2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

LUBS3003 Business Ethics

20 Credits Class Size: 150

Module manager: Stacey Mottershaw
Email: s.mottershaw@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

Mutually Exclusive

LUBS3115 Critical Cases for Banking and Finance

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The module is jointly delivered by academics based both in the Business School and the Inter-disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre (IDEA). Hence, the module focuses on the application of ethics to business rather than on the discussion of ethical theory per se. The module will be based on a series of 10 fortnightly lectures. Seminars will take place in alternate weeks and will use a series of case studies and academic texts to explore key ethical concepts relating to the lecture topic in a business context. You will complete individually assessed coursework that will provide you with the opportunity to explore business ethics issues of your choice in depth and with reference to relevant theory.

Objectives

This module assumes no prior knowledge of business ethics or corporate social responsibility. Students will engage with and analyse a range of ethical principles and values, and consider how these shape and inform business practice through the use of real life case studies. As part of this module, we will also discuss ethics and the law in the context of business, enabling students to prepare for the legal and ethical challenges that they may face as future business leaders.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this module students will be able to critically evaluate:
- key ethical concepts and their application to business organizations, key functions within business and the professions
- competing theories on business ethics
- corporate responsibility practice
- the roles of professionals and business leaders in providing ethical leadership

Skills outcomes

Upon completion of this module students will be able to
- Think critically
- Reflect upon and articulate their own ethical position through coherent and robust argument

Syllabus

Indicative content:
- The application of ethics to business
- The purpose of business
- Fairness and the supply chain
- Responsibility
- Ethics and HRM
- Business and the environment
- The ethics of work
- Ethics and advertising
- Big data
- International business ethics
- Recent corporate scandals

Teaching Methods

Delivery type Number Length hours Student hours
Lecture 12 1 12
Seminar 10 1.5 15
Private study hours 173
Total Contact hours 27
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) 200

Private study

- Students will be required to do pre-reading and follow up reading for each lecture. They will be required to prepare for each seminar and expected to review their learning from each session in the context of their reading for the related lecture.
- The lecture and seminar series has been designed to allow students a time period of two weeks for each of the topics covered.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Formative feedback will be offered on a plan of the group presentation.

Methods of Assessment

Coursework
Assessment type Notes % of formal assessment
Essay 2,500 words 70
Presentation Group Video Presentation 30
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) 100

The resit for this module will be 100% by 2,500 word coursework.

Reading List

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 4/29/2024

Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team