Schedule of Assignments

Business and Consumer Ethics, Hettinger, Spring 2009

 

1.         Introduction

            a.         Interface executive Ray Anderson (see class webpage for interview)


Business Social Responsibility

2.         DesJardins and McCall, Contemporary Issues in Business Ethics, 5th edition (hereafter: Text)

            a.         Introductory material, Text 1-7

            b.         Milton Friedman "The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits" Text 7-11 (See Friedman obituary on class web page if interested)

3.         Editors' Analysis of Friedman's Article, Text 11-22

4.         The Corporation as a Social Institution, Text 64-76

            a.         Video: “The Corporation”

5.         Lynn Stout, “Bad and Not-So Bad Arguments for Shareholder Primacy,” Text 84-96

            a.         “The Corporation” continued

6.         Albert Carr, "Is Business Bluffing Ethical?" Text 243-250

7.         Oral Presentations #1 (Feb 3): Legal, Potentially Morally-Troubling, Business Practices

            a.         "Violence for Fun and Profit," Calvin and Hobbes available on Library E-Reserves (hereafter: E-Reserves), https://ereserve.cofc.edu/eres/default.aspx (Password: hettinger), and “Finding Drucker's vision in all that stuff” on class webpage

            b.         William Bennett and C. DeLores Tucker, “Smut-Free Stores” E-Reserves

            c.         Steve Turner, "Night Shift in a Pickle Factory" E-Reserves

            d.         James Kunstler, "They Came, They Conquered, They Closed" E-Reserves

            e.         Randy Cohern (The Ethicist), “Bad Business” (No Computer Privacy), NY Times Magazine, September 23, 2007 E-Reserves and “Email Privacy,” Text 233

            f.         “Buy American, or Else!” Text 282-83.

            g.         “Lying is essential to doing business” on class webpage

            h.         “Selling Guns: Negligent Marketing?” Text 316-318 and “Wal-Mart to log guns sold, then used in crimes” on class webpage

8.         Kenneth Goodpaster and John Matthews, "Can a Corporation Have a Conscience?" E-Reserves


Ethical Theory and the Market

9.         Oral Presentation #2 (Feb 10): Issues in Ethics and the Market

            a.         The Economist, “The rich, the poor and the growing gap between them - Inequality in America ” 2006 E-Reserves

            b.         John McCall, “Assessing Executive Compensation,” Text 102-105 (stop at “Challenging High Executive Pay”)

                        i.         Optional reading: “CEO pay chugs up in '07 despite economy” on class webpage

            c.         “One Life To Give” E-Reserves, “Boss Rewards Workers – by dividing $128 million” E-Reserves, and “Vatican’s New Seven Deadly Sins Include Being Filthy Rich” on class webpage

            d.         “Genetic Screening in the Workplace” Text 228-30 and "Insurance Fears Lead Many to Shun DNA Tests" on class webpage

            e.         “Levi’s Shrinks,” Text 176-77

            f.         “Martha Stewart, ImClone, and Insider Trading” Text 278-80

            g.         “Case Study: Accounting for Enron” Text 240-43

            h.         “Case Study: Caution: McDonald’s Coffee is HOT–And Its Food will Make you FAT!” Text 294-96

10.       Ch 2: “Utilitarianism and the Free Market” Text 23-43

11.       Same as above

12.       Ch 3: Rights and the Market, Text 44-63

13.       Same as above

14.       Patricia Werhane, “The Right to Due Process,” Text 136-41 and Ian Maitland “Rights in Workplace: A Nozickian Argument” Text 141-144


SPRING BREAK

 

15.       Midterm Exam (March 10)


Ethics and Advertising

16.       Oral Presentations #3 (March 12): Issues in Advertising and Marketing Ethics

            a.         “Political Advocacy Meets High-Tech Ad Agencies” Text 384

            b.         Marketing in School” Text 380 and “Critics Target Pizza Hut Reading Program” on class webpage

            c.         “Advertising’s Image of Women” Text 381-82

            d.          “Skin Deep: Never Too Young for That First Pedicure” on class webpage

            e.         “New, Improved, ...and Smaller” Text 383

            f.         “Case Study: Nike: Advertising, Marketing and Free Speech” Text 329-331

            g.         “Will ads, privacy collide?” E-Reserves

            h.         “Yellowstone nixes ads on Old Faithful Website” E-Reserves and “Look up in the Sky, it’s a bird, a plane, a space billboard?” E-Reserves and “Space Billboards Threaten Night Sky” E-Reserves

