Skip to main content
Log in

Business Ethics Curriculum Design: Suggestions and Illustrations

  • Published:
Teaching Business Ethics

Abstract

Designing business ethics teaching as anintegrated part of business school curriculashould start with a school-wide dialogue aboutgoals and working conditions. This articlesuggests different premises that can serve asnext steps to follow the school-widedialogue about goals and working conditions. The paper also provides several experienceswith offering business ethics modules withinother courses. Since the article is written asan invitation to a dialogue, assumptions andsuggestions are formulated in a discussionthesis format.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Bone, P. F. and R. J. Corey: 1998, 'Moral Reflections in Marketing', Journal of Macromarketing 18(2), 104–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, J. and D. Menzel (eds.): 1998, Teaching Ethics and Values in Public Administration Programs, State University of New York Press. Albany, NY.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brinkmann, J. and R. R. Sims: 2001, 'Stakeholder-sensitive Business Ethics Teaching', Teaching Business Ethics 5(2), 171–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brinkmann, J. and G. Steenbuck: 2001, Wirtschaftsethik lehren mit moralischem Theater (ms., in review).

  • Brinkmann, J.: 2001a, 'On Business Ethics and Moralism', Business Ethics: A European Review 10(4), 311–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brinkmann, J.: 2001b, 'Business Ethics and Intercultural Communication. Exploring the Overlap between two Academic Fields' (forthcoming in Intercultural Communication, 2001/2002).

  • Ciulla, J. B.: 1991, 'Business Ethics as Moral Imagination', in R. Edward Freeman (ed.), Business Ethics, the State of the Art, New York, pp. 212–220.

  • Ciulla, J. B.: 1998, 'Imagination, Fantasy, Wishful Thinking and Truth', Business Ethics Quarterly, Special issue #1, pp. 99–107.

  • Davis, J. R.: 1995, Interdisciplinary Courses and Team Teaching, Phoenix, AZ: American Council on Education and the Oryx Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Etzioni, A.: 1991, 'Reflections on Teaching Business Ethics', Business Ethics Quarterly 1, 355–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrell, O. C. and J. Fraedrich: 1997. Business Ethics (3rd ed), Houghton-Mifflin, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frederick, W. C.: 1998, 'One Voice? Or Many? A Response to Ellen Klein', Business Ethics Quarterly 8, 575–579.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodpaster, K. E.: 1992, 'Business Ethics', Garland, in L. C. and C. B. Becker (eds.), Encyclopedia of Ethics, New York, pp. 111–115.

  • Harvey, B. et al. (eds.): 1994, European Casebook on Business Ethics, Prentice-Hall, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heron, J. and P. Reason: 1997, 'A Participatory Inquiry Paradigm', Qualitative Inquiry 3, 274–294.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. and I. Stewart: 1999, 'Character Education in Business Schools: Pedagogical Strategies', Teaching Business Ethics 3, 179–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holt, D. et al.: 1998, 'When Philosophy and Business Professors Talk: Assessment of Ethical Reasoning in a Cross-disciplinary Business Ethics Course', Teaching Business Ethics 1, 253–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, G. E. and R. N. Ottaway: 2001, 'The Effectiveness of Corporate Ethics on Site Visits for Teaching Business Ethics', Teaching Business Ethics 5, 141–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, J. B.: 1999, 'On Seeking First to Understand', Teaching Business Ethics 3, 113–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein, E.: 1998, 'The Necessary Condition for a Successful Business Ethics Course: The Teacher Must be a Philosopher', Business Ethics Quarterly 8, 561–567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, L.: 1985, 'A Current Statement on Some Theoretical Issues', in S. Mogil and C. Mogil (eds.), Lawrence Kohlberg, Consensus and Controversy, pp. 485–546.

