Teaching Business Ethics: An Advocate’s Approach
Charles G. Smith
Otterbein University, USA
Volume 16: 2021, pp. 165-188; ABSTRACT
The paper presents my approach to teaching business ethics from the perspective of an advocate’s, that is, a management professor with no advanced training in philosophy. Its intent is to enhance the learning experience for students and faculty by offering additional insights for the design and delivery of business ethics courses. These include (1) a strong emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of business decision making, (2) a focus on a pedagogy centered on student reading and discussion based on additional readings not so common in traditional class offerings, (3) the addition of a middle level of analysis beyond customary micro and macro level concerns, and (4) the inclusion of two schematics designed to assist participants in ordering their thoughts. The paper includes assumptions that underlie the course, a detailed course pedagogy with the theory driving its construction, and examples of seven units included in the class with reading assignments, discussion questions, and student reactions. Implications of the approach for teaching business ethics are presented within the concluding sections.
ORDER ARTICLE PERMISSIONS/REPRINTS/OFFPRINTS
To order permissions to include this article in textbooks, edited volumes, course booklets, online/digital course packs, etc., and/or to order multiple individual hard copies for classroom use, please use the appropriate form available on the Order Forms page or alternatively, contact the Publishing Editor pneilson@neilsonjournals.com directly.
