BUSINESS ETHICS

This course aims to introduce students of Economics and Management to the fundamentals of business ethics, offering a critical understanding of the relationship between economic activity, organization, responsibility, and social life. The main objective is to provide a conceptual and analytical framework for identifying, analyzing, and discussing ethical issues related to managerial decisions, corporate governance, and the transformations of contemporary capitalism. The course aims in particular to: clarify the basic vocabulary of business ethics (corporate responsibility, stakeholders, corporate citizenship, sustainability); present the main normative and descriptive ethical theories applied to the business context; demonstrate how managerial choices impact rights, working conditions, consumption, the environment, and institutions; develop the ability to connect the analytical tools of economics and management to questions of meaning, justice, and human dignity.

There are no specific prerequisites. However, a basic understanding of the following is helpful: business organization and business administration (business structure, functions, key stakeholders); the main features of modern economic and social history (market development, industrialization, globalization); basic argumentative logic (the ability to read a conceptual text and reconstruct its thesis).

By the end of the course, students will be able to: Knowledge and Understanding Describe the fundamental concepts of business ethics, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder theory, and corporate citizenship. Understand the main normative ethical theories (utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, justice, and care ethics) and their application in a business context. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding Analyze ethical dilemmas drawn from real-world business cases, identifying interests, value conflicts, and decision-making options. Apply ethical categories to situations involving shareholders, employees, consumers, suppliers, competitors, public institutions, and civil society. Judgment Formulate reasoned judgments on business decisions and corporate policies, avoiding both abstract moralism and economic reductionism. Critically evaluate tools such as codes of ethics, compliance programs, sustainability standards, and governance practices. Communication Skills Present business ethics issues, concepts, and cases clearly and with sound reasoning, using language appropriate to academic and professional contexts. Learning Skills Independently pursue the study of emerging topics (sustainability, digital platforms, artificial intelligence, new forms of work), integrating economic-managerial perspectives with humanistic reflection.

The course presents business ethics as a field of inquiry at the intersection of moral philosophy, business theory, and the social sciences. Following an introduction to the rationale for discussing ethics in business, the course explores the concepts of corporate responsibility, stakeholder theory, and corporate citizenship, with reference to the international debate on corporate social responsibility. This is followed by a presentation of the main normative and descriptive ethical theories applied to the business context, with particular attention to decision-making processes under conditions of conflict of interest and organizational pressure. In the second part, the course analyzes the company’s relationships with various stakeholders: shareholders and finance, workers and work organization, consumers and marketing practices, suppliers and competitors in global supply chains, civil society, and public institutions. Cross-cutting themes include ethical leadership, organizational culture, corporate governance, reporting practices, and dilemmas related to digital transformation, platforms, and the use of artificial intelligence systems in corporate decision-making processes.

Main Text Andrew Crane, Dirk Matten, Sarah Glozer, Laura Spence, Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization, Oxford University Press (latest edition available). Additional Materials Case studies and academic articles on corporate responsibility, governance, labor, consumption, sustainability, digital platforms, and AI, selected by the instructor and made available on the university platform. Corporate documents (codes of ethics, sustainability reports, internal policies) used as a basis for classroom analysis. Excerpts from classic and contemporary texts on moral and social philosophy, relevant to the course’s humanistic focus.

The course combines interactive lectures, case studies, seminar discussions of texts, and small-group work. The lectures introduce theoretical concepts and models, while case studies and business materials (codes, reports, policies) are used to develop students’ ability to apply these concepts and exercise critical judgment. The course includes guided readings, short written analysis exercises, and classroom discussions, designed to foster active and reflective learning, consistent with the course’s placement within the humanities.

Assessment includes: active participation in classes and discussions (formative assessment, which is not mandatory but is taken into account in the overall evaluation); a short individual paper on a business ethics case or topic, designed to assess the ability to apply concepts and theories to real-world situations; a final oral exam (or, alternatively, a written exam with open-ended questions), focused on understanding fundamental concepts, their integration, and the ability to argue independently. Details regarding the format, length of the short paper, and evaluation criteria will be communicated at the beginning of the course and posted on the university platform.

In assigning final projects (three-year theses) related to the course, priority will be given to: the consistency of the proposed topic with the content of Business Ethics (corporate responsibility, governance, labor, consumption, sustainability, and the ethics of technology); the clarity of the research question and the feasibility of completing the work within the allotted timeframe; willingness to integrate an economic-managerial perspective with ethical-humanistic reflection; aptitude for bibliographic research and the critical analysis of cases, documents, and empirical data.