COURSE TITLE: Business Law and Ethics
COURSE TITLE: Business Law and Ethics
COURSE #: MBA-3006
QUARTER/TERM OFFERED: Spring 2024
COURSE DATES: 1 April 2024-10 June 2024
PROFESSOR
Name: Deeann L. Bruno, MATP, MAEd
Email: d.bruno@sofia.edu
My preferred contact is via email and my intention is to respond within 24 hours.
OFFICE HOURS If you would like to meet with me, please send me an email with your preferred dates and times so that we can coordinate a meeting.
Additionally, students are encouraged to attend the following 3 on-campus sessions. These are required, and they are scheduled in advance to allow students face-to-face time with the professor for general questions and discussion regarding the course themes and to connect in real-time with classmates.
Location: Palo Alto campus 1069 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Week 3, April 21: 3-8pm Pacific Standard Time
Week 6, May 12: 3-8pm Pacific Standard Time
Week 9, June 2: 3-8pm Pacific Standard Time
All students must attend or be marked absent. Absenteeism affects GPA. Students must be on time and stay the entire session to be considered present. Make-up work may be assigned to help with the participation grade.
PROFESSOR'S PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING
I taught for over ten years as a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Military Training Specialist. From my training in the USCG with their performance-based learning environment as well as during my masters in education for Curriculum, Teaching and Learning with Educational Technology at Sonoma State University I know that curriculum has been designed to fill some need for the organization whether it is a college, university, military, corporation, or other learning environment. As a professor/teacher/instructor I am under obligation to communicate the curriculum for the administration, and it is part of my job to find an effective methodology in order to make that happen while providing a safe learning environment for you as a student where dialogue can easily happen.
I am passionate and learn every time I teach. One of the workshops I taught in the USCG was the Path of Dialogue, a communication course, and according to that curriculum you must have Mutual Purpose while maintaining Mutual Respect in order to achieve Mutual Agreement. I believe that the professor and students have mutual purpose in communicating about the curriculum. Maintaining mutual respect means each person in the learning situation will actively listen and speak their truth in a non-violent way. Mutual agreement to me means finding/achieving application of the curriculum.
I hope to engage with you and tap into your personal experience as it relates to the curriculum. I also believe that students must also do their part; paraphrasing Patrick Slattery (2006) in the Introduction to Curriculum Development in the Postmodern Era: I can teach you the steps of a dance, but you will have to hear your own music. In order to achieve/find the curriculum application I expect that you will put in your best effort to learn the dance (curriculum); remember you get out what you put in. I want you to engage with the material, the other students, and me. I have found when everyone is engaged there can be an infectious passion which can lead to learning that is exciting and fun for everyone involved. I hope you will join me in the curriculum dance.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course introduces students to the basic legal frameworks for business, and fundamental legal issues involved in conducting business. Topics include legal systems, forms of business, corporate law, duties to shareholders, shareholders rights and liabilities, intellectual property, unfair competition, antitrust law, contract law, employment law. Students will explore how law shapes managerial behavior and will learn to apply ethical principles and arguments in business settings while coping with external factors such as laws, regulation, politics, and local customs. Students will explore how ethics, activism, and law shape tradeoffs across the triple bottom line (economic, social, and environmental), and will learn to apply theories of corporate social responsibility and principles of responsible investment, as well analytical tools for ethical decision-making.
TIME OF CLASS
Day of week: Each module spans the Monday through Sunday of each week.
Time: Attendance and timeliness are based on weekly participation and posting within class discussions. While each module spans 7 days, participation is expected before the 7th day to allow time for engagement with classmates and the professor. Posting and assignment timelines are found within the assignment descriptions below and in each module in Canvas.
PREREQUISITES & PRIORITY REGISTRATION
The following courses are required in order to take this course: none.
Priority Registration: Students in the following program will receive priority registration for this course (all others will be admitted if space allows): None.
The course is: Open Closed Requires permission of Program Chair Other course requirements: None
The Course Learning Objectives are as follows:
Describe local, state, federal and Constitutional law and legal principles and apply them to business processes and scenarios.
Explain how business ethics and law work together to facilitate sound business decisions and actions.
Describe cyber-law and apply cyber-law to business processes and scenarios to ensure legal compliance and protection to the business.
Describe intellectual property and anti-trust laws and apply them to business decisions and actions for legal compliance and protection to business assets.
Describe contract law and apply it to ensure sound contract formation and execution.
Describe business tort and product liability laws for legal compliance and business protection.
Describe consumer protection laws, employee protection laws, and environmental protection laws and apply them to ensure legal compliance and business protection.
