Students
ACCG8048 – Business and Professional Ethics
2020 – Session 2, Special circumstance
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
James Hazelton
Level 3, 4 Eastern Road
N/A
Unit Moderator
Dale Tweedie
Level 3, 4 Eastern Road
Refer to iLearn
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
20cp at 6000 level or above including ACCG611 or ACCG6011 or ACCG614 or ACCG6014 or MGNT603 or ACCG6003
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
The principal aim of this unit is to provide students with an understanding of the main ethical issues raised by the activities of the business and corporate sphere, both in relation to the society and environment within which they operate, and in relation to individuals employed within corporations. The unit has a strong research focus and students will apply the theoretical knowledge gained in the course to real-world situations. After completing the unit, students will be able to recognise and confidently engage with the complex ethical issues that will inevitably arise during the course of their careers. |
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: Investigate major issues in contemporary business and professional ethics and articulate a clear and informed ethical position on these issues.
- ULO2: Critically interpret the major ethical theories that have informed the development of the business ethics literature and articulate their own ethical perspective.
- ULO3: Analyse and critically evaluate moral theories and arguments.
- ULO4: Relate ethical theories to relevant real-world business cases and current events.
General Assessment Information
Submission and marking criteria
Refer to the ACCG 8048 Assessment Guide, available on iLearn. Feedback will be provided via an iLearn marking rubric.
Late submission(s)
Late assessment must also be submitted through Turnitin. No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission incurs a 20% penalty). Late submissions will not be accepted after solutions have been discussed and/or made available. This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Special Consideration is made and approved. Note: applications for Special Consideration Policy must be made within 5 (five) business days of the due date and time.
Requirements to satisfactorily complete the unit
Satisfactory completion of ACCG8048 is an overall passing grade. There is no requirement to achieve a passing grade in each individual assessment component. However, since each assessment component contributes to the overall learning outcomes of the unit, students are expected to complete each assessment task in order to maximise their educational experience.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation | 10% | No | Ongoing |
| Weekly assignment | 20% | No | Weekly (starting Week 2), due Mondays 9am |
| Essay proposal | 15% | No | 9am Monday 31 August (Week 7) |
| Final essay | 55% | No | Part 1: 5pm Fri 16/10 (Wk 10); Part 2: 5pm Fri 30/10 (Wk 12) |
Participation
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 26 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 10%
Active participation is expected of students as discussion is an essential part of developing ethical sensitivity and skill. Seminars should be used by students to test their understanding of the unit in an environment where immediate feedback is available from the convenor and students should be well prepared for seminars. Students should be engaged with the issues relevant to the seminar and be involved in seminar activities, particularly, responding to, and asking, questions – being active is an important aspect of both study and professional practice and seminars will be of more benefit to all students if each individual is willing to participate.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Investigate major issues in contemporary business and professional ethics and articulate a clear and informed ethical position on these issues.
- Critically interpret the major ethical theories that have informed the development of the business ethics literature and articulate their own ethical perspective.
- Analyse and critically evaluate moral theories and arguments.
Weekly assignment
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Weekly (starting Week 2), due Mondays 9am
Weighting: 20%
Weekly assignments require students to write short responses to questions covering the weekly lectures and readings. Students are also encouraged to document their own reflections and engage with material from beyond the prescribed syllabus, including their prior experiences in the workplace.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Investigate major issues in contemporary business and professional ethics and articulate a clear and informed ethical position on these issues.
- Critically interpret the major ethical theories that have informed the development of the business ethics literature and articulate their own ethical perspective.
- Analyse and critically evaluate moral theories and arguments.
Essay proposal
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 9am Monday 31 August (Week 7)
Weighting: 15%
This assignment requires that students write a proposal for the topic that they will write their major essay on. The assignment requires that students provide a background to the topic and arguments for and against. They are further required to document the type of arguments provided with reference to the major ethical theories studied in the unit. The proposal should be a maximum of 750 words (including references).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Critically interpret the major ethical theories that have informed the development of the business ethics literature and articulate their own ethical perspective.
- Analyse and critically evaluate moral theories and arguments.
- Relate ethical theories to relevant real-world business cases and current events.
