CLAW2207: Semester 2, 2020

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Units CLAW2207 Semester 2 2020 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

CLAW2207: Business, Ethics and the Law

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Australian businesses operate in a complex regulatory environment that imposes legal obligations on business conduct. Society is increasingly demanding ethical and social responsibility from business, its managers and their professional advisers. This unit analyses the relationship between business, ethics and the law. This unit applies ethical philosophies to case studies in order to explore the types of decisions made by professionals and business managers. The unit examines the professional and legal obligations of accountants, auditors and lawyers and the interaction of these professionals with company officers. The unit aims to assist students to understand and apply ethics to their professional life and to governance in business.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	CLAW2207
Academic unit
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	CLAW1001 or CLAW2214
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Barbara Mescher, barbara.mescher@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Take-home short release)	Final exam n/a	50%	Formal exam period	3 hours
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Open book)	Mid-semester exam n/a	30%	Week 07 Due date: 16 Oct 2020 at 18:00	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research paper Written assignment	20%	Week 10 Due date: 02 Nov 2020 at 16:00 Closing date: 09 Nov 2020	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ? = Type C in-semester exam ? = Type D final exam ?

Assessment summary

Research paper: This is a group paper of 2,000 words. The research question will be supplied early in semester and guidance given in class.
Mid-semester exam: This is an open book exam. The material covered for this exam is from weeks 1-5 lectures and specified reading material for weeks 1-5 inclusive. The exam will comprise of a problem question and a question on the specified reading.
Final exam: This is an open book exam that will cover material from lectures and specified reading in weeks 1-5 but in particular weeks 6-12 inclusive. The exam will comprise of a problem question and a question on the specified reading.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Introduction to ethics, morals and values; 2. Assessment details	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Kant model: human rights and duty-based ethics, competing rights	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	1. International human rights and the law: the United Nations declaration of human rights, 1948; 2. The Magna Carta, 1215: the law, human rights and ethics	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 04	1. Bentham and Mill's Model: utilitarianism - utility and consequences; 2. Problem question to prepare for mid-semester exam	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 05	1. Aristotle's model: virtue ethics - character of decision-makers; 2. Problem question to prepare for mid-semester exam	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 06	Corporations: the law and business UNIVERSITY BREAK 5 - 9 Oct inclusive	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 07	Corporate governance of public companies: legal and ethical issues	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 08	Corporate governance: law, ethics, codes of conduct, corporate social responsibility, corporate culture	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 10	Professionals: professional obligations in law and ethics	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	1. Professionals: professional codes and regulation by professional bodies; 2. Professional roles; gatekeepers and whistle blowers	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 12	Professional practice issues: business client demands versus professional obligations	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 13	1. Professionals: complete topic; 2. Problem questions to prepare for final exam	Lecture (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: All lectures and seminars are recorded and will be available on Canvas for student use. Please note the Business School does not own the system and cannot guarantee that the system will operate or that every class will be recorded. Students should ensure they attend and participate in all classes.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Laura Hartman, Joe DesJardins, Chris MacDonald, Business Ethics: Decision Making for Personal Integrity and Social Responsibility 4th ed, 2018.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. explain ethical and legal principles in a business context
LO2. analyse ethical philosophies and the law; engage in ethical and legal reasoning in order to apply these disciplines to business and the professions
LO3. explain legal and ethical principles - either orally or in writing - in a clear, concise manner
LO4. explain ethics and social responsibility in relation to society's expectations of business and business professions
LO5. collaborate effectively with others
LO6. analyse and diagnose legal and ethical problems faced by business.
LO7. 1 - 6 inclusive

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Additional information

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

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