Students

PHIL2010 – Ethics, Business and Work

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer and Unit Covenor
Thomas Corbin
thomas-alexander.corbin@mq.edu.au
Contact via thomas-alexander.corbin@mq.edu.au
Consultation by arrangement
Thomas Corbin
thomas-alexander.corbin@mq.edu.au
Paul Podosky
paul.podosky@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit investigates some of main ethical issues that arise in professional life and from the activities of businesses and corporations. The unit explores the nature and value of work as well as its role in personal identity and social organisation. We also consider the obligations and responsibilities that come with professional work and the management of businesses. We examine the nature of corporations and their responsibilities to individual workers and consumers, stakeholders, groups such as women and minorities, and the environment.

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: Demonstrate good general knowledge of the major issues in contemporary business and professional ethics.
  • ULO2: Understand the major ethical concepts and theories that inform the business and professional ethics literature.
  • ULO3: Analyse and critically evaluate theories and arguments in the relevant literature.
  • ULO4: Relate ethical concepts and theories to relevant case studies and current events.
  • ULO5: Develop your own perspective, through analysis of the views and arguments presented in the unit.
  • ULO6: Demonstrate skills in clarity of thought and communication.

General Assessment Information

Detailed assessment information and rubrics

Detailed information about each of the assessments, including rubrics and submission instructions will be available in the Assessment block in  iLearn. Please make sure you read the assessment information carefully, watch the Guide to Assessment video, and post a message in the relevant Assessment forum if you have any questions. 

Special Consideration

Requests for extensions should be submitted via a Special Consideration request, which is available in the http://ask.mq.edu.au portal. Your request should be submitted no later than five days after the due date and should be accompanied by appropriate documentation. Please see the Special Consideration policy in the list of policies at the end of this document for further details.

Read the policy closely as your request may be turned down if you have not followed procedure, or if you have not submitted a request in a timely manner.

Late Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission date - and (c) No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

Academic Integrity

In Philosophy, academic honesty is taken very seriously, and a range of methods, including but not restricted to the use of Turnitin, are used to detect plagiarism. Misrepresenting someone else's work as your own may be grounds for referral to the Faculty Disciplinary Committee. If you have questions about how to properly cite work or how to credit sources, please ask the convenor for help and see also the  Academic Integrity Policy https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/academic-integrity

Note: All assignments in this unit are individual assignments. Collusion (unauthorised collaboration on individual assignments) is a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy. If in doubt, contact a member of teaching staff. 

A helpful resource if you would like to know more about referencing and avoiding plagiarism is  Macquarie's Academic Integrity Module, available here: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/skills-development. You will need to complete this Module before accessing the unit content, if you have not already done so. More information is available in iLearn. 

Academic Writing and Study Support

Macquarie University offers a number of services to help with academic writing, referencing and study skills. For details, see: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/skills/assignments

For information about policies related to Assessment, see Policies and Procedures section below.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Final Test 35% No Sunday 5th June, 11:59pm
2 short quizzes 20% No Quiz 1:18th March 11:59pm, Quiz 2: 13th May 11:59pm
Participation 15% No Ongoing
Reading Assignment 30% No Friday 8th April, 11:59pm

Final Test

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Sunday 5th June, 11:59pm
Weighting: 35%

 

A series of questions that assess your knowledge and understanding of concepts, methods and arguments in work and business ethics.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate good general knowledge of the major issues in contemporary business and professional ethics.
  • Understand the major ethical concepts and theories that inform the business and professional ethics literature.
  • Analyse and critically evaluate theories and arguments in the relevant literature.

2 short quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Quiz 1:18th March 11:59pm, Quiz 2: 13th May 11:59pm
Weighting: 20%

 

A series of questions that assess your knowledge and understanding of key concepts and arguments regarding work and business ethics.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate good general knowledge of the major issues in contemporary business and professional ethics.
  • Understand the major ethical concepts and theories that inform the business and professional ethics literature.

Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 15%

 

Contributing to tutorial and online discussions through engaging constructively with peers and tutor.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate good general knowledge of the major issues in contemporary business and professional ethics.
  • Understand the major ethical concepts and theories that inform the business and professional ethics literature.
  • Analyse and critically evaluate theories and arguments in the relevant literature.
  • Relate ethical concepts and theories to relevant case studies and current events.
  • Develop your own perspective, through analysis of the views and arguments presented in the unit.
  • Demonstrate skills in clarity of thought and communication.

Reading Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Friday 8th April, 11:59pm
Weighting: 30%

 

Critically analyse a selected text.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate good general knowledge of the major issues in contemporary business and professional ethics.
  • Understand the major ethical concepts and theories that inform the business and professional ethics literature.
  • Analyse and critically evaluate theories and arguments in the relevant literature.
  • Develop your own perspective, through analysis of the views and arguments presented in the unit.
  • Demonstrate skills in clarity of thought and communication.

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

Required and recommended texts and/or materials

All weekly readings for the unit will be made available through the Leganto link in iLearn.

Lectures 

Lectures in this unit will be delivered online. Two one-hour lecture videos for each of the 12 topics will be released through the Echo 360 block in iLearn. You should watch these videos before attending the weekly tutorial. 

Tutorials

Tutorials in this unit will be held in person on campus each week of semester for one hour.

Unit Webpages and E-Resources

Much of this unit (lectures, readings, assessment instructions etc.) is delivered online through iLearn (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au). PC and Internet access are required. Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement. Please consult teaching staff for any further, more specific requirements. 

Unit Schedule

  • Week 1: Introduction

  • Week 2: How should work be divided?

  • Week 3: What is the best kind of work?

  • Week 4: How is work linked to wealth & well-being?

  • Week 5: Can you be free when you work? Hegel

  • Week 6: Can you be free when you work? Marx

  • Week 7: Business ethics & the narrow view of business ethics

  • Week 8: Broader views of business ethics

  • Week 9: Sweatshops and globalisation

  • Week 10: Discrimination, bias & stereotypes at work

  • Week 11: Factoring animals into business ethics

  • Week 12: Business and the environment

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook