Course Outline

Dr. Gaur Hari Singhania Institute of Management and Research, Kanpur

Business Ethics and Sustainable Development (<T-104>)
Trimester I – PGDM – Batch 2023-25 (FT)
Faculty: Dr. Shekhar Trivedi, shekhar.trivedi@ghsimr.ac.in
Text Book: Business Ethics & Sustainable Development
Author: . Fernando (Business Ethics & Corporate Governance), R Rajgopalan (Environmental Studies)
Publisher: . Pearson , Oxford Press
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A. Course Objective
Business Ethics: Business Ethics module highlights theoretical and practical understanding of the study of moral principles and
their application in the process of professional and business decision making. Students will learn methods of analyzing ethical
consequences of business decisions and about ethical dilemmas.
Sustainable Development: To create an awareness and bring attitudinal shift of the need for management and human
responsibility; to keep the system in a healthy condition comprising different life forms; to develop sensitivity to., and a sense of
responsibility and concern for, the welfare of the environment and all other life forms which live in this planet.

B. Teaching Pedagogy

Class room lectures, presentations, movies, workshop and exercises.

C. Detailed Session Plan

Session Activity
Unit. No. Course Content Details
BUSINESS ETHICS

1 1. Concept of Ethics – Personal, Professional and Business,

Ethics is situational, Values of Ethics

2. Principles of Personal Ethics, People’s Motivation to be

Ethical, Professional Code of Conducts, Code of Conduct
for Business

3 Ethics is different from Religion, Moral Law etc. Why

Business doesn’t follow Ethics, Types of Unethical Business
practices, Discussion on publicity of ‘Talwar’

4 Normative Theories – Egoism, Utilitarianism, Kantianism,

Stockholder Theory

5 Stakeholder Theory, the social Contract Theory, Religion &

Ethics – Quotes from Geeta and Quran

6 Watching ‘Corporate’ Movie Take notes of different characters in the

situation. Understand characters’
situation, as why they are acting in a
7 particular way, what values are guiding
their actions. If you were there in their
place what you would have done.
Create groups of 5 for the exercise.
8. Students group presentation on
Business Ethics issue in the movie
‘Corporate’.
2 9. Need of Corporate Governance, Need of Corporate

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Governance, Members of BOD – Chairman, Executive
Directors, Non-Executive Directors, Independent Director
10 Nomination Committee, Remuneration Committee, Audit
Committee, SEBI and Clause 49 about Corporate
Governance

11 HP Board – Reading & Discussion

12 CSR, Responsibility towards different Stakeholders, Models

of CSR – Friedman Model Ackerman Model, Carrol Model

13 CSR Provisions in the Companies Act – Section 135. What

is not a CSR?

3 14 Role of Indian Ethos in managerial practice ,

Management lessons from Vedas, Mahabharata,
Kautaliya’s Arthashastra

15 Management lessons, Kautaliya’s Arthashastra

16 Ethics Vs Ethos , Indian Vs western Management

Contemporary issues in Management.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

4 17. Concept of Sustainable Development, Why the need of

Sustainable development, Environmentalist

18 Two prime causes of the problems.

19 Population – Analysis and Problem, Film –

Overpopulation: The future of Planet Earth

20 Discussion on the affects of Overpopulation.

5 21 Menace of Consumerism, reason for the growth of

consumerism, GDP and American lifestyle, Overbuying and
waste generation

22 Animated Film – The story of Stuff, Film: Trap of

materialism

23 Resources and Waste creation – Film: Exporting high

trashing of Asia
6 24 Pollution, Carbon Emission, Carbon Footprint, Carbon
Credit. Film: China Smog Crisis

25 Depletion of Resources - Water Term Paper *

26 Depletion of Resources - Forests Term Paper

Depletion of Resources - Land

27 Pollution and Global Warming Term Paper

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Energy – Renewable and Non-renewable resources

28 Urbanisation and Traffic Term Paper

Consumerism

29 Social Equity, Inclusion & Health Term Paper

Waste Management

30 Environmental Laws & Regulations Term Paper

Paris Summit on Climate Change
* Note: Details regarding term paper would be given in the class. Groups of 5 have to be created.

D. Evaluation Details

The assessment of students will be done on following basis

Quiz 10
Analysis of movie ‘Corporate’ from the Business 20
Ethics perspective
Term paper on Sustainable Development 20
Class Participation 10
TOTAL 60

E. References:

Business Ethics

 Fernando A.C., Business Ethics : An Indian Perspective, Pearson, 2nd Edition

 Manna, Samita and Chakraborti, Suparna, Values And Ethics in Business and Profession, PHI
 Albuquerque, Daniel, Business Ethics : Principles and Practices (English)
 Hosmer, LaRue. The Ethics of Management. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2008.
 Kant, Immanuel, Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1959.
 Richardson, John E., Ed. Business Ethics. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2008.

Sustainable Development
 Ajith Sankar, R.N., Environmental Management, Oxford Higher Education, India, 2015
 Sayer, J. and Campbell, B., The Science of Sustainable Development : Local Livelihoods and the Global Environment
(Biological Conservation, Restoration & Sustainability), Cambridge University Press, London, 2003.
 Kirkby, J., O’Keefe, P. and Timberlake, Sustainable Development, Earthscan Publication, London, 1993.
 Mackenthun, K.M., Basic Concepts in Environmental Management, Lewis Publications, London, 1998.
 Bowers, J., Sustainability and Environmental Economics – An Alternative Text, Longman, London, 1997.

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