Översikt

  • Course news and discussion

    The course starts on Monday 25 February 2019 at 13:15

    in Lecture Room T003 (Maarintie 13)

    Attendance in this introductory session is essential, so BE THERE.

    Bring your computer - access to internet sources will come in handy in group work.

    To see all MyCourses content on this page, you need to see the tabs on the left. If you do not see them, click on the three lines on the top left corner, and they will appear.

    The course includes two literature exams. PDF versions of the books can be found in Course materials (tab on the left).

    Materials that you can acquaint yourself with to get the most out of the course include:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_ethics

    https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/business-ethics.asp

    https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-business/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility

    https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corp-social-responsibility.asp

    https://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/

    To understand the political philosophy aspect of the course you would be wise to read Matti Häyry's "Doctrines and Dimensions of Justice" which is attached as a separate file under Course Materials.



  • Literature exams

    The course includes two literature exams:

          You can buy your own books (they are not that expensive on e.g. Amazon) or borrow copies from our course library during the first sessions. Or you can access them through the links above and elsewhere on this site, e.g. in Course materials, tab on the left (if you do not see the tabs on the left, click the three lines in the upper left-hand corner adn they will appear).

          The use of the books (and other materials, including internet sources) is allowed and encouraged in the exams.


    Once completed, the exam answers will be sent by email to: matti.hayry@aalto.fi

    How to prepare for the literature exam on Political Philosophy

     

    1.     Read the book before the exam – it is a homework assignment – and prepare to answer both specific (narrower, more confined) and overarching (wider, more general) questions about the content.

     

    Here are some examples of specific and overarching questions about the book:

     

    Specific

     

    How would Plato have criticized populism in populism in political life, and how can this criticism be countercriticized?

     

    Compare the “states of nature” in Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

     

    What are the main similarities and differences between socialist and anarchist thinkers?

     

                Overarching

     

    How are the main ideas of Sophists, Plato, and Aristotle reflected in current modern ideas on political philosophy?

     

    What kinds of political theories, ideologies, and systems do different views on human nature support?

     

    Compare the social contract theories of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

     

    Explain the nature and role of the “development of consciousness” in Hegel and Marx as an element of political change.

     

    What are the similarities and differences between the utilitarian theories of Bentham and Mill?

     

     

    2.     Be prepared to answer two questions during the hours allotted for the exam.

     

    One of the questions will very probably be a question mentioned in section 1 above.

     

    The other question – which can be specific or overarching – will be a “new” one: one not mentioned in section 1.

     

    You are expected to answer both.

     

    Be prepared to allocate your exam time so that you can complete both answers during the exam session.

     

     

    3.     You are allowed to use sources in the exam – the book, your notes, internet sources, etc.

     

    You are, however, expected to work independently, by yourself. The exam is intended to test your knowledge, not somebody else’s.

     

     

    4.     Once you have completed your answers, send them to me by email: matti(dot)hayry(at)aalto(dot)fi

     

    Both answers will be assessed on a 0-5 scale, and your aggregate mark for the exam will reflect the two separate marks.

     

     

    5.     You are allowed, but by no means encouraged, to complete your answers at home during the next 24 hours following the exam session.

     

    Using this opportunity will be interpreted as inadequate homework preparation, and it will result in a one-point reduction in both answer marks (even if you submit one of the answers by the end of the session).

     

    So, in this case, both answers will be assessed on a 0-4 scale, and your aggregate mark for the exam will reflect the two separate marks.


    How to prepare for the literature exam on Capitalism

     

    1.     1.  Read the book before the exam – it is a homework assignment – and prepare to answer both specific (narrower, more confined) and overarching (wider, more general) questions about the content.

     

    Here are some examples of specific and overarching questions about the book:

     

    Specific

     

    Where and when did capitalism start, what elements were necessary for its emergence, and what were its main features in the beginning?

     

    What were the main features, similarities, and differences of Saint-Simon’s and Bakunin’s “utopian socialist” views?

     

    Karl Marx opposed the idea that societies can be designed by contract. How did he formulate his own opposing view of history from feudal times to the eventual collapse of capitalism?

     

    How did “capitalism without imperialism” come about in the beginning of the twentieth century, and why did it lead to the Crash and the Great Depression?

     

    Overarching

     

    Different theories supporting or criticizing capitalism have different views on “value” – what it is and which contributions by different agents create it. What are the main views on this, as described in the book?

     

    How did Max Weber explain the emergence and nature of capitalism; and how did his view concur with, and differ from, the preceding explanations since Adam Smith?

     

    According to Hegel, Marx, and Fukuyama, where does, or did, “history end”, in what sense, and why?

     

    How did the Neo-Marxists (the Frankfurt School scholars and the Situationists) differ from Marx in their views on the plight of the proletariat and its resolution; and what were their main criticisms against capitalism and its effects in a post-industrial world? Describe the views, compare, and evaluate.

