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I would be glad to communicate with you directly, if you like. My email address is Bredeson@mail.utexas.edu, and my direct line is 512-471-5248. Questions are welcome, as is feedback. Happy teaching! Dean A. Bredeson Greetings from Austin. I am writing […]

UNIT 2: Purpose of the Corporation • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 6: Stakeholder Ethics • Module 7: Milton Friedman and Shareholder Ethics • Module 8: Stakeholder Focus: Employees • Module 9: Stakeholder Focus: Plant Closing • Module 10: Stakeholder […]

UNIT 3: Selling, Marketing, and Advertising • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 12: “Best Case Scenario” Ads • Module 13: Quickly Flashed Fine Print • Module 14: Using Fear to Sell • Module 15: Celebrity Endorsements • Module 16: Marketing […]

UNIT 4: Workplace Ethics: Treatment of Employees • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 20: Weight Discrimination • Module 21: Extreme Hours • Module 22: Layoffs in Good Economic Times • Module 23: Workplace Diversity • Module 24: No Compete Agreements […]

UNIT 5: Responding to Employee Behavior • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 26: “Don’t Be a Hero” Policies • Module 27: Company Perspective: Sexual Harassment • Module 28: Employee Perspective: Sexual Harassment • Module 29: The Family and Medical Leave […]

UNIT 6: Workplace Privacy • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 33: Monitoring Software • Module 34: Email Surveillance • Module 35: Drug Testing and Polygraph Testing • Module 36: Background Checks and Social Networking Websites • Module 37: Job Applicants […]

UNIT 7: Employee Compensation • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 38: CEO Compensation • Module 39: Taxes and Salaries: Egalitarian and Libertarian Policies • Module 40: Rawls’ Veil of Ignorance and Fair Compensation Systems Unit Background/Author Perspective Americans are keenly […]

UNIT 8: Special Obligations to Customers • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 41: Customer Deception: Who’s to Blame? • Module 42: Credit Cards and Payday Loans • Module 43: “Microinsurance” • Module 44: Using “Bad” Things to Boost Profits • […]

UNIT 9: Environmental Ethics • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 47: Dumping • Module 48: Environmental Disasters, from the Valdez to BP • Module 49: Sustainability: Renewable Energy and “Green” Buildings • Module 50: Animal Rights • Module 51: “Perfectly […]

MODULE 1: Intentional Misrepresentations: Are Some Lies Better than Others? Core Module Issues: • Can lying ever be justified? • Can lying in business ever be justified? • Under what specific circumstances (if any) is deception acceptable? Module Teaching Notes […]

UNIT 10: International Ethics • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 52: Overseas Working Conditions • Module 53: Fair Trade Programs • Module 54: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Bribes Unit Background/Author Perspective There appears to be less emphasis on […]

MODULE 10: Stakeholder Focus: Communities Core Module Issues: • When, if ever, is a company obligated to “give something back” to a community in which it operates? • Are communities equivalent to other kinds of stakeholders, like employees and customers? […]

UNIT 11: “The Great Recession” • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 55: Mortgage Backed Securities and Root Causes of the Great Recession • Module 56: The Mortgage Meltdown – Big Investors • Module 57: “Outsourcing Yourself” • Module 58: The […]

MODULE 11: Stakeholder Focus: Customers and Dangerous Products Core Module Issues: • When, if ever, do companies have special obligations to their customers? • Are the obligations more pronounced if safety is involved? Module Teaching Notes This concluding unit in […]

MODULE 12: “Best Case Scenario” Ads Core Module Issues: • Is it ethically acceptable for companies to use their all-time, most successful client in advertisements? • If so, is a company obligated to also give information about more typical results? […]

UNIT 12: Government Actions and Corporate Influence • Unit Background/Author Perspective • Module 60: Politics and the Supreme Court • Module 61: Citizens’ United Case: Free Speech, Corporations, and Participation in Elections • Module 62: Long Term Unemployment • Module […]

MODULE 13: Quickly Flashed Fine Print Core Module Issues: • Is it acceptable to flash blocks of fine print during a TV ad of an average consumer would have little chance to read them? • Should the government get involved […]

MODULE 14: Using Fear to Sell Core Module Issues: • Is it reasonable to “scare” customers into buying products and services? • If so, are there any limits? Any circumstances in which fear is not an appropriate tactic? Module Teaching […]

