Unit aim
The influence of culture and society on the creation of knowledge, truth and morality provide the foundation to explore a broad range of ethical theories. These theories are applied to diverse contemporary issues including human rights and corporate governance. The unit explores the ethical roots of the ecological crisis and examines the contribution of the sustainability concept to the search for a solution.
Unit content
Introduction
Case study - Interface & sustainable business
Culture and ethics: Case study - Traidcraft as an ethical organisation
Consequential ethical theories: Case study - Supersize me
Non-consequential ethical theories: Case study - Enron
Applied business ethics: Case studies - Shell Oil in Nigeria, Enron
Environmental ethics: Case study - Ethical agriculture
Sustainability & environment: Case study - Rocky Mountain Institute
Social & cultural sustainability: Case study - Learning from Ladakh
Economic sustainability: Case study - Guitang Sugar
Sustainable organisations: Case Study - Coopers Brewery
Contemporary ethical & global sustainability issues: Case Studies - Danone, Homeless World Cup
A global sustainable society: Case Study - Gross National Happiness in Bhutan
Learning outcomes
Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.
Learning outcomes and graduate attributes
GA1: Intellectual rigour,
GA2: Creativity,
GA3: Ethical practice,
GA4: Knowledge of a discipline,
GA5: Lifelong learning,
GA6: Communication and social skills,
GA7: Cultural competence| On completion of this unit, students should be able to: | GA1 | GA2 | GA3 | GA4 | GA5 | GA6 | GA7 |
|---|
| 1 | describe major ethics and sustainability tools and concepts | | | Ethical practice | | | | |
| 2 | utilise critical reasoning skills to identify solutions to ethical problems | Intellectual rigour | | | | | | |
| 3 | examine sustainability policy and practice at multiple levels | | | | Knowledge of a discipline | | | |
| 4 | evaluate the social, environmental and economic impact of business on stakeholders | | | | Knowledge of a discipline | | | |
| 5 | explain the importance of diverse cultural influences to ethics and sustainability | | | | | | | Cultural competence |
| 6 | analyse contemporary global ethical and sustainability issues. | | | Ethical practice | | | | |
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- describe major ethics and sustainability tools and concepts
- utilise critical reasoning skills to identify solutions to ethical problems
- examine sustainability policy and practice at multiple levels
- GA4:
Knowledge of a discipline
- evaluate the social, environmental and economic impact of business on stakeholders
- GA4:
Knowledge of a discipline
- explain the importance of diverse cultural influences to ethics and sustainability
- analyse contemporary global ethical and sustainability issues.
Prescribed texts
Prescribed texts may change in future study periods.