Business Ethics and Responsible Management

The idea that business should behave responsibly has perhaps never been more needed. Surely no business means to act irresponsibly, and yet almost every day you see examples in the media of businesses, and business people, that 'behave badly'. You will be familiar with the 'big' scandals- VW altering emissions data, Johnson and Johnson sued for not being entirely open on the addictiveness of opioid painkillers. On the module you will meet these, and more. We will ask what it is to behave badly - is it breaking the law? If so then that seems quite simple, the law breaker is in the 'wrong' (although, even then, that may be arguable). But we will look at more ideas too like is behaving unethically transgressing some 'rule' on what is acceptable behaviour? And if so, how do (indeed can) we agree what the 'rules' are and what 'good behaviour' is?

We will be exploring this, and what it means to be a responsible manager, in this module. You will do this by critically exploring the moral and ethical challenges in managing organisations and you will examine how managers, who are both under pressure to act in a more socially responsible and sustainable manner, and to hit performance targets, can approach their work with the tools of ethical thinking. You will look at how changing social attitudes and values have made organisations question their obligations to their stakeholders, as well as to wider society.

You will be introduced to some concepts that will challenge your thinking, such as what is a business for? Who is the business run on behalf of, and what responsibility do you as an individual have within the organisation to stay true to your values? Each week we will challenge you to define how you would act as an ethical leader. This module will contribute to your 'Business Readiness' through challenging you to debate what your values you and how you put them into practice.