Introduction to Corporate Governance and Ethics

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
• Convenor and tutor: Sue Konzelmann
• Prerequisites: Introductions: Understanding the Business World or Management Studies I and Management Studies II
• Assessment: a two-hour examination (100%)

This module introduces advanced undergraduate students to the complex and changing relationships between business corporations, their stakeholders (shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers etc) and the societies in which they operate.

The economic and financial aspects of corporate governance relationships have long been of concern to those in the business, and in recent years the social, political and moral aspects of these relationships have also become a major public concern. This module addresses these sets of issues from both a theoretical and empirical perspective. It also provides you with the background to appreciate different models of corporate governance and different ethical value systems encountered when working in an international business environment.

An important dimension of the course involves working in small groups so that you are able to learn both to identify and analyse governance and ethical dilemmas in the context of specific empirical cases and to develop solutions that might be effective in addressing them.

This module follows from the themes of core or compulsory modules such as Management Studies, Managerial Economics, Employment Relations and HRM and Organisational Behaviour, and allows advanced students to pursue a more specialised study in this important area.

The aims of this module are to:

• give you a critical understanding of the principal theories of corporate governance, business ethics and corporate responsibility and how they apply in practice
• consider different models of corporate governance, including shareholder and stakeholder models
• consider the ways in which these may vary between cultures and be applied in a business setting
• introduce the concepts of social responsibility and sustainability
• focus on the analysis of governance and ethical problems in empirical cases, reinforced by an emphasis on work in small groups, culminating in a series of small group presentations.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• understand the meaning and importance of corporate governance in the strategic and effective management of organisations
• comprehend the role and contribution of the various stakeholder groups in this context
• understand the concept of corporate responsibility - as well as other related concepts such as sustainability, corporate citizenship and philanthropy - and its role as a business strategy
• identify the corporate governance, ethical and CSR issues facing international business, the points of view of the different stakeholder groups and appropriate solutions in specific cases.