Course detail

Ethics in Business

FAST-CZ52Acad. year: 2012/2013

Connection between ethics, economy and philosophy, history of ethics, overview of basic ethic directions and paradigms, personalities in history of ethics, importance of ethic cathegories to life, historic development changes in ethics, ethic inspiration for economy, new conceptions of ethics, ethics and morality, social events and ethics, relations between ethics, economis and business, economic pragmatism, utilitarism, liberalism, introduce to management of ethics, manager and ethics, firm strategy and ethics, ethics in firm philosophy, ethics in firm culture, ethical management, ethical codex, ethical auditing, manager moral development, ethics in firm culture, ethical dilemata in manager's activities, non-ethical examples in behavirou, corruption, lobbying, ways of solution.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

2

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

RNDr. Ing. Jaroslav Lindr, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Social Sciences (SPV)

Learning outcomes of the course unit

Knowledge of ethics as a social science. Orientation in theoretic conceptions of ethics and in historical development of ethic courses. Understanding of the importance of ethic thinking in the area of economy. Ability to aplicate of knowledge, information and practises in professional and personal life. Knowledge of ethic principles and their connections with management. Understanding of human change in firm culture, the manager's personality and the firm strategy. Skills of new thinking about economic principles in business with help of ethic dimension.

Prerequisites

The subject follows to knowledge gained in the course of secondary education in subject "Foundantions of Social Sciences" or "Civics", therefore no other technical or economical information is needed, knowledge of basic of law, psychology, sociology, philosophy, history, interest in ethic topics, recognising and knowledge of society, connection between sociology nad psychology, basic penzum of psychology and social psychology.

Co-requisites

Knowledge of economical theories, understanding of market workings and workings of market mechanisms, orientation in economic courses in history and nowadays, personalities of world and Czech economy, firm culture and strategy, styles of direction, the civil service, socio-psychological manager's characteristics, team management, social communication, direction of meetings, advertisiment and manipulation.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Teaching methods depend on the type of course unit as specified in the article 7 of BUT Rules for Studies and Examinations. Explanation is passed by word-teaching method in the form of lectures accompanied by rich presentation material. Every student prepare one's presentation on the chosen topic from the area of ethics which describe chosen topis from the area of ethics in praxis.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

Students show their orientation in theoretical and applied pedagogy in test from theoretical part. They also prepare the presentation of the chosen topic from ethics where students describe chosen ethics problem. Summary evaluation of students consists of testing student's theoretical knowledge of ethics (60%) and prezentation skills where students show ability to desribe and analyse problem of the area of theoretical or applied ethics (40%).

Course curriculum

1. Development of ethics in philosophy, developmental overview.
2. Concept of ethics. Traditional and modern conceptions.
3. Metamorphosis of the relations between ethics and business. Positivism, existentialism and materialism.
4. Corporate culture and identity, importance of ethics in management.
5. Importance of ethics, psychology and sociology for the economic way of thinking.
6. Relations between ethics, economics and business.
7. Directions in ethics: Economic pragmatism, utilitarianism, liberalism and neoliberalism.
8. Ethics in management in business: fundamentals and importance.
9. The manager and ethics - perspectives and changes.
10. Corporate strategy and ethics, ethics as a strategy?
11. Philosophical aspects of ethics, contemporary philosophy of business.
12. Modernism and postmodernism in ethics: corporate strategy.
13. Self-assessment exercise in the area of ethics and management.

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

Orientation in subject, ability to aplicate of knowledge, information and practises in professional and personal life.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

Extent and forms are specified by guarantor’s regulation updated for every academic year.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

ARZENBACHER, Arno: Úvod do etiky. Praha, Academia, 2001. ISBN 80-200-0953-1.
LINDR, Jaroslav: Etika v podnikání. M01 Nástin etiky, M02 Etická firemní strategie, M03 Implementace etiky. Brno: FAST, 2007. (CS)

Recommended reading

BEDRNOVÁ, Eva a NOVÝ, Ivan: Psychologie a sociologie řízení. Praha, Management Press, 2007. ISBN 978-80-7261-169-0.
BRÁZDOVÁ, Dagmar: Zásady společenského chování. Praha: Road, 1991. ISBN 80-85385-09-0.
KÁRNÍKOVÁ, Jitka: Etika v podnikání a řídící práci. Praha, VŠE, 1997. ISBN 80-7079-524-7.
KOHOUTEK, Rudolf a ŠTĚPANÍK, Jaroslav: Psychologie práce a řízení. Brno: Cerm, 2000. ISBN 80-214-1552-5.
RIEGEL, Karel: Etika a psychologie v podnikání. Praha, Karolinum, 2006. ISBN 80-246-1118-X.
SINGER, Peter: Practical ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
ŠAFRÁNKOVÁ, Jana: Sociologie pro techniky. Praha: ČVUT, 1992. ISBN 80-01-00791-X. (CS)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme N-K-C-SI Master's

    branch V , 1 year of study, summer semester, elective
    branch E , 1 year of study, summer semester, elective

  • Programme N-P-C-SI Master's

    branch E , 1 year of study, summer semester, elective

  • Programme N-P-E-SI Master's

    branch E , 1 year of study, summer semester, elective
    branch V , 1 year of study, summer semester, elective

  • Programme N-P-C-SI Master's

    branch V , 1 year of study, summer semester, elective

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

RNDr. Ing. Jaroslav Lindr, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1. Introduction to ethics. Importance of ethics. Ethics and philosophy, development owerview.
2. Concepts of ethics. Traditional and modern conception. History of ethics.
3. The important ethical paradigms and personalities in history. Ethics in antiquity and the Middle Ages.
4. Ethics in Modern Ages, present ethical discourses. Metamorphosis in the relations between ethics and business. Pozitivism, existencialism and materialism.
5. Directions in ethics: economic pragmatism, utilitarism, liberalism and neoliberalism.
6. Basic elements of the ethic theories. Corporate culture and identity. Importance of ethics for the economical way of thinking.
7. Relation between ethics, economics and business. Ethics in direction, personal morality and corporate ethics, ethical-professional manager's character.
8. Ethics in management and business, fundamentals and importance. Ethical integration into business. Social firm responsibility.
9. The manager and ethics - perspectives and changes. Development of a manager personality.
10. Corporate strategy and ethics, ethics as a strategy? Implementation of ethics to firm strategy.
11. Ethical codex. Ethical auditing of a firm. A variety of ethical codexes. Non-ethical examples in behaviour.
12. Practical aspects of ethics, ethical elements in strategy planning. Modernism and postmodernism in ethics, corporate strategy.
13. Self-assessment exercise in the area of ethics and management. Ethical-social katechism.