COURSE READING*
Carpenter, M. A. & Dunung, S. P. (2011). International Business. Saylor Foundation
ISBN 13: 9781453312995
* This text is available as a PDF in Canvas during the course.
Class Outline:
Instruction will consist of lectures, short videos, and reading assignments. Each in-person class will include interactive and group activities. Students are expected to have read the material assigned for each week before class.
Please note that Any changes to the below information will be announced in the online Canvas classroom.
Dates Module Module Name/Topic Readings** & Media Assignments
Apr 1-14 1 Introduction to International Business, Law, and Ethics Textbook Chapter 3: Culture and Business
Articles:
Contribution of Yoga to Business Ethics Education
Digital Simulation: Applying Critical Thinking to the Practice of Ethical Decision Making
The Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business and Quick Facts Bribery Offenses.
What are cultural barriers in business?
Videos:
International Business: Ethical Conflicts Introductions Discussion
Discussion week 1
Discussion week 2
Ethics Research Essay
Apr 15-28 2 Human Rights & International Labor Ethics Textbook Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 4: World Economies
Articles:
Global Business Ethics Survey
GBES Country Profile China
An Educational Intervention on Chinese Business Students Orientation Towards Corporate Social Responsibility.
How to Navigate the Ethical Risks of Doing Business in China
Importance of Ethics in International Business
Levi Strauss & Co in China
Videos:
What is Business Ethics
International Business: Ethical Conflicts
Doing Business in China is difficult. A clash over human rights is making it harder. Discussion week 3
Discussion week 4
Article Summary
Ethics Research Essay
Apr 29-May 12 3 International Trade & Global Trade Law TextbookChapter 2: International Trade and Foreign Direct Investment
Chapter 9: Exporting, Importing, and Global Sourcing
Chapter 10: Strategy and International Business
Articles:
Ethical Decision Making.
EU Digital Policy and International Trade
International Labour Organization Standards
How to develop Ethical Leaders
Trade between two unequal partners
Videos
Norman Bowie, A Kantian Approach to Business Ethics | Organizations as Moral Communities Discussion week 5
Discussion week 6
Article Summary
Ethics Research Essay
May 13-26 4 Intellectual Property, Global Justice, & International Finance and Taxation Textbook Chapter 5: Global and Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration
Chapter 11: Global Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship
Chapter 13: Harnessing the engine of Global Innovation
Articles:
Promoting Ethical Behaviours
The Way Forward for Intellectual Property Internationally
Videos:
India's Free Trade Agreements
What are the key Laws governing the Banking sector in India
Regulating AI Systems without Stifling Innovation: A Look at Regulation, Ethics, and Innovation
The Future of Resilience Finance: Ethics of Finance Diplomacy Discussion week 7
Discussion week 8
Article Summary I
Article Summary II
May 27-June 9 5 Global Climate Change and International Environmental Laws Textbook Chapter 14: Competing Effectively through Global Marketing, Distribution, and Supply-Chain Management
Chapter 15: Understanding the Roles of Finance and Accounting in Global Competitive Advantage
Articles:
DEI Maturity: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at a Not-for-Profit Organization. Discussion week 9
Discussion week 10
Case Tournament Draft Submission
Case Tournament Presentation
** Articles listed above will be provided in Canvas during the course.
DESCRIPTION OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:
Module 1 Ethics Research Essay
Read the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business and Quick Facts Bribery Offenses then follow the General Ethics Research Essay Instructions.
Module 2 Article Summary
The assignment is to read the article: How to Navigate the Ethical Risks of Doing Business in China then follow the Article Summary General Instructions.
Module 2 Ethics Research Essay
Read the Levi Strauss & Co. in China then follow the General Ethics Research Essay Instructions.
Module 3 Article Summary
The assignment is to read the article: How to Develop Ethical Leaders, then follow the Article Summary General Instructions.
Module 3 Ethics Research Essay
Read Trade between two unequal partners, then follow the General Ethics Research Essay Instructions.
Module 4 Article Summary 1
The assignment is to read the article: The Way Forward for Intellectual Property Internationally, then follow the Article Summary General Instructions.
Module 4 Article Summary 2
The assignment is to read the article: Global Justice Index Report 2020, then follow the Article Summary General Instructions.
