Students are required to purchase a subscription (to last through the semester) of the Wall Street Journal, as well as "Portico: An introduction to business and ethics" which are both available in the Boston College Bookstore. Other readings can be found online or in class. Here is a week by week description of the readings.

Week One

Sept. 5-9

·         The Economist: "Nomads at last: A special report: on mobile telecoms" http://irm.bc.edu/reserves/mh100/sull/mh10020.pdf

·         Sara Corbett, “Can the cell phone help end global poverty?” http://irm.bc.edu/reserves/mh100/sull/mh10017.pdf

 

Week Two

Sept. 12-16

·         Michael Porter, “How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy” (pp. 5 – 25 in Portico)

·         “Apple Inc. in 2010” (Please note: this is an update of the Apple 2008 case found on pp. 27 – 58 in Portico)

 

Week Three

Sept. 19-23

·         The Economist: The World Turned Upside Down: A special report on innovation in emerging markets

·         Learn about venture capital

 

Week Four

Sept 26-30

For Dean Boynton's Monday session on the Idea Hunter:

A review of the book

An interview with the authors

 

·         Richard Spinello, “A Critical Overview of Ethical Frameworks” (pp. 63 – 78 in Portico)

·         Milton Friedman, “The Social Responsibility of Business is to increase its Profits,” http://doc.cat-v.org/economics/milton_friedman/business_social_responsibility 

·         Lynn Sharp Paine, “Ethics: A Basic Framework” (pp. 79 – 86 in Portico) 

·        “The Good, The Bad, and the Difference” by Randy Cohen

 

 

Week Five

Oct 3-7

no readings

 

Week Six

Oct 10-14

“On task” for group presentations

 

Week Seven

Oct 17-21

Group presentations

 

Week Eight

Oct 24-28

·         Ayn Rand, “In Defense of Ethical Egoism” (pp. 111-118 from Spinello – handout)

 

Recommended for Monday evening: Introductory chapters from Accounting and Finance texts (on e-reserve)

·         Accounting – “Financial Statements and Business Decisions” by Libby , http://irm.bc.edu/reserves/mh100/keel/mh10004.pdf

·         Finance - “The Corporation and the Financial Manager,” by Brealey, http://irm.bc.edu/reserves/mh100/keel/mh10003.pdf

 

Week Nine

Oct 31 - Nov 5

·         Utilitarianism (pp. 255 - 262 in Portico)

·         Deontological Theories, Kant (pp. 163 - 172 in Portico)

Recommended for Monday Evening: Introductory chapters from Organizational Studies (on e-reserve)

·         Org Studies – “Why mastering organizational behavior is essential to your career,” by Andre, http://irm.bc.edu/reserves/mh100/keel/mh10007.pdf

 

Week Ten

Nov 7-11

·         Plato, Gorgias (pp. 89 - 120 in Portico)

·         Plato, Gorgias (pp. 120 - 159 in Portico)

·         William Cronon, “Only Connect” http://www.williamcronon.net/writing/Cronon_Only_Connect.pdf

Recommended for Monday Evening: Introductory chapters from Marketing texts (on e-reserve)

·         Marketing – “What is Marketing,” by Lamb, http://irm.bc.edu/reserves/mh100/keel/mh10008.pdf

 

Week Eleven

Nov 14-18

·         Nicomachean Ethics, Book One, Chapters 5 & 7

·         Nicomachean Ethics, Book Two, Chapters 1 & 3

·         Nicomachean Ethics, Book Eight, Chapters 1 – 4

·         Nicomachean Ethics, Book Three, Chapters 1 – 5  

Click this link for a full Packet of above-listed Aristotle text

·         James O'Toole, Creating the Good Life, Chapters 3 - 4 

 

Week Twelve

Nov 21-25

Thanksgiving Break – no class

·         Robert Spitzer, S.J., “Six Steps for Remedying

Contemporary Ethical Problems” starting with the “Conclusion to Section I.” (pp. 270 – 279 in Portico)

 

Week Thirteen

Nov 28-Dec 2

·         Johnson and Johnson Case & James Burke, A Career in American Business A and B (pp. 311 – 328 in Portico)

·       The Boston Beer Company Case  

·         Parable of the Sadhu (pp. 329 – 335 in Portico)

·         James Waters, “Catch 20.5: Corporate morality as an organizational phenomenon”  http://irm.bc.edu/reserves/mh100/sull/mh10018.pdf

 

Week Fourteen

Dec 5-9

·         Chris Lowney, Heroic Living pp.ix – xii; 3-15; 27 – 38; 157 – 185