CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LOS ANGELES

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT
Spring 2016

Course:
Professor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Office Hours:

MGMT 308 Business Responsibilities in Society

Frank Cardenas
Simpson Tower F510
(213) 220-4444
frank@frankcardenas.com or fcarden7@calstatela.edu
(Please include MGMT 308 in subject line)
Wednesdays 9:00-10:00 a.m. (or by appointment)

Course Description and Objectives

The focus of this course is on responsibilities and obligations of people doing business in contemporary
society. An emphasis is placed on understanding and applying principles and problem-solving
techniques related to major social problems confronting business organizations and to understand and
apply reason and ethical decision making to day-to-day operations of a business. Learning focuses on
all levels of understanding including individual group, organizational, societal and global. Business
ethics, underlying theories of ethics and power, ethical decision making and corporate social
responsibility are primary concepts discussed.
Learning is achieved individually and in groups through reading and discussing course materials, class
discussions, case analysis and discussion, and other class activities. The objectives of this course are
to:

study, discuss and explain corporate social responsibility, ethics in business, and ethical duties of a
manager;

study, discuss and explain the intertwined relationship between business, government and society
and issues facing business, government and society historically and currently;

study, discuss, investigate, and explain forces of influences on business practice in relation to
corporate social responsibility;

study, analyze, discuss and apply theory and ethical reasoning to develop decisions and problemsolving frameworks; and

analyze and develop awareness of personal ethics and reasoning particularly in business settings
and be able to discuss differing viewpoints with others.
Some contents of this course address the following BSBA and BS CIS program objectives: BSBA
Learning Objective: To develop socially-responsible solutions to business problems
Prerequisite: None
Text and other required material: Steiner, J.F. & Steiner, G.A. (2012). Business, Government, and
th
Society: A Managerial Perspective. 13 Ed. NY:McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Requirements*
Attendance. You are expected to be prepared for class meetings, take all short written exams at the
scheduled time, and turn in all assignments on time.
Assignments. Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the assigned date. Late assignments
will be reduced by 10% for each late day including the day the assignment is due. Assignments must be
typed double-spaced in a 12 point font (no script font) with 1" margins (top, bottom, left, and right) unless

otherwise stated by the instructor. Organization, format, grammar and spelling will affect your grade on
all written assignments and projects.
Assigned Reading. You are expected to read assigned chapters before class. Without reading the
assigned chapters before class, the class discussion will be less meaningful for you and others in class.
It is not the purpose of the class to review topics and concepts in assigned readings. We will be
discussing and expanding some aspects of the readings but chapter information will not be simply
repeated or explained. Therefore, if you do not understand concepts or issues in a chapter, it is your
responsibility to ask the instructor for clarification.
Extra Credit. Additional assignments or extra credit may be available.
*These requirements have been established to ensure that all students have the same opportunity to
earn a course grade and grades are assessed as fairly as possible.
Assistance
Please see me during the first week of class or as soon as possible if you require CSLA services for
taking tests, attending classes, participating in class sessions or completing course work. Contact the
CSLA Office for Students with Disabilities for more information (323-343-3140).
Please don't let time pass if you are having problems with the course material or class. It is much
easier to work together to resolve a problem if you see me as soon as problems occur.
Plagiarism and Cheating
All assignments and exams are to be completed individually unless otherwise stated by the instructor.
Cheating, in any form, will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to CSLA policy. Please refer
to the CSLA catalog for a more detailed description and consequences of cheating and related
consequences.
Any written assignments, particularly those requiring reference to other authors work such as articles
in periodicals, information on company or other websites, etc. require appropriate citing and a reference
page. When referring to the ideas, or to the written or spoken work of other people, whether on websites,
in electronic documents, or on the printed page, you must refer to the original author(s) and source at
every point in the paper in which those thoughts and ideas are used. If direct wording is taken from any
source, you must use quotation marks indicating all repeated text and cite the original author(s) and
source of the wording. Using the exact or close wording of another source, without quotes, is still
plagiarism even if you cite the source. Failure to cite work properly will result in zero points for assigned
work, at the least, and disciplinary action according to CSLA policy on plagiarism. Written assignments
comprised primarily of quotes or cited work without original written analysis and discussion from the
student-author will not be accepted. Using portions of a paper or work or the complete paper or work
completed for another class is not appropriate and will be considered cheating.
If a student wishes to continue work on a topic previously completed in another class, please speak with
the instructor about how to differentiate current work from the previous work completed. A paper or other
written work considered plagiarized or a product of cheating will receive no points. Please refer to the
CSLA catalog for additional description of plagiarism and its consequences, and please note that there
will not be any chance for you to re-do work that has been considered by the instructor as plagiarized or
cheating. Citing work appropriately is important and can sometimes be confusing. If you are in doubt
about what to reference, how to appropriately reference work, or any other issue related to developing
your work, please see the instructor. I am very happy to help you in developing a useful and appropriate
product. You may also wish to contact the CSLA University Writing Center to obtain assistance with

written assignments and papers.