Ethics Essay General Instructions
After reading the Article, use steps 1-4 of the Rock 12-step approach to analyze the following components:
1. State the nature of the ethical issue youve initially spotted.
2. List the relevant facts
3. Identify stakeholders
4. Clarify the underlying values
General Instructions: The corresponding appraisal must follow each step of your analysis. Look for relevant literature on the part of the case that is of interest by analyzing facts and ethical ramifications of the business practices. This is an opportunity to practice a case study analysis. Do not use quotes; instead, put the ideas and analysis into your own words. Your submission should be between 2-3 pages with support for scholarly and legal resources. There should be a title page, and all sources should be listed according to APA 7th edition guidelines, excluding the reference page which must follow Sofia University Writing and Style Handbook guidelines.
Article Summary General InstructionsAfter you have finished reading the article, you are to write a summary of the main points in the article.
Your summary must accurately capture the main points and concepts discussed in the article. This illustrates your reading, comprehending, and pulling out important information.
Your summary must emphasize concepts and guidelines rather than descriptions. In other words, the summary should focus on explaining what, why, and how to navigate the issues identified in your summary. For example, descriptive information should appear in your summary only if it illustrates ethical concepts and guidelines.
The summary must be written in your own words. Do not merely copy phrases from the article. Do not use quotes in your summary. Please use your own words with support from the article content.
The summary should be two to three pages, not including the title and reference pages.
Case Tournament PresentationThe signature assignment for this course is an International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Tournament held online and on the campus of Sofia University during the final 3 modules of the course including the in-person campus meeting. Teams of 3-5 members will compete in 3 competitions during the event:
Online:Develop and post a 90-second elevator pitch explaining the ethical dilemmaand the importance of sustainability component of the problem from your case article.
Online:Create a 10-minute trailer or preview of the business case, including the ethical, sustainable, legal, and financial aspects. Each team will incorporate the suggestions given through feedback and comments from the discussion board forum. Each team will integrate the feedback in preparation for the 25-minute on-ground presentation.
Onground:The 25-minute tournament, in which teams will present a business case and give a full presentation analyzing the ethical, sustainable, legal, and financial aspects of a problem and present a viable, practical, sustainable solution.
Project Team 1: Case Article:The Dangers of Being a Female Rideshare Driver in Jakarta
Project Team 2:Case Article:Platforming Human Trafficking: Tweeting Human Auctions in the Middle East
Project Team 3: Case Article:Global Hating
Project Team 4: Case Article:The Case for Human Rights Due Diligence Laws in the United Kingdom
The competition will begin online duringModules 3-4in the discussion forum during weeks 6 & 7.The tournament will conclude in person on the Sofia University campus duringModule 5week 9 in Palo Alto, CA.
During the 3rd in-class live session, each group will present a 25-minute business case and give a full presentation analyzing the ethical, sustainable, legal, and financial aspects of a problem and present a viable, practical, sustainable solution.
For the presentation, Integrate the details and facts from your case article, the additional resources provided, the course materials, and other researched sources. Please use the outline below to provide structure and support for your case analysis:
Identify the relevant facts
Identify the possible policies / decision centers /outcomes / influences.
Analyze each aspect; reject if prima facie unjust
Identify the principles and values
Identify the consequences
Identify the applicable laws, regulations, or ethical contexts involved.
Identify and analyze the tradeoffs
Analyze the ethical issues with respect to the laws
Analyze the ethical issues with respect to the relevant professional code(s) of ethics
Draw and justify a conclusion
Write a cogent summary of your analysis and reasoning.
EVIDENCE AND CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION*
See the Rubric at the end of the syllabus for specific evaluation criteria.
INCOMPLETES AND LATE PAPERS
Posts and/or papers submitted after the deadline will have a deduction in points made and may result in a grade of Incomplete. Please contact the professor as soon as possible if there are circumstances that require late postings or submissions.
CLASS ATTENDANCE/POSTING REQUIREMENTS
Full attendance on this course is mandatory for adequate student learning. Any missed classes will result in points deducted from your overall grade. For weeks where we are not meeting in person, arrival on time is determined by engagement in the weekly discussion during the week of the discussion. A minimum of 80% attendance is required to pass the class, regardless of the total points received.
Attendance is determined by active presence and participation in the course each week (i.e., posting within the discussion forums). Attendance is posted by Sunday at midnight of each week of the course. An absence of participation in the discussions will result in an absence in the course for that week. If you know that will be absent or unable to participate in a course assignment for any reason, please communicate directly with me.
Posting requirements include an original post for each discussion and responses to at least 2 classmates unless otherwise stated by the professor. See STANDARDS FOR COURSE ASSIGNMENT EVALUATION below for more detailed information about posting requirements and evaluation criteria.
APA STANDARDS
Classwork should be scholarly work in APA style exploring a topic within the scope of the topics explored in this course. Students should also use the Sofia University Writing & Style Handbook as a guide. Papers will be judged on clarity of writing, strength of the presentation, and the number and relevance of citations.