Final essay
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Part 1: 5pm Fri 16/10 (Wk 10); Part 2: 5pm Fri 30/10 (Wk 12)
Weighting: 55%
This task requires students to undertake a detailed analysis of an ethical issue and draw upon the major ethical theories covered in the unit in order to arrive at a position. Students are also expected to extend their analysis by engaging with relevant academic literature and offer concrete recommendations as a result of their conclusion. The essay should be a maximum of 4000 words (including references AND the previously submitted proposal).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Critically interpret the major ethical theories that have informed the development of the business ethics literature and articulate their own ethical perspective.
- Analyse and critically evaluate moral theories and arguments.
- Relate ethical theories to relevant real-world business cases and current events.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
Classes
ACCG 8048 utilizes a combination of video lectures and class seminars. Lecture videos will be posted on iLearn. Seminars may be offered either face-to-face or online via Zoom (refer to eStudent for class availability). Seminars start in week 1. For seminar 2 onwards, students are required to watch lectures, read the set readings, and prepare answers to the discussion questions before they attend the seminar. For class times, refer to the Macquarie University timetable, available at http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/.
Note: In order to pass the tutorial participation section of the course, students must attend at least 80% of their scheduled tutorials.online. However, please do not attend face-to-face tutorials if you feel unwell. Instead, please attend the online alternative, making yourself known to the seminar leader. If you unable to attend an online seminar, please contact your tutor. You will not be penalised for ensuring other students and staff are safe.
Teaching staff will also ensure they do not attend classes when feeling unwell, so class arrangements may change at short notice on health and/or safety grounds. Please monitor iLearn regularly, and before attending any face-to-face classes, to check for any changes or updates to face-to-face classes.
Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials
The prescribed text for this unit is:
Joseph DesJardins An Introduction to Business Ethics (6th Edition), (McGraw-Hill, New York, 2019).
The material in this text is fundamental to the concepts covered in the unit and should be read carefully. A reading list will be provided on Leganto (accessed via iLearn), with additional readings for each week.
The following text may also be helpful to students that wish to deepen their understanding of business and professional ethics: Grace, D. & Cohen, S., Business Ethics (5th edition), (Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 2013).
Teaching and learning activities
This unit provides an opportunity for students to research an ethical issue of their choosing after providing some background in moral theory. Having obtained an understanding of the basic moral theories, students will select an individual topic via an essay proposal. They will then develop this proposal into a full essay, submitted in two parts during the semester. On average, the unit will require students to complete between 6 to 8 hours of private study per week.
Technology used and required
The unit web page can be accessed from ilearn.mq.edu.au. Please note that student activity on the unit web page is logged, and may be utilized by the unit convenor and other university staff in resolving student disputes regarding such issues as assignment submission. Instructions for obtaining help with accessing the unit web page can also be found at the above URL.
Unit Schedule
|
Week |
Seminar topic |
Ethical issue |
Ethical theory |
|
1 |
Is business ethics a science or an art? |
Introduction |
Introduction |
|
2 |
When in Rome, do –uh, what exactly? |
Globalisation and bribery |
Ethical relativism |
|
3 |
Should we sweat about sweatshops? |
Labour outsourcing |
Utilitarian ethics |
|
4 |
What happens at Fight Club .. |
Employee responsibilities and whistleblowing |
Kantian ethics |
|
5 |
Customers – always right or routinely ripped off? |
Customers |
Virtue ethics |
|
6 |
Who to believe: the Pencil or the Piano Man? |
Corporate social responsibility |
Critical theory |
|
7 |
So long and thanks for all the fish |
The environment |
Environmental ethics |
|
Recess – private study |
|||
|
8 |
How simple is safety? |
Workplace health and safety |
Discourse ethics |
|
9 |
Fair trade |
Fair trade |
Revision |
|
10 |
Why your first day could be your last |
Peer pressure |
Situationist ethics |
|
11 |
Current topic 1 |
Workplace sexual harassment |
|
|
12 |
Current topic 2 |
Self-driving cars |
|
|
13 |
Conclusions |
|
|
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Changes from Previous Offering
Materials/topics have been updated to reflect recent business ethics issues.