Business Ethics for the Real World

This course is designed to provide an introduction to the subject of ethical behavior in business. The course provides an understanding of the nature of ethics, the role ethics plays in business, and the most commonly encountered ethical dilemmas in a business career. It provides practical advice on how to identify ethical dilemmas when they arise, how to get enough information to assess one’s responsibilities, how to analyze a complex ethical choice, and how to marshal one’s own resources and courage to act ethically. While the course includes some ethical theory, it is designed to be approachable by the seasoned manager, the novice businessperson, and students in business schools. No specific background or preparation is necessary.

Instructor

Kirk O. Hanson

Executive Director, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Kirk O. Hanson is one of the founders of the field of business ethics. The executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, Hanson taught business ethics for 23 years in the MBA and Executive Programs of the Stanford Business School, where he is Senior Lecturer Emeritus. He continues to teach MBA and EMBA courses on business ethics at Santa Clara, where he heads one of the most active ethics centers in the world, with extensive programs in business ethics, government ethics, bioethics, Internet ethics, and character education.