Papers should present a clear overview and analysis of the topic and use a variety of examples, facts, and arguments to illustrate critical points. Sentence construction should be clear and purposeful. Paragraphs should flow in a logical sequence with transitional sentences. Any material not original to the student must be cited in APA format. Using written material or data from outside sources without proper citation is considered plagiarism.
Discussion Standards:
Each week, we will discuss the readings or other materials outlined in the syllabus. Conversation deepens learning; therefore, posting at different times during the week is required. Frequency of posting, over-posting, and under-posting will all be considered in evaluating participation and attendance.
In a graded discussion responding to an assigned topic, a minimum of one post responding to the topic and replying to other students are required. A maximum of five posts is recommended.
Standards for Substantial Posts.
A substantial post adds to the discussion by asking a question, expressing your own thoughts, or integrating your own thoughts and experience with those presented in texts, lectures, or other students posts.
For example, saying, I agree/disagree with <classmate> is not a substantial post. Saying, I agree/disagree with Martha because and in addition , giving reasons for your agreement, and adding thoughts or references to other information is a substantial post.
Asking a question about the topics for the week, with reference to assigned materials, is also a substantial post. A substantial post might range from 25 to 250 words. Excessively long posts are inappropriate.
When reading a classmates response, consider:
What stands out to you in the response?
What do you agree or disagree with--and why?
Is there something in the post that you would like to have more clarity or information on?
What has been clarified or illuminated for you in the post?
What questions does the post bring up for you?
Where does this response guide your thinking or understanding of the topic?
Language for posts can be informal, but not so informal that others cannot understand your ideas because of poor spelling or grammar. If you do reference or offer direct quotes from readings or outside material, use APA 7th Edition to cite your sources.
Unless otherwise specified, discussion posts should not use large language model (LLMs) including AIs such as ChatGPT, Bard, etc. If you choose to use such technology, you must note this in your post using APA 7th citations and offer your reflection and interpretation of the content offered by the AI, similarly to how you might respond to a classmate's discussion response.
Rubrics for all discussions and written assignments are contained in CanvasFINAL GRADES:
Attendance & Participation Graded-Activity Weighting 15%
Written Assignments listed below Graded-Activity Weighting 50%
Assignment Type Schedule
Ethics Research Essay Module 1
Article Summary Module 2
Ethics Research Essay Module 2
Article Summary Module 3
Ethics Research Essay Module 3
Article Summary 1 Module 4
Article Summary 2 Module 4
Case Tournament Draft Module 5
Case Tournament Presentation Module 5
Discussions listed below Graded-Activity Weighting 35%
Discussion Topic Schedule
What are cultural barriers in business? Week 1
International Business: Ethical Conflicts. Week 2
Importance of ethics in international business Week 3
What is Business Ethics Week 4
International Labour Organization Standards. Week 5
Norman Bowie, A Kantian Approach To Business Ethics | Organizations as Moral Communities Week 6
Case Tournament Project Team Discussion 90 Sec Elevator pitch Week 6
Regulating AI Systems without Stifling Innovation: A Look at regulation, ethics, and innovation Week 7
Case Tournament Project Team Discussion 10 min trailer Week 7
The Future of Resilience Finance: Ethics of Finance Diplomacy Week 8
Case Tournament Draft Week 9
What was the most interesting topic in this class and why? Week 10
FINAL GRADES:
Final grades for the course are based on the weighted accumulation of points from the weekly discussions, written assignments, and the case tournament.
A 95 100 C+ 77 79
A- 90 94 C 73 76
B+ 87 89 C- 70 72
B 83 86 D 60 69
B- 80 82 F 59 or <
No pass = 82 and below
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR A DISABILITY
If you need accommodations for a disability, please speak to the professor before the course begins or by the end of the first class. In order to receive accommodations for a disability in any course, a student must have already made previous arrangements through the Office of the Dean of Students, who is Sofia University's disability officer. Students must contact the Dean of Student Services and have verification of disability on file prior to asking for special accommodations by the professor.
INDIVIDUAL AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
This course is intended to be inclusive of multiple viewpoints that reflect and honor the voices of people with a variety of individual and cultural differences, including but not limited to differences related to gender, age, sexual orientation, religion/spirituality, physical/mental ability, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity. The professor will honor, and respect multiple viewpoints expressed within class discussions and included in a scholarly manner in course assignments. This course explicitly incorporates individual and cultural differences in the following manner: Course topics and content will be discussed within the context of social construction, emphasizing the many ways that cultures and communities construct models of mental health and mental disorders.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality of all case material and class discussions is to be respected. Do not share outside of class unless you believe a person is potentially a danger to themselves or others, in which case you should speak to the professor in accordance with Sofia University administrative policies.