Demonstration and Evaluation of Learning

Students will demonstrate learning through several activities in class discussion, case analysis, written
exams and class activities. Although all or several learning outcomes are incorporated in each class
activity and assigned work, one or two outcomes are emphasized in each. Below are the student
learning outcomes followed by a description of each activity that will be graded and used to determine a
course grade.
Student learning outcomes include the following and students should be able to:
1. Ability to analyze the global socio-economic and legal-political environments in business
problem-solving. Specifically, analyze business issues and identify and discuss forces of
influences such as political, social, economic, legal and technical, identify critical issues, and
apply knowledge of laws, regulations, and societal influences in ethical decision making to
develop alternatives and solutions.
2. Identify and understand the evolving concept of corporate social responsibility including the
impact of laws and regulations, duties of managers, competing groups and forces influencing
ideas of social responsibility.
3. Define key terms and theories included in the vast field of business, government and society
including corporate social responsibility, environments of business, models of business,
government and society, morality, ethics, and power.
4. Ability to consider the ethical implications involved in business decision-making
5. Identify, discuss and articulate personal values and ethical reasoning, apply and articulate values
and reasoning in discussion and problem solving.
Short Written Exams
An assessment of reading comprehension and ability to apply chapter concepts and class discussion
will be conducted through two short exams. Completing the exams emphasizes student leaning
objectives 1 and 3. Each exam may cover some concepts/chapters from material and class discussions
previously tested, but these cumulative concepts/chapters will be announced before each exam. All
exams will be comprised of several short answer, case analysis, or essay questions. Each of the
questions may require one or more of the following: awareness of definitions; purpose, meaning and
usefulness of concepts; application of concepts; explanation of problems or other relevant issues related
to concepts; and analysis and general discussion with examples about concepts and issues. You may
use a note page that is no larger than an 8 by 11 inch page of paper. You may write or type your notes
on both sides of the paper but you must not photocopy or transfer text, diagrams or images from the book
or supporting materials. You must turn in your notes with your exam. Please note that it is your
responsibility to complete all assigned readings. Exam questions will be based on all contents of
assigned readings, not just those topics discussed in class.
Participation
Class participation is a very important part of the learning process and includes meaningful and
active involvement in class activities, exercises, cases and discussions. Active class discussion and
activity emphasizes student learning objectives 1, 4, and 5. To make a meaningful contribution to class
discussion and activities, be sure to read all assigned material before each class and complete all
assignments so that you may share your knowledge with the class. Participation points are not
automatically granted and there are specific requirements to earn participation points in each class
session.

Clarification questions to the instructor or to other students do not count as participation. Comments
that include your opinions without relevant supporting facts are not meaningful ways to participate and will
not receive points. Dominating conversation, talking over other students or making comments at every
opportunity whether or not they fit with the current discussion is not meaningful participation. Making one
or two brief comments during class but then talking, working on your computer, reading, texting, etc.
during other parts of the class while other students, teams, or the instructor are presenting information, or
when the class is in discussion or working on individual or group exercises are not active and attentive
ways to participate in class and will not earn participation points.
Class participation means that you are present, informed, prepared, and willing to share relevant
information during the entire class session including class discussions, presentations, and activities.
Class discussion will be the primary means for students to earn participation points but active and
attentive involvement in class activities and presentations by other students and the instructor is also
important. During class discussions only relevant and meaningful points and observations based on the
readings, other information you have read or heard, and personal experiences and perceptions comprise
participation and earn participation points during class discussion. Beginning with the second class until
the tenth week, class discussions, presentations and activities will be counted toward class participation
during all classes except exam days. To earn participation points for each class session you must
contribute relevant and meaningful comments related to the readings and other students comments
during class discussions, participate in class exercises, cases and other activities. Points will be
assigned to each student after each class meeting. Two points will be assigned for full participation
(attendance, active involvement and attention, and relevant discussion during the entire class), 1 point for
attendance only, and no points for missed classes. Total participation points earned will be divided by
total participation points possible. That percentage will be applied to the class participation points
possible. Please note that you may verify and discuss your participation immediately after the
class session only.
Course Grade
Grades will be based on scores for the following activities and calculated by dividing total points earned
by total points possible for the class, no rounding. The resulting percentage will be used to assign a
grade using the grading scale below:
Exam 1
Exam 2
Participation

40%
40%
20%

Total

100%

Grading Scale (Points Earned/Total Points Possible = %, no rounding)

Grade......Percent
A............100-93
A-............92-90
B+...........89-87
B..............86-83
B-.............82-80
C+...........79-77

Grade......Percent
C............76-73
C-...........72-70
D+......... 69-67
D............66-63
D-...........62-60
F.............59-0

COURSE SCHEDULE

SESSION

ASSIGNED READINGS, WORK DUE, TOPICS AND CASES

CHAPTERS

Week 1

Overview of the Course and Syllabus

Ethics, Philosophy and the Relationships between the Individual,
the Corporation, Society and Government
John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Trust

1, 2, 7, 8

Week 2

More on Ethics, Historical Forces, and the Business Environment

1, 2, 7, 8

Week 3

The Dynamic Business Environment, Business Power and

Business Critics
Issue Analysis Inequality: Paul Krugman, Nick Hanauer and
Thomas Piketty

3, 4

Week 4

Corporate Social Responsibility

Cases: Nike and its Indonesian Sweatshops, Merck and AntibioticResistant Bacteria

5, 6

Week 5

Business in Politics
Case: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
Regulating Business
Cases: Good and Evil on the Rails, and The Trouble with
Antibiotics

9, 10

Week 6

Review of chapters and discussion concepts

MIDTERM EXAM

Week 7

Multinational Corporations, Globalization, and Trade

Cases: Union Carbide Corporation and Bhopal
David and Goliath at the WTO

11, 12

Week 8

Environmental Management and Regulation

Cases: A World Melting Away
Harvesting Risk

13, 14

Week 9

Consumerism and the Changing Workplace

Cases: Alcohol Advertising
A Tale of Two Raids

15, 16

Week 10

Civil Rights, Women, Diversity and Corporate Governance

Cases: Adarand v. Pea
High Noon at Hewlett-Packard

17, 18

Week 11

FINAL EXAM

*This schedule is subject to minor changes to accommodate class needs.