spContent=The course is a national model course delivered in English in School of Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China. In addition to the discussion of normal topics in business ethics and corporate social responsibility, it interprets the modern concept of corporate social responsibility from the perspective of Chinese Confucian culture, and illustrates the issues of country-specific corporate social responsibility and sustainability, and ethical challenges brought by globalization, etc. In relation with the Belt and Road Initiative, it endeavors to promote the management philosophy of business ethics and sustainability, and convey the positive power of our society to learners, which is of great practical significance for the building of a harmonious world.
The course is a national model course delivered in English in School of Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China. In addition to the discussion of normal topics in business ethics and corporate social responsibility, it interprets the modern concept of corporate social responsibility from the perspective of Chinese Confucian culture, and illustrates the issues of country-specific corporate social responsibility and sustainability, and ethical challenges brought by globalization, etc. In relation with the Belt and Road Initiative, it endeavors to promote the management philosophy of business ethics and sustainability, and convey the positive power of our society to learners, which is of great practical significance for the building of a harmonious world.
—— Instructors
About this course
The course of Business Ethics and Sustainability, launched in 2008, has had a history of teaching in School of Business, Guangdong University for more than 11 years. Learners of the course include a variety of students or learners in English-instructed degree programs of different levels. The lecturer team of this course has strengthened the construction of online course platform in China MOOC ICOURSE to benefit the study or review of learners worldwide in recent years, resulting in the production of 40 mini video lectures which are of era characteristics and complete contents as well as learner convenience. This course is delivered with English instruction and online progress test to interpret Chinese management culture, especially the typical modern cases of Chinese corporate social responsibility values and practices.
This course covers 12 chapters altogether and 40 video lectures in English instruction, totally lasting more than 500 minutes, with each lecture lasting 8-15 minutes. The teaching activities of the course are conducted in a mixed mode of online video study, online tests, online questions and answers, and online instructions, and so forth.
The study of the whole course, with the textbooks of Business Ethics Now Fifth Edition (W. Ghillyer, 2018) and On Country-specific and Industrial Dimensions of Corporate Social Responsibility (W. Zhu, 2015), is planned to be completed within 8 weeks with 4 credit classes each week.
Objectives
On completion of this course, learners are expected to:
1. Learn about basic terms and concepts related to ethics, business ethics, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and basic theories in this field of study.
2. Learn about basic ethical definitions and ethical issues each functional department of a business organization and each individual may face in the work environment;
3. Learn about ethical dilemmas in business world and increase the sense of confidence in students’ ability to recognize and solve these ethical dilemmas with resolution principles.
4. Learn about the institutional system construction of business ethical behaviors through corporate governance and laws and regulations.
5. Enhance the understanding of concepts of corporate social responsibility and balance the needs of stakeholders involved in business operations.
6. Enhance the understanding of sustainability in business objectives and the management practices of sustainability in some well-known Chinese companies.
7. Enhance the understanding of Chinese Confucian cultural values and their connections with the modern concept of business ethics and sustainability.
8. Enhance the understanding the ethical challenges of business globalization under the Belt and Road Initiative.
9. Foster the abilities or practical skills of learners to study, understand, analyze, criticize, and manage ethical problems through real examples or cases of unethical behaviors or practices.
Syllabus
General Ethics
课时目标：This chapter is designed to let learners understand the definition of general ethics, the standard of ethics, four schools of ethical theories and their limitations, ethical dilemma and resolution principles.
1.1 Ethics and Standards
1.2 Ethical Theories and Limitations
1.3 Ethical Dilemma and Solutions
Business Ethics
课时目标：This chapter aims at providing learners with the basic concept of business ethics, the history of business, the theoretical foundation for business ethics, business ethical dilemma and solutions.