SOFIA AI USE POLICY FOR ACADEMIC ASSIGNMENTS
Sofia University supports the choice of facultyregardingthe use of AI or any other technology in their courses. We ask that faculty specify their permission to use AI in their classes andprovideinstructions in the course syllabi, announcements, discussions, and assignments for students' information and guidance.
Students and faculty mustdisclosethe use of AI at the beginning of assignments and any other borrowed content sources to ensure academic integrity and uphold the principles of honesty, originality, and intellectual creativity among them.If faculty and/or students use content generated by AI or any other technology, they must properly cite the sources. Faculty reserves the right to audit any assignment turned in to check for use of AI.Use APA guidelines for AI citations as follows:APA recommendations on how to cite and reference AI as a source of information.
The use of AI or any other technology to commit plagiarism is strictly prohibited within Sofia University. Plagiarism undermines the learning process, hampers individual growth, and tarnishes the reputation of the institution. Students and faculty who use borrowed content without providing citations are considered to violate Sofia's Plagiarism Policy. If faculty and/or students use content generated by AI or any other technology, they must properly cite the sources.
Sofia University's AI/technology use policies will be integrated into Sofia's Academic Policies and Procedures, including the Student Academic Honor Code, Plagiarism Policy, Online Communications Netiquette, and Principles of Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Accessibility (EIDA).
SOFIA UNIVERSITYPLAGIARISM POLICY
Plagiarism occurs when one uses the words or ideas of another without attribution, acknowledgment, or recognition.The words of another areincludedwithout giving credit to the original source.Plagiarism ranges from cutting and pasting, copying someone else's work word-for-word, rewriting someone else's work with only minor word changes (mosaic plagiarism), and summarizing work without acknowledging the source. These sources might be written, electronic (such as computer files or information found on the Internet or sourced from AI), or in the form of audio files, musical scores, film, or video materials.Any material created by another that is incorporated into a student's paper or other work must be properly acknowledged using APA and/orSofia WritingStyle.
Self-plagiarismorduplicateplagiarisminvolves recycling an essayorlarge portionsof text written for a prior course and resubmitting it to fulfill a different assignment in a different course.(Turnitin blog 6/23/21)
First offense:Meet with faculty and discuss the issue. The assignment is rewritten within 1-week. Faculty reports plagiarism to the Sofia Student Services office.Student signs theSofia University's Academic DishonestyResolution Formwhichwill be kept on record with theStudentServicesoffice.
Second offense:In addition to the above, students will fail the course in which plagiarism occurred.The student will need to takethe course over andthe writing center course on understanding and avoiding plagiarism.Successful completion of the course will be documented in the student's record.StudentsignstheSofia University's Academic Dishonesty Resolution Formwhich will be kept on record with the Student Services office.
Third offense:Students will beautomaticallywithdrawn fromtheir program andUniversity. Administrative withdrawal will be documented in the student'srecord,andtheywill not be eligible for readmissionto any program at Sofia University.
TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR TEXT-TO-SPEECH AND LANGUAGE TRANSLATION
Canvas is designed to be accessible to screen readers. Screen readers will read the site out loud for you and provide a searchable menu. Each Canvas feature has been manually tested with the following screen reader and browser combinations:
JAWS (latest version for Chrome/Firefox on Windows)
NVDA (latest version for Chrome/Firefox on Windows)
VoiceOver (latest version for Safari/Chrome on Macintosh and iOS mobile)
Talkback (latest version for Android mobile)
Materials for your course, PDFs, articles, and related documents can also be accessed using Text-to-Speech tools, which read information aloud. Speechify is an excellent tool for Text-to-speech support.
Translation extensions are also available to help convert materials into a language that supports your learning. The Google translation tool can help convert files and data in different languages. Try the Google translation tool. DeepL is also a popular and effective tool for translating files and material. Explore DeepL. My Computer My Way- How to use features built into your device My Computer My Way is an AbilityNet-run website packed with articles explaining how to use the accessibility features built into your computer, tablet, or smartphone. The site is routinely updated as new features and changes are made to the Windows, MacOS, iOS, Chrome OS, and Android operating systems. The site is broken down into the following sections: Vision computer adjustments to do with vision and color Hearing computer adjustments to do with hearing, communication, and speech Motor computer adjustments to do with mobility, stamina, and dexterity Cognitive computer adjustments to do with attention, learning, and memory. To learn more about AbilityNet visit their website.
