Instructor: Daniel W. Skubik, PhD JD MDiv
Voice: 909.343.4288 / Fax: 909.343.4437
E-Mail: dskubik@calbaptist.edu

Ethics in Business & Technology

This course in business ethics is not primarily about how to stay out of jail, although legal concerns will be given some coverage. Neither is it devoted to simple functional calculations of how to take the moral and other values of your potential customers or employers/employees into account for marketing purposes, although some of these considerations will be touched upon, as well. The import of the course is to cover what it means to say that businesses and professionals ought to engage or not engage in particular activities with reference to value claims other than the ledger's bottom line. Students will thus come to comprehend the various bases from traditional philosophical and theological sources for discerning professional, ethical practices. Application of these studies will follow, with individual and team-oriented case studies that highlight contemporary ethical conundrums in business and technology settings, nationally and globally.

Required Texts

Max Stackhouse, et al. (eds.), On Moral Business: classical and contemporary resources for ethics in economic life (MI: Eerdmans, 1995) [Available from the CBU bookstore, or from many web stories, such as Amazon.com (new) and Bigwords.com (new and used copies available).]

Additional Internet readings will be referenced, for which students will also be responsible.

Class Schedule

Assessment & Grading Scale

Quizzes = 20% (best 4 of 5 @ 5% each)	90 - 100 = A (90-94 = A-)
Group Project Case Study Outline = 25%	80 - 89 = B (80-82 = B- / 87-89 = B+)
Group Project Case Study Presentation = 15%	70 - 79 = C (70-72 = C- / 77-79 = C+)
Final Exam = 35%	60 - 69 = D (67-69 = D+)
Participation = 5%	0 - 59 = F

Quizzes

Five (5) objective-question quizzes will be given on the days noted (comprised of true/false, multiple choice, short answer, fill-in the blank, or matching type questions). Your worst quiz mark will be dropped, the other four (4) each counting 5% towards your final grade, for a total of 20%. Quizzes can be made up only if arrangements are made prior to the time the quiz is given. No make-ups will be permitted without prior arrangement, and all quizzes must be completed before the subsequent class session.

Final Exam

There will be a final exam during the final class session, at our usually scheduled time and place. You must take this exam at this time to receive a grade for the course. No make-up arrangements are possible.

The exam will require approximately 120 minutes to complete, but you will have a full 3 hours to write the exam. The exam is closed book and open notes. Meaning of open notes: you are permitted to bring one (1) 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper to the exam room, with notes written on it. You may use any size writing or type or font, front and back, with no regard for margins.

The exam will be comprised of objective and essay questions, and will include questions from the case studies as presented by your classmates.

Group Projects

You will be presented case study materials for group review and discussion, requiring you to apply the various theories we have discussed to identify and resolve any action dilemmas in an ethically or theologically justifiable manner. "Group" means three or four persons working together, pooling their knowledge and judgments, to reach one or more conclusions about what ought to be done given the circumstances of the case provided. [I prefer you self-select, but lots will be drawn if necessary to create and fill needed groups. Know too that each case will present different scenarios so no two groups will be working with the same materials.] You will be responsible as a group to write-up your analyses and conclusions in one full outline format, and to be prepared to present a synopsis of those analyses and conclusions to the class in an open session on February 18. Presentations should be timed to take 20-30 minutes each. All members of the group will share the same project grade for the presentation (15%) and the outline (25%). Each group member must be present on Feb 18 in order to share the group grade.

A list of cases will be provided on Jan 28, and you will supply a ballot to me on that date. Groups will be formed and cases assigned on Feb 4. If you cannot be present on either of those dates, send your preferences via a proxy, or you will be randomly assigned to a group and case in your absence. Note that I will take peer evaluations into account when assigning marks for the group case study work to be completed.

Attendance & Participation

Attendance: You are expected to attend all eight (8) class sessions. You are counted present if you arrive no later than 60 minutes after the beginning of an evening session.

Participation: Although speaking in class, publicly putting and defending a position, can be daunting, you are strongly encouraged to learn to think through your own and others' experiences and insights within the context our discussions. Especially in this small group setting, I expect you to come prepared for discussion, having done the readings before each session.

To give direct incentive to so engage, 5% of your mark for the course will be comprised of my assessment of your overall classroom participation. This includes, but is not limited to, my assessment of your participation during our sessions (e.g. making relevant comments during discussions, being prepared to respond to questioning, asking relevant questions, and following directions concerning reading assignments, and making contributions to the Web discussion forum). The point is to determine your active engagement with the material in the context of the class.

Extra Credit

You are permitted to write up to two (2) brief critical review essays (1-2 pages in length), worth up to 3% each that can be added to your final grade tally. Assignments will be based upon your critique of articles on my web site. You must enter into a contract with me before you begin the assignment. Assignments will not be accepted for extra credit unless you contract with me ahead of time for the work. If you enter into a contract with me to complete an extra credit project, and you do not submit it to me by the agreed date, 1.5% will be deducted from your final grade tally. In short, you can gain points by doing extra credit, but you can lose points by failing to do extra credit.

Caveat

This syllabus is composed in good faith, with a schedule of readings, etc. which will guide us throughout the term. Still, the instructor reserves the right to make adjustments to this schedule as deemed necessary for the overall enterprise of the class. Any changes will be communicated as far in advance as feasible, and you are responsible for knowing if and when any changes have been made. Always check the Web site if you have questions about readings, assignments or meeting dates and times.

Make-Ups

Quizzes : if you are going to miss a quiz, contact me prior to that class session to arrange a make-up time before the subsequent class session. Make-ups will not be permitted if prior arrangements are not made.

Group Projects : if you cannot participate in the group case study, you are permitted to contract to complete an individual research assignment (12-15 pages) that will be due no later than Feb 18. See me for details.

Final Exam : no make-up for the final exam is possible. You must take the final at the scheduled time to receive a grade for the course.

* N.B. The start time of 5:00pm indicates the time I will be available on site for office hours, i.e. the time you are welcome but not required to come to talk about course material, homework and other matters about the class. Instructional time begins at 6:00pm, the time you are expected to be in class and ready for the evening's work.