May 25, 2026  
2026-2027 Undergraduate Academic Catalog 
    
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2026-2027 Undergraduate Academic Catalog
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BUS 3555 - Business Ethics

3 lecture hours 0 lab hours 3 credits
Course Description
Business Ethics examines moral theories and ethical frameworks as they apply to real-world challenges in business decision-making. Students evaluate ethical dilemmas involving corporate responsibility, employee rights, consumer protection, fairness, profit, property rights, sustainability, and emerging technologies. The course culminates in a major-specific applied ethics project, allowing students to investigate an ethical issue relevant to their discipline (for example, accounting ethics and financial reporting, marketing ethics and greenwashing, operations ethics and supply chain labor practices, or AI and data ethics in business decision-making).
Prereq: None
Note: None
This course meets the following Raider Core CLO Requirement: None
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Explain and compare major ethical theories and decision-making frameworks used to analyze business dilemmas (for example, utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, rights based and justice-based approaches)
  • Apply ethical frameworks to business cases involving employees, consumers, corporations, and society, demonstrating clear reasoning and defensible conclusions
  • Evaluate competing arguments on contemporary business ethics issues, using evidence, ethical concepts, and logical analysis to critique strengths and weaknesses
  • Identify ethical risks and responsibilities related to technology and data use in business, including the ethical implications of AI-enabled decision-making (such as bias, transparency, accountability, privacy, and misuse)
  • Communicate ethically grounded recommendations in professional formats (discussion posts, case memos, presentations, or reports) that integrate course concepts, outside research, and real-world context
  • Complete a major-specific applied ethics project that investigates a discipline-relevant ethical issue (such as accounting ethics, marketing ethics, finance ethics, operations ethics, or AI ethics), and proposes a responsible, practical course of action supported by research and ethical reasoning
Prerequisites by Topic
  • None
Course Topics
  • Ethics of the individual in the workplace
    • Focuses on integrity, honesty, leadership responsibilities, conflicts of interest, employee rights, professional duties, and ethical decision-making under pressure
  • Ethics of business relationships with consumers and stakeholders
    • Examines truth in advertising, product responsibility, fairness, privacy, persuasion, manipulation, and ethical challenges in marketing and customer engagement, including issues related to digital platforms and data collection
  • Corporate social responsibility and the common good
    • Explores corporate responsibilities to society, communities, and the environment, including sustainability, environmental stewardship, and ethical tradeoffs between profit and long-term impact
Coordinator
Dr. Ruth Barratt


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