  • Loeb, S. E. and D. T. Ostas: 2000, 'The Team Teaching of Business Ethics in a Weekly Semester Long Format', Teaching Business Ethics 4, 225–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Löhr, A.: 1998, 'Die moralische Urteilskraft vonWirtschaftsstudenten', in G. Blickle (ed.), Ethik in Organisationen, Verlag f. Angew. Psychologie, Göttingen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macfairlane, B.: 1998, 'Business Ethics and the Idea of a Higher Education', Teaching Business Ethics 2, 35–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahin, L., 1998, Critical Thinking and Business Ethics, Business Communication Quarterly 61, 74–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J.: 1998, 'Cultivating Moral Courage in Business', Business Ethics A European Review 7, 187–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marnburg, E.: 2001, 'The Questionable Use of Moral Development Theory in Studies of Business Ethics: Discussion and Empirical Findings', Journal of Business Ethics 32(4), 275–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathison, D. L.: 1988, 'Business Ethics Cases and Decision Models: A Call for Relevancy in the Classroom', Journal of Business Ethics 7, 777–782.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, M.: 1992, 'The Canadian Research Strategy for Applied Ethics: A New Opportunity for Research in Business and Professional Ethics', Journal of Business Ethics 11, 569–583.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, R. A.: 1999, 'Seven Exercises to Get the Students Thinking', Teaching Business Ethics 2, 411–432.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKeachie, W. J.: 1999, Teaching Tips, Boston, MA, Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, P. E.: 2001, 'Marketing Ethics at the Millennium: Review, Reflections and Recommendations', ms., forthcoming in N. Bowie (ed.), Blackwell Guide to Business Ethics, Blackwell, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen, R. P.: 1984, 'Toward an Action Philosophy for Managers Based on Arendt and Tillich', Journal of Business Ethics 3, 153–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newsom, D. et al.: 2000, This is PR: The Realities of Public Relations, Wadsworth, Belmont CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oddo, A. R.: 1997, 'A Framework for Teaching Business Ethics', Journal of Business Ethics 16, 293–297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Overell, S.: 1999, 'Business Schools' Ignore JR Factor', Supply Management (June 10): 12.

  • Piper, T. P. et al.: 1993, Can Ethics Be Taught? Harvard Business School, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reed, D.: 1999, 'Stakeholder Management Theory: A Critical Theory Perspective', Business Ethics Quarterly 9, 453–483.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rest, J. and D. Narvaez (eds.): 1994, Moral Development in the Professions, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schonsheck, J.: 1998, 'A Team-taught Course in Business Ethics & Its Synthesizing Capstone Assignment', Teaching Business Ethics 1, 399–429.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seib, P. and K. Fitzpatrick: 1995, Public Relations Ethics, Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Fort Worth, TX.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sims, R. L.: 2000, 'Teaching Business Ethics: A Case Study of an Ethics across the Curriculum Policy', Teaching Business Ethics 4, 437–443.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sims, R. R. and S. J. Sims: 1991, 'Increasing Applied Business Ethics Courses in Business School Curricula', Journal of Business Ethics 10, 211–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, N. C. and J. A. Quelch (eds.): 1993, Ethics in Marketing, Burr Ridge/IL.

  • The Hastings Center: 1980. The Teaching of Business Ethics in Higher Education, Hastings-on-the Hudson, The Institute of Society, Ethics, Ethics and Life Sciences.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vidaver-Cohen, D.: 1998, 'Moral Imagination in Organizational Problem-Solving: An Institutional Perspective', Business Ethics Quarterly, Special issue #1, 123–148.

  • Warwick, D.: 1980, The Teaching of Ethics in Social Sciences, Hastings-on-the Hudson, NY: Institute of Society, Ethics, and the Life Sciences, The Hastings Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yuthas, K. and J. F. Dillard: 1999, 'Teaching Ethical Decision Making: Adding a Structuration Dimension', Teaching Business Ethics 3, 339–361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zych, J. M.: 1999, 'Integrating Ethical Issues with Managerial Decision Making in the Classroom: Product Support Program Decisions', Journal of Business Ethics 18(3), 255–266.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sims, R.R., Brinkmann, J. Business Ethics Curriculum Design: Suggestions and Illustrations. Teaching Business Ethics 7, 69–86 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022602521549

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022602521549

Navigation