University of San Diego
School of Business
Administration
ETLW 302
Business and Society
Summer
2014
TR
9-12:15 P.M. TR
Professor Richard
E. Custin, J.D., LL.M. email: rcustin@sandiego.edu
Coronado 216 Office
Hours- TR 8-9 A.M. and as arranged
619 260-4854
Class
Blog: http://custinusdbusinesssociety.blogspot.com/
Course
Description:
This course examines principles of social responsibility,
ethics, law, and stakeholder theory as they apply to organizations domestically
and abroad. Coverage includes business ethics; individual versus societal
interests; labor and employment issues; consumer protection; discrimination and
diversity; the natural environment; politics, public policy, and government
regulation of business. Particular attention is given to developing moral
reasoning skills. Prerequisite: MGMT 300.
Course
Objectives:
Students successfully completing
this course will be able to:
Recognize the stakeholders in various
types of international and domestic organizations
Evaluate
competing interests in business, government, and society
Apply ethical
reasoning to problem solving in business
Demonstrate an
appreciation for diversity
Assess the
relationship of ethics and law
Develop an
applied knowledge of employment and labor law
Key topics to be covered this semester
are:
The Relationship between Business and Society
Social Corporate Responsibility
The Stakeholder Approach
Corporate Governance
Crisis Management
Business Ethics
Employment Law
Labor Law
Employment Discrimination and Affirmative Action
Workplace Legal Issues including Privacy, Health and Safety
Alternative Dispute Resolution- Arbitration and Mediation
Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution Retirement Plans, Workers
Compensation and
Unemployment Compensation
Required
Course Materials: (must be obtained in advance of first day of class)
Cihon and Castagnera, Employment and
Labor Law, 8th edition, South-Western
(978-1-133-58660-9)
Previous or electronic editions are not
acceptable. You may not “share” a book
with another student in the class.
Course
Requirements and Student Evaluation:
Attendance:
We expect that students will
attend all scheduled classes. Please do not enter the classroom
late. If the class is in session, do
not knock on the door or otherwise interrupt the discussion or activity. If you
are late, please wait until the next break time to enter the classroom.
Participation:
Active participation is the key
to success in this course. You must
bring your text to each class meeting.
No exceptions. You must be prepared
to discuss each case that is assigned for reading and study. You are encouraged to participate in class
and on the class blog.
Caveat:
You must be prepared to discuss
the material assigned and the cases in the required text. In the event you are
unprepared for any class question or case discussion your overall cumulative
grade points may be reduced five points for each instance you are
unprepared. We need your active
participation.
Please provide me with a valid e-mail address. I may contact you via e-mail with information
concerning class cancellations, assignments, due dates and supplemental
reading. An e-mail message created and
sent to you creates a presumption that the e-mail was received and read by
you. Therefore, check your e-mail
regularly!
No make-up examinations will be
given absent extraordinary reasons. (major earthquakes-8.0+, tornados, floods-
like the “Ark”, impending end of world, and disasters of monstrous
proportion) No assignments will be accepted
after the announced due date.
Please remember to silence your
cell phone during class. No computers or
other electronic devises are permitted during class lecture or discussion. Unauthorized use during an examination will
result in a failing grade.
Please do not request a specific
grade or advise the instructor that you need a grade to maintain a scholarship
or for some other reason. Requesting a
grade or attempting to influence the instructor concerning grading constitutes
professional misconduct.
Unless approved in writing by the
instructor, any audio or video recording of the lecture or class discussions is
strictly prohibited.
Unless expressly provided by the
instructor, you may not submit assignments as attachments or electronically. Please retain copies of all written
assignments you submit.
Grading:
Scale: A+ 100-97, A
96-92, A-91-90, B+89, B 88-82, B-80-81, C+ 79, C 78-72, C-71-70, D+ 69, D
68-62, D- 61-60, less than 60=F
3 tests - 40% - Multiple Choice
Final Examination- Essay and/or multiple choice- Comprehensive
- 40%
Class Participation and Professionalism- 10%
Individual and Group Assignments- 10%
Important: Earning a grade of A in the course also
requires that you were prepared for each class meeting, maintained
professionalism at all times, completed all class assignments and actively
participated in class discussions.
Statement
on Academic Integrity:
“All members of the University community share the
responsibility for maintaining an environment of academic integrity since
academic dishonesty is a threat to the University. Acts of academic dishonesty
include: a) unauthorized assistance on an examination; b) falsification or
invention of data; c) unauthorized collaboration on an academic exercise; d)
plagiarism; e) misappropriation of resource materials; f) any unauthorized
access of an instructor's files or computer account; or g) any other serious
violation of academic integrity as established by the instructor.”
School
of Business Administration Mission Statement:
To develop socially
responsible business leaders with a global outlook through academically
rigorous, relevant, and values-based education and research.
Disclaimer
The lectures, discussions,
assignments, personal interaction and all educational activity are information
and not legal advice. If you need legal,
tax or any other professional advice, consult a licensed attorney or other
qualified professional. The Professor is
not providing legal or other representation to any student. No attorney client privilege is intended or
implied.
