Business Ethics WS 2017/2018

After successful completion of this module, students are able to

• analyse economic-ethical texts, reconstruct and evaluate their argumentation and present it in front of an audience
• capture and structure sustainable economic problems according to case examples
• take decisions on the basis of business ethics and methodical approaches
• develop strategies to put the newly gained knowledge into practice
• think interdisciplinary
• work communicatively and independently  in teams
• assess their competencies in terms of responsibility 

The lecture is based on the philosphical foundation of business ethics. The first part deals with the classical philosophers and their relation to business ethics. The second part is about current business ethics concepts dealing with the question how to combine economic and ethical aspects without bias. Further questions are: Is it possible to implement a global network of legal standards? Do transnational companies need incentives to act in a sustainable way. How do we define responsibility, justice, ethics and human dignity nowadays?

In the seminar students are given the opportunity to put the philosophical foundations taught in the lecture into practice. Selected case studies illustrate what will happen if different interest groups and ethics are ignored and M. Friedman's statement "the business of business is business" is made absolute. Further case studies show the consequences of unethical behavior, human rights violations and pollution.

• Aßländer, M.: Handbuch Wirtschaftsethik, Metzler, 2011.

• Werner-Lobo, K.: Das neue Schwarzbuch Markenfirmen, Ullstein, 2010.