hearing impairment, mental health conditions, and
intellectual/learning difficulties, e.g., dyslexia and dyscalculia. Students with any
known disability needing academic and other support are required to register with the Disability Support
Committee (DSC) by following the procedure specified at https://jgu.edu.in/disability-support-
committee/
 
Students who need support may register any time during the semester up until a month before the end
semester exam begins. Those students who wish to continue receiving support from the previous
semester, must re-register within the first month of a semester. Last-minute registrations and support
might not be possible as sufficient time is required to make the arrangements for support. 
 
The DSC maintains strict confidentiality about the identity of the student and the nature of
their disability and the same is requested from faculty members and staff as well. The DSC takes a strong
stance against in-class and out-of-class references made about a student's disability without their consent
and disrespectful comments referring to a student's disability. 
 
All general queries are to be addressed to [email protected]