Tentative
Schedule- Subject to Change
Class
|
Topics
|
Assignments/Deliverables
|
Week 1
|
Overview of
Employment and Labor Law- Stakeholder Approach
|
Chapter 1
|
Employment
Contracts and Wrongful Discharge
|
Chapters 2
& 3
|
|
Week 2
|
Employee
Privacy Rights- Business Ethics- Global Perspective
|
Chapters 4
& 5
Test # 1
|
Title VII of
the Civil Rights Act and Race Discrimination
|
Chapter 6
|
|
Gender &
Family Issues
|
Chapter 7
|
|
Discrimination
Based on Religion and National Origin
|
Chapter 8
|
|
Week 3
|
Discrimination
based on Age
|
Chapters 9
|
Discrimination
Based on Disability
|
Chapter 10
Test # 2
|
|
Week 4
|
The Rise of
Organized Labor- Corporate Social Responsibility
|
Chapter 12
|
The
Unionization Process and Unfair Labor Practices
|
Chapters 13
& 14
Test # 3
|
|
Week 5
|
Occupational
Safety and Health
|
Chapter 20
|
Employee
Safety Nets- Unemployment, Workers Compensation and Social Security
|
Chapter 21
|
|
Week 6
|
The Fair Labor
Standards Act
|
Chapter 22
|
To be
announced
|
Comprehensive Final Examination
|
18 Etiquette Tips for E-mailing Your Professor
Consider these things when communicating electronically with your college instructors.
By Jeremy S. Hyman
and Lynn F. Jacobs Sept. 30, 2010
Professors, like everyone else, have gone
electronic. In addition to the one-on-one office hour, they're quite willing to
communicate by e-mail. Here are some things to consider before clicking the
"Send" button:1. E-mail is forever. Once you send it off, you can't get it back. Once your professor has it, he or she owns it and can save it or, in the worst case, forward it onto colleagues for a good laugh—at your expense.
2. E-mail goes where it's told. Check—and double check—to see that the right address appears in the "To" line. Just because your mom and your professor are both named "Lynn" is no reason to send all your love to Professor Lynn.
3. Professors might not be using the cruddy university e-mail system. So send it to the address they actually use, not the one on the university directory. (Check the syllabus or assignment sheet for clues.)
4. Professors might not open mail sent from luckydogpig@thepound.com. They prefer to open mail sent from more reputable addresses, like you@theCruddyUniversityE-mailSystem.edu.
5. Subject lines are for subjects. Put a brief explanation of the nature of the e-mail (like "question about paper") in the subject line. Never include demands such as "urgent request—immediate response needed." That's the surest way to get your request trashed.
6. Salutations matter. The safest way to start is with "Dear Professor So and So" (using their last name). That way you won't be getting into the issue of whether the prof has a Ph.D. or not, and you won't seem sexist when you address your female-professor as "Ms." or, worse yet, "Mrs. This and That."
7. Clear and concise is best. Your prof might get 25 or 30 E-mails a day, so, it's best if you ask your questions in as focused and succinct a way as possible. (Hint: it's often good to number your questions). And, if your question is very elaborate or multifaceted, it's best to go to an in-person office hour. You'll get better service that way.
Extra Pointer. Before sending a draft of a paper to a professor as an attachment, check to see that he or she is willing to accept such longer documents. If not, see if he or she will look over a page or even a central paragraph of your work incorporated into the body of the E-mail. And be sure to "cc" yourself any time you send a piece of work; who knows the fate of the copy you're sending?
5-Star Tip. Never e-mail your paper as an attachment in a bizarre format. You might think that .odt is really cool since you didn't have to pay for Open Office. But what when the professor discovers it takes him or her 20 minutes to find the plug-in that doesn't work, then another half hour to download Open Office (which ties up all too much space on his computer). What was supposed to be a 15-minute grading job on your paper is now taking over an hour. And then the prof has to assign your grade? Stick to Word.
8. Always acknowledge. If your professor decides to answer—or send you the handout or reference that you asked for—be sure to tell him or her that you got it. That way he or she will think kindly of you next time they see you in class.
9. THIS IS NOT A SHOUTING MATCH. Don't write in all uppercase letters, which is an E-mail convention for anger or other strong emotions. No one likes yelling.
10. No one really likes emoticons and smileys. Trust us on this one. :)
11. This is not Facebook. Don't write the professor in the way you'd write on your friend's wall.
5-Star Tip. It's never a good idea to "poke" your professor, no matter how funny it seems at the time.
12. This is not IM-ing. So pls dun wrte yor profeSR lIk ur txtN. uz abbrz @ yor own rsk. coRec me f Im wrng. (Translation thanks to www.transl8it.com, which features a neat little Facebook widget.)
13. This is not CollegeHumor. Resist the temptation to talk about the "bad ass" paper you need help with, your "loser" TA who didn't teach you what you needed to know, or the "crappy" grade you just got on the midterm.
14. This is not RateMyProfessors.com. The professor doesn't want your comments about his or her performance in the class. Save those for the end-of-semester evaluations, where you'll be able to spout off. Anonymously.
15. Spelling mistakes make you look like a doofus. So always use the spel check, and proofread yyour e-mail, two.
16. Signoffs and signatures count. Always end by thanking the professor for his or her time, and closing with "Best wishes" or "Regards" (or some other relatively formal, but friendly, closing). And always sign with your (entire) real name, not some wacky nickname like Ry-Ry or Biff.
17. Your prof doesn't want to hear your philosophy of life. Skip the cute quotes or statements of your religious or political views at the bottom of your E-mail. You never know what offends.
18. Don't lay it on too thick. It's one thing to be polite and friendly in your e-mail; it's another thing to wind up with a brown nose.
Source: http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2010/09/30/18-etiquette-tips-for-e-mailing-your-professor (retrieved May 21, 2014)