MODULE 15: Celebrity Endorsements Core Module Issues: • Are high-priced celebrity endorsements acceptable? • What if the celebrity does not use the product? Module Teaching Notes Celebrity endorsements work. Or at least, they frequently work. A company-copyrighted cartoon pitchman may […]

MODULE 16: Marketing Unhealthy Food to Children Core Module Issues: • Do food companies share in the blame for the obesity epidemic? • Are children in particular need of new protections from food that is “bad for them”? • If […]

MODULE 17: Children and Violent Video Games Core Module Issues: • Are video game producers and sellers obligated to help keep “M” rated games away from children? • Are video game producers obligated to make more “kid friendly” games? Module […]

MODULE 18: Ethical Selling: Labeling Sleight-of-Hand Core Module Issues: • Do food producers have any labeling obligations beyond those strictly imposed by law? • Is the answer different if a company deliberately tries to stretch laws as far as possible? […]

MODULE 19: Marketing in the Public Schools Core Module Issues: • When is it appropriate to advertise products in the public schools? • When is it appropriate to sell actual items in the public schools? Module Teaching Notes This final […]

MODULE 2: Utilitarianism vs. Deontological Ethics Core Module Issues: • What is the principle of utility? • How are deontological models different from utilitarian models? • Which is more useful or sensible when reasoning through ethical dilemmas? Module Teaching Notes […]

MODULE 20: Weight Discrimination Core Module Issues: • Is it ever acceptable to discriminate on the basis of weight? • If so, under what circumstances? • Are distinctions based on weight equally acceptable/unacceptable when they impact customers and employees? religion, […]

MODULE 21: Extreme Hours Core Module Issues: • Is it reasonable for companies to require workers to put in 50, 60, or 70 hours a week? • Are extreme workweeks contributors to societal problems? • Should the Fair Labor Standards […]

MODULE 22: Layoffs in Good Economic Times Core Module Issues: • When can a company ethically terminate workers who are performing reasonable well? • Is the answer different in good and bad economic times? Module Teaching Notes Since most workers […]

MODULE 23: Workplace Diversity Core Module Issues: • Should organizations adopt diversity/affirmative action policies? • If so, under what circumstances? • If not, why not? Module Teaching Notes This module focuses squarely on diversity in the workplace, and on affirmative […]

MODULE 24: No Compete Agreements and Arbitration Clauses Core Module Issues: • Are no compete agreements acceptable? If so, when? • Are arbitration clauses acceptable? If so, when? Module Teaching Notes This module examines two issues that are related in […]

MODULE 25: Layoffs and Health Care Core Module Issues: • Should an organization every consider a worker’s need for company– sponsored health care when making decisions about downsizing? • If so, under what circumstances? Module Teaching Notes Even more than […]

MODULE 26: “Don’t be a Hero” Policies Core Module Issues: • Are businesses, and especially retailers, wise to have policies that prohibit employees from intervening to stop shoplifting and other kinds of crime? • If so, is it appropriate to […]

MODULE 27: Company Perspective: Sexual Harassment and Workplace Dating Core Module Issues: • Should companies seek to prevent employees from becoming romantically involved by creating no dating policies? • If so, what should the consequences be if workers do become […]

MODULE 28: Employee Perspective: Sexual Harassment and Workplace Dating Core Module Issues: • Are employees ethically required to strictly adhere to dating restrictions in contracts? • If not, why not? Module Teaching Notes This module compliments the last one, and […]

MODULE 29: The Family and Medical Leave Act and “Fake Illnesses” Core Module Issues: • How much should a company investigate if an employee claims an illness? • What should a company do if evidence emerges that the employee is […]

MODULE 3: Scope of Utility – Selecting Relevant Groups Core Module Issues: • What is the principle of utility? • Is utility vulnerable to criticism? • What groups are most likely to be considered by a utilitarian thinker? Module Teaching […]

MODULE 30: Firing Workers Responsible for a “Big Problem” Core Module Issues: • When a “big problem” emerges, does a company need to find a “fall guy” and fire him? • If so, who should the “fall guy” be? • […]

MODULE 31: Resume Fraud Core Module Issues: • Are there “degrees” of resume fraud, or are all misrepresentations equally unacceptable? • Should candidates be automatically disqualified for any resume misrepresentation? Module Teaching Notes You might want to start this discussion […]