17.       Introductory material on advertising ethics, Text 323-329 and John McCall, "Deceptive Advertising," Text 332-337

18.       Robert Arrington, “Advertising and Behavior Control” Text 348-356

            a.         Michael Pollan, Processed Foods, Health and Misleading Advertising on class webpage


PAPER PROPOSAL DUE, FRIDAY, MARCH 20ST, 1PM, MAILBOX 14 GLEBE

 

19.       Lynn Sharp Paine, “Children as Consumers: An Ethical Evaluation of Children’s Television Advertising,” Text 366-73 and “Pediatricians say ads contribute to eating disorders, alcohol abuse” on class webpage

            a.         Optional supplemental reading: “Toy makers urged to redirect toy ads” on class webpage

 


20.       Ethics and Women in Business

            a.         Vicki Schultz, “Sex is the Least of It: Let’s Focus Harassment Law on Work, Not Sex” Text 203-207

            b.         “Women Wage Earners: Less is Best?” Text 467-68

            c.         “Hide the Wedding Ring” Text 470

            d.         Paul Campos, “Dying to be Thin” on class webpage

            e.         Randy Cohn (The Ethicist), “Cellphone Naughtiness,” E-Reserves


Business, Consumption, and the Environment

21.       Oral Presentations #4 (March 31): Issues in Business Environmental Ethics

            a.         “Global Warming,” p. 435 and "German City Wonders How Green Is Too Green" on class webpage

            b.         “Boomer v. Atlantic Cement Co” Text 435 and "EPA Says Life Is Worth Less" on class webpage

            c.         “The Detroit Project” Text 436 and "’Win, Win, Win’: Editorial in Favor of Gas Tax” on class webpage

            d.         “Pacific Lumber” Text 437

            e.         “Home Depot to Display an Environmental Label” E-Reserves

            f.         “France stepping up for greener globe,” E-Reserves

            g.         “Case Study Interface, Inc.: Sustainable Business,” Text 390-94

            h.          Juliet Schor, “Clothes Encounters” E-Reserves

22.       Juliet Schor, “Why Do We Consume So Much?” Text 373-379

23.       Jared Diamond, “What Is Your Consumption Factor” E-Reserves

            a.         Video: Aflunenza

24.       Normal Bowie, "Morality, Money, and Motor Cars" Text 404-09


PAPER DUE, FRIDAY, APRIL 10TH, 1PM, 14 GLEBE MAILBOX

 

25.       Amory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins, and Paul Hawken, “A Road Map for Natural Capitalism” Text 416-427


International Business and Development Ethics

26.       Oral Presentations #5 (April 16): Issues in International Business and Development Ethics

            a.         “Indonesian Corruption and Multinationals” Text 529-31

            b.         “Brazil: Economic Development versus Environmental Protection” Text 531-32

            c.         “‘When in Rome’: International Affirmative Action” Text 532-33

            d.         “Child and Bonded Labor: Business Responsibility for Supplier Practices” Text 533-34

                        i.         Optional supplemental reading on class website: “Fighting Child Labor Abroad”

            e.         “Drug Safety and the Third World,” Text 535

            f.         “Global Sludge Ends in Tragedy for Ivory Coast,” E-Reserves

            g.         Andrew Downie, “Fair Trade in Bloom” NY Times, E-Reserves

            h.         “Case Study: Africa, AIDS, and Drug Patents” Text 476-78

27.       Thomas Donaldson, “Rights in the Global Market” Text 478-91

28.       George Brenkert, “Marketing, The Ethics of Consumption, and Less-Developed Countries” Text 516-29