Applied Ethics

Subject	Applied Ethics
Semester	2nd semester (spring)
Type	Required
ECTS	9 ECTS
Study programme:	Business studies
Primary language:	Slovene

Introduction
The course will be carried out in Slovene and is an obligatory course in accordance with the officially approved curriculum of the Undergraduate Degree Program in Business Studies.
 
Preconditions
Students must have a basic knowledge of philosophy, especially in the field of metaethics. They must be able to understand philosophical and scientific texts and methodologically qualified to prepare shorter and longer theoretical texts requiring a meaningful arrangement of contents, rational substantiation and logical reasoning. They must have at least a passive knowledge of English or some other foreign language.
 
Goals

1. to introduce students to the basic issues in the field of ethics and ethical theories in applied ethics;
2. to inform students of the basic areas of applied ethics;
3. to inform students of the fundamental directions of each area of applied ethics;
4. to enable students to employ adequate ethical reasoning and make decisions in the areas of each branch of applied ethics.

Competencies

• ability to read and understand texts from various branches of applied ethics;
• ability of understanding and ethical judgement in the fields of bioethics, environmental ethics and business ethics;
• ability to evaluate modern ideational and ideological trends;
• ability to rationally substantiate adequate ethical judgements and decisions.

Learning outcomes
When he/she has passed the examination, the student will be able:

1. to identify and evaluate the basic ethical dilemmas in the fields of bioethics, environmental ethics, business ethics and in the areas of war and peace;
2. to rationally judge and weigh up concrete cases;
3. to make decisions that will be in accordance with the ethical requirements of each of these areas.

Syllabus
I. Ethics as philosophy of morals

• Man as ethically responsible being
• Fundamental directions in ethical theories: teleological ethics (consequentialism), deontological ethics, virtue ethics
• Practical reason as the basic ethical norm
• Ethics and religion
• Ethics and society: four kinds of ethical social conceptions (utilitarianism, Marxism, libertarianism, liberalism)

II. Applied ethics
1.           Bioethics 

• Responsibility for one's own life: health and sickness, use of intensive medication;
• Responsibility for the life of others: genetics, cloning, abortion; therapeutic obstinacy; euthanasia.

2.           War and peace

• “sacred” war;
• just war;
• preventive war;
• just defence: conditions for the permissibility of the use of force

3.           Environmental ethics

• Rationale the responsibility for the environment (H. Jonas, The Principle of Responsibility)
• Nature and man
• Man and animals
• Man as despot over the nature or as the responsible administrator

4.           Business ethics

• The rise and development of business ethics
• Three levels of business ethics (macro, middle, micro)
• "Triple bottom line": PPP (people, planet, and profits)
• Principalism or contextualism
• Individual and corporate citizenship
• Corporate social responsibility: economic, ethical, legal and humanitarian
• Shareholders and stakeholders
• Company as an organization and as a community: the company with "a human face"
• Corporate governance: work, business relations and human dignity
• Codes of ethics: the use and misuse of
• Values-driven management
• Kohlberg’s scale of moral development and relations in corporations

Teaching and learning activities

• Teacher explanations
• Conversation / debate
• Presentation of seminar papers and personal work

Teaching and learning material

• Aristoteles. 2002. Nikomahova etika. Ljubljana: Slovenska matica.
• Brenkert, George G. 2010. The Oxford Handbook of Business Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
   

Recommended teaching and learning material

• MacIntyre Alasdair C. 1984. After Virtue. A Study in Moral Theory. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
• MacIntyre Alasdair C. 2006. Odvisne racionalne živali: zakaj potrebujemo vrline. Prev. N. Grošelj. Ljubljana: Študentska založba.
• Pesqueux Yvon – Biefnot Yvan. 2002. L'éthique des affaires. Management par les valeurs et responsabilité sociale. Paris: Editions d'Organisation.
• Schockenhoff Eberhard. 2013. Etika življenja. Temeljna načela in konkretna vprašanja. Prev. J. Urbanija, G. Lavrinec. Celje: Mohorjeva družba.
• Solomon Robert C. 1994. Above the Bottom Line. An Introduction to Business Ethics. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College.
• Trontelj Jože. 2014. Živeti z etiko. Ljubljana: Inštitut za etiko in vrednote Jože Trontelj.
• Verstraeten Johan (ed.). 2000. Business Ethics. Broadening the Perspectives. Leuven: Peeters.

Office hours

• Before and after the lectures
• By agreement