MGMT 1010: Business Sustainability and Ethics
Effective date
September 2022
Department
Business Mgmt PD Diploma
School
Hospitality, Food Studies and Applied Business
Description
This course focuses on the relationship between business, sustainability and ethics. The course will introduce concepts relating to business sustainability, including systems thinking, complexity and resilience, corporate responsibility, Indigenous business relations, workplace diversity, and economic and market mechanisms. The course also explores the relationship between business and society, and examines the moral and ethical challenges faced by various business stakeholders including the Indigenous community. Students will be encouraged to examine their own personal ethics and think critically about the application of sustainable / ethical concepts and theories to Canadian and global business cases. Students will also be encouraged to draw from their diverse backgrounds when discussing course concepts.
Year of study
1st Year Post-secondary
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain what it means to be a sustainable and ethical business and the relationship of profitability to sustainability and ethics
- Recognize the barriers that businesses can encounter in adopting sustainable and ethical practices
- Explain how sustainable and ethical business practice can be a source of competitive advantage
- Discuss the key interrelationships among human, earth, and natural systems and why these are important
- Explain how public policies and government influence markets and interactions between international businesses
- Identify ways that different stakeholders can influence the operating context of businesses
- Explain the moral and ethical issues that arise in business
- Develop an awareness of their own code of ethics
- Describe the consultation process required with Indigenous communities impacted by business or resource development
- Explain green marketing strategy and how to best incorporate a green strategy into a company's vision
- Describe how operations management that incorporates sustainability principles can reduce costs and improve profits
- Explain socially responsible investing (SRI) and its relationship to sustainability
Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
None
Hours
Lecture, Online, Seminar, Tutorial: 45
Total Hours: 45
Instructional Strategies
Lectures, presentations, assigned readings, discussions, case studies, field trips, guest speakers.
Grading System
Letter Grade (A-F)
Evaluation Plan
Type
|
Percentage
|
Assessment activity
|
Quizzes/Tests
|
20
|
|
Participation
|
10
|
|
Other
|
10
|
Group Project
|
Project
|
30
|
Business Case Study
|
Final Exam
|
30
|
|
Course topics
- 1. The Relationship between Business and Society
- 2. Sustainable Business Core Concepts and Frameworks
- 3. Ethics of Business: The Theoretical Basis
- 4. The Science of Sustainability and Ethics in Business
- 5. Government, Public Policy, and Sustainable Business
- 6. Corporate Social Responsibility: Concepts and Practice
- 7. Sustainable Business Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Investing
- 8. Sustainability and Ethical considerations for business and resource development in indigenous communities
- 9. Sustainable Supply Chain Management and Operations Management
- 10. Ethics and Responsibilities in the Workplace and Marketplace
Notes:
- Course contents and descriptions, offerings and schedules are subject to change without notice.
- Students are required to follow all College policies including ones that govern their educational experience at VCC. Policies are available on the VCC website at:
https://www.vcc.ca/about/governance--policies/policies/.
- To find out if there are existing transfer agreements for this course, visit the BC Transfer Guide at https://www.bctransferguide.ca.