2.1 Business Ethics and Theoretical Foundation
2.2 History of Business Ethics and Implications
2.3 Business Ethical Dilemma and Solutions03
Sustainability
课时目标：This chapter is designed to let learners learn about the basic concept of sustainability, three pillars of sustainability, the importance of sustainability in business objectives.
3.1 Sustainability and Three Pillars
3.2 Business Objectives and Sustainable Development
Organizational Ethics
课时目标：This chapter is designed to enable learners to understand the concept of organizational ethics, value chain theory, ethical challenges of each functional department and ethical considerations in the development of motivation theories.
4.1 Organizational Ethics and Value Chain
4.2 Ethical Challenges of Main Functional Departments
4.3 Development History of HR Motivation Theories and Ethical Implications
Corporate Social Responsibility
课时目标：This chapter is designed to allow learners to learn about the definition and theories of corporate social responsibility, the importance and driving forces of corporate social responsibility, the types of corporate social responsibility, the relationship between Chinese traditional culture and modern corporate social responsibility.
5.1 Corporate Social Responsibility Definition and Theories
5.2 Corporate Social Responsibility Importance and Driving Forces
5.3 Corporate Social Responsibility Types and Programs
5.4 Corporate Social Responsibility and Chinese Culture
Corporate Governance
课时目标：This chapter is designed to let learners understand the definition of corporate governance, the importance of corporate governance, the mode of corporate governance, the methodologies of corporate governance and so on.
6.1 Corporate Governance Definition and Importance
6.2 Corporate Governance Model and Board Responsibilities
6.3 Corporate Governance Methodologies and Safeguards
Institutional Construction of Corporate Social Responsibility
课时目标：This chapter is designed to let learners learn about the theory of institutional pressure, laws and regulations of corporate social responsibility, and standards and guidelines of corporate social responsibility.
7.1 Corporate Social Responsibility and Institutional Pressure
7.2 Corporate Social Responsibility Laws
7.3 Corporate Social Responsibility Standards and Guidelines
Corporate Social Responsibility and Employees
课时目标：This chapter is designed to let learners understand the concept of whistle-blowing, whistle-blowing and employee right protection, as well as consequences and solutions to whistle-blowing, etc.
8.1 Corporate Social Responsibility to Employees
8.2 Whistle-blowing and Employee Protection
8.3 Whistle-blowing Consequences and Solutions
Ethics and Technology
课时目标：This chapter is designed to enable learners to understand the ethical challenges brought by technological advances, views of employers and employees about employee surveillance, the impact of technology on employee rights.
9.1 Technology Ethics
9.2 Technology and Employee Rights
9.3 Technology and Employee Surveillance
Globalization and Ethics
课时目标：This chapter is designed to let learners understand the ethical issues arising as a result of globalization, the theoretical foundation of ethical relativism, global codes of ethics, Belt & Road and country-specific ethics, and so forth.
10.1 Globalization and Ethical Issues
10.2 Globalization and Ethical Relativism
10.3 Globalization and Ethical Guidelines
10.4 Belt & Road and Country-specific Ethics
Sustaining Ethical Behaviors
课时目标：This chapter is designed to let learners learn about the ways of sustaining ethical behaviors in an organization by means of developing codes of ethics, conducting ethical trainings, appointing a ethical director, motivating and monitoring ethical programs, and so on.
11.1 Market Challenges of Sustainable Ethical Behaviors
11.2 Ethical Codes and Ethical Trainings
11.3 Promoting and Monitoring Sustainable Ethical Behaviors
Chinese Cases of Business Ethics and Sustainability
课时目标：This chapter aims at allowing learners to share some typical cases or practices of well-known Chinese corporations in business ethics and sustainability management.
12.1 The Case of Huawei’s Sustainability Management
12.2 The Case of Alibaba’s Sustainability Management
12.3 The Case of Tencent’s Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility
12.4 The Case of ICBC’s Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility
12.5 The Case of China Southern Airlines’ Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility
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Prerequisites
Learners should be somewhat proficient in English language.