MODULE 32: Employee Behavior Away from the Office Core Module Issues: • When should “off duty” behavior have an effect on an employee’s job? • How should a worker who misbehaves while off duty be disciplined? In the scenario, seven […]

MODULE 33: Monitoring Software Core Module Issues: • Is it reasonable for a company to use software to monitor what its employees do with their computers? • If so, should the workers be given notice? • Should workers be fired […]

MODULE 34: Email Surveillance Core Module Issues: • Should companies make “targeted searches” of employee computers if the employee behaves suspiciously? • Should employees be fired if incriminating evidence is uncovered? Module Teaching Notes The last module looked at whether […]

MODULE 35: Drug Testing and Polygraph Testing Core Module Issues: • When should a company require employees to submit to drug testing? • When should a company require employees to submit to polygraph (lie detector) testing? • What should a […]

MODULE 36: Background Checks and Social Networking Websites Core Module Issues: • Should a company look at Facebook pages when making hiring decisions? • If so, what kinds of postings should hurt an applicant’s chances of being hired? Module Teaching […]

MODULE 37: Job Applicants and Credit Reports Core Module Issues: • Should companies check applicants’ or employees’ credit scores? • If so, at what point should applicants be excluded from consideration, or employees be fired, because of their credit scores? […]

MODULE 38: CEO Compensation Core Module Issues: • At what point, if any, does executive compensation become excessive? • Does it matter whether a company is performing wel or poorly? • What, if anything, should be done about the issue? […]

MODULE 39: Taxes and Salaries: Egalitarian and Libertarian Policies Core Module Issues: • Should compensation policies be more egalitarian or libertarian? • Should taxation policies set by the government be more egalitarian or libertarian? Module Teaching Notes This module introduces […]

MODULE 4: Kant and Unique Human Dignity Core Module Issues: • Does it make sense to try to find categorical imperatives? • Do human beings have a unique dignity, and if so, are business leaders obligated to respect it? • […]

MODULE 40: Rawls’ Veil of Ignorance and Fair Compensation Systems Core Module Issues: • What is Rawls’ Veil of Ignorance? • Is it a reasonable justification for egalitarian policies? Module Teaching Notes Many thinkers have offered arguments in favor of […]

MODULE 41: Customer Deception: Who’s to Blame? Core Module Issues: • When are customers “unacceptably deceived”? • When customers are mislead, who is most to blame? Module Teaching Notes This module begins a new unit on special obligations to customers. […]

MODULE 42: Lending Practices Core Module Issues: • When are credit card interest rates unacceptably high? • When are payday loan interest rates unacceptably high? • Under what circumstances is it acceptable for credit card companies to lower customers’ credit […]

MODULE 43: Microinsurance Core Module Issues: • It is wrongful to offer “microinsurance” at prices that are not even close to the costs of providing the service? • Should companies be required to give consumers more information about microinsurance? Module […]

MODULE 44: Using “Bad” Things to Increase Profits Core Module Issues: • What, if any, legal products and services are “bad”. • Can companies ethically profit from selling such products and services? Module Teaching Notes Some students will be surprised […]

MODULE 45: Store Cards, Search Engines, and Customer Data Core Module Issues: • Should a company every sell customer data to other companies? • What if the company runs a search engine, and the data is a customer’s searches? Module […]

MODULE 46: “Least Profitable Customers” Core Module Issues: • Should a company identify its “worst” customers? • Should a company discriminate against such customers? Module Teaching Notes This module is the last in the “special obligations to customers” unit. If […]

MODULE 47: Dumping Core Module Issues: • Is a company obligated to go beyond legal requirements to protect the environment? • What if the potential harm is “out in the middle of nowhere”. Module Teaching Notes This new unit on […]

MODULE 48: Environmental Disasters, from the Exxon Valdez to BP Core Module Issues: • What steps should a company take to prevent environmental disasters in the first place? • if a disaster has already happened, how should a company respond […]

MODULE 49: Sustainability and “Green” Buildings Core Module Issues: • When should a company adopt green practices? • When do sustainable options become too expensive? Module Teaching Notes It is hard to think of many buzz words that show up […]