     

     

    2.     2.  Be prepared to answer two questions during the hours allotted for the exam.

     

    One of the questions will very probably be a question mentioned in section 1 above.

     

    The other question – which can be specific or overarching – will be a “new” one: one not mentioned in section 1.

     

    You are expected to answer both.

     

    Be prepared to allocate your exam time so that you can complete both answers during the exam session.

     

     

    3.     3.  You are allowed to use sources in the exam – the book, your notes, internet sources, etc.

     

    You are, however, expected to work independently, by yourself. The exam is intended to test your knowledge, not somebody else’s.

     

     

    4.     4. Once you have completed your answers, send them to me by email: matti(dot)hayry(at)aalto(dot)fi

     

    Both answers will be assessed on a 0-5 scale, and your aggregate mark for the exam will reflect the two separate marks.

     

     

    5.     5. You are allowed, but by no means encouraged, to complete your answers at home during the next 24 hours following the exam session.

     

    Using this opportunity will be interpreted as inadequate homework preparation, and it will result in a one-point reduction in both answer marks (even if you submit one of the answers by the end of the session).

     

    So, in this case, both answers will be assessed on a 0-4 scale, and your aggregate mark for the exam will reflect the two separate marks.


  • Objectives and content

    Objectives

    Participants will learn to distinguish between business ethics, the business of ethics, and the ethics of business; to assume a critical attitude towards promises of moral improvement in businesses and economies; and to see business activities and economic decisions in their wider social and political contexts.


    Content

    The topics covered during the course include the business, ethical, political, and critical approaches to corporate social responsibility; political and moral philosophy, justice, and business; neoliberalism, sustainable growth, environmental ethics, and the relationship between law and morality; corporate scandals and their impacts; and diversity and equality in business.

  • Course requirements and assessment

    1. Literature exams 14 March and 4 April 2019. Literature listed under the tab "Literature exams". Literature, notes, and internet searches are allowed during the exam. Assessment: 0-5. 25+25% of the grade.
    2. Active participation in sessions, group works, and the reporting of group works. Groups works are a regular feature of the sessions, and their completion and reporting will be closely monitored. Assessment: 0-5. 50% of the grade.
    3. Attendance in sessions. Participants are required to fully attend a minimum of 10/12 sessions. Assessment: Pass / Fail.

  • Number of participants

    Due to the nature of the course, the number of participants is limited to 30.
    Priority is given to students in the Management and International Business program.
    Otherwise the admission criterion is first-come-first-served.

  • Course materials

    Literature exams

    The books for the literature exams can be found in PDF format below. You can also borrow the physical book from our course library during the session. 


    Lectures

    Lecture presentations will be posted after each session in the designated folder (click the title above).


    Additional material

    Some sessions may require prior reading, which will be made available by the lecturers. The articles below are useful for the understanding of ethical and justice-related thinking. Highly recommended reading.

  • Session times and venues

    During spring 2019 teaching period IV, course sessions will be held

    on Mondays and Thursdays at 13:15-16:00 (triple lectures).


    The venue is lecture room T003 (Maarintie 13).

  • Detailed schedule

    Schedule

     Monday

     25 February

     Matti Häyry

    Introduction: Responsibility in business

     Thursday

     28 February

     Matti Häyry

    Management approaches from Taylorism to CSR

     Monday

     4       March

     Matti Häyry

    Political philosophies, justice, and CSR

     Thursday

     7       March       

     Jukka Mäkinen

    Mainstream CSR and its challenges

     Monday

     11     March

     Jukka Mäkinen

    Political CSR and its critique

     Thursday

     14     March         

     Matti Häyry

    Exam on “Capitalism: A Graphic Guide”

     Monday

     18     March

     Matti Häyry

    Moral philosophies and levels of business ethics

     Thursday

     21     March

     Jukka Rintamäki

    Scandals, images, memory, and whistle-blowing 1

     Monday

     25     March

     Jukka Rintamäki

    		 Scandals, images, memory, and whistle-blowing 2

     Thursday

    28      March

     Maarit Laihonen

    Neoliberalism and sustainable growth

     Monday

     1         April

     Maarit Laihonen                     

    Law and morality in business ethics and politics

     Thursday

     4         April

     Matti Häyry

    Exam on “Political Philosophy: A Graphic Guide”

     

    Planning team and lecturers

    Professor Matti Häyry

    Docent Jukka Mäkinen

    Dr Jukka Rintamäki

    Dr Maarit Laihonen

    Course assistant

    Tilman Bauer

  • Reflective learning diaries

    In the unlikely event that you can justify more than two absences from the 12 course sessions, you will have to attend a relevant seminar session or sessions to make up for the absence.

    For the session or sessions, you need to complete a Reflective Learning Diary (RLD) and submit it to the Course Leader by email.

    The idea of the RLD will be explained if the need arises.

    The Word template for RLDs can be accessed below.