MODULE 5: Kant’s Duty Ethics Core Module Issues: • When a person or a company does a “good deed”, does the motive for doing the good deed matter? • If it does matter, what motives make for the best actions? […]

MODULE 50: Animal Rights Core Module Issues: • Do animals have rights beyond those required by law? • If so, what are they? Module Teaching Notes Testing products on animals was a big deal, as far as media coverage goes, […]

MODULE 51: “Perfectly Good Items”: Wasteful Business Practices Core Module Issues: • When, if ever, is a company ethically obligated to reduce waste? • Does it matter what kind of waste is addressed? Module Teaching Notes This module concludes the […]

MODULE 52: Overseas Working Conditions Core Module Issues: • What steps is a company obligated to take toward its overseas contract workers? • How should a company respond if it discovers the abuse of workers in its overseas factories? Module […]

MODULE 53: Fair Trade Programs Core Module Issues: • Are fair trade programs important? • What, if any premium, are consumers willing to pay for fair trade products? Module Teaching Notes This module is a compliment to the last one […]

MODULE 54: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Bribes Core Module Issues: • What is the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act? • In the absence of laws/regulations, are bribes acceptable? Module Teaching Notes This module requires a unique point of set […]

MODULE 55: Mortgage Backed Securities and Root Causes of the “Great Recession” Core Module Issues: • What causes contributed to the recession? • Which of them are most responsible? Module Teaching Notes At the time of this writing, the economy […]

MODULE 56: The Mortgage Meltdown – Big Investors Core Module Issues: • What are ratings agencies? • Do ratings agencies share more or less blame than investment houses and investors themselves when ratings do not accurately reflect investment risk? Module […]

MODULE 57: “Outsourcing Yourself” Core Module Issues: • Do people have any obligation to remain in communities? • If so, do poor economic times change those obligations? Module Teaching Notes “Outsourcing” was a hot topic in the 80s and 90s. […]

MODULE 58: The Making Home Affordable Program Core Module Issues: • What is the Making Home Affordable Program? • Is it a good part of the solution to the mortgage crisis and recession? Module Teaching Notes The government generally tries […]

MODULE 59: “Strategic Defaults” and Foreclosures Core Module Issues: • What is a “strategic default”? • Does a person behave ethically is he decides to make a strategic default? Module Teaching Notes This is the last module in the “Great […]

MODULE 6: Stakeholder Ethics Core Module Issues: • What is the shareholder model? • What is the stakeholder model? • Which is most sensible? Module Teaching Notes We start this new unit with an overview of the shareholder and stakeholder […]

MODULE 60: Politics and the Supreme Court Core Module Issues: • How are Supreme Court Justices selected? • What factors should determine how a Justice is selected? Module Teaching Notes This last unit largely shifts its focus away from companies […]

MODULE 61: Citizens’ United Case: Free Speech, Corporations, and Participation in Elections Core Module Issues: • To what degree CAN corporations participate in elections? • To what degree SHOULD corporations participate in elections? Module Teaching Notes The Citizens’ United case […]

MODULE 62: Long Term Unemployment Core Module Issues: • How long should unemployment benefits last? • Should the duration of unemployment benefits be dramatically extended during a recession? Module Teaching Notes When I wrote the original module, the recession had […]

MODULE 63: Immigration Policy Core Module Issues: • What is an ideal immigration policy? Module Teaching Notes The Arizona statute passed in 2010 that sought to stop illegal immigration sparked an immediate firestorm. It will no doubt continue to polarize […]

MODULE 64: Health Care Legislation Core Module Issues: • Is the new health care legislation Constitutional? Note: I hope very much that you’ve had a good experience using this book and these notes. I restate that I welcome any comments […]

MODULE 7: Milton Friedman and Shareholder Ethics Core Module Issues: • What did Friedman have to say about the shareholder model? • Is a corporate leader ever obligated to consider the “stakeholders”? Module Teaching Notes This module looks at the […]

MODULE 8: Stakeholder Focus: Employees Core Module Issues: • When, if ever, do the needs of employees outweigh the needs of the shareholders? • Do “special circumstances” factor into the equation? Module Teaching Notes This is the first of a […]

MODULE 9: Stakeholder Focus: Plant Closing Core Module Issues: • When, if ever, is a company obligated to consider employees if the needs of the employees are at odds with creating shareholder wealth? • When, if ever, are communities relevant […]