Business Ethics Week 2011 Faculty Activities

The Lam Family College of Business embraces business ethics in a variety of ways. Here is a listing of classroom activities in support of Business Ethics Week 2011.

Department of Accounting

  • Theresa Hammond, PhD: (ACCT 802/101) –

    In ACCT 802, the class watched and discussed the Frontline video, "Flying Cheap, Is Air Travel Safety Being Compromised" in order to highlight the ethical issues involved in cost cutting. In ACCT 101, the class discussed the ethical issues involved in target pricing, highlighting stories about the costs of life–saving drugs around the world.

  • David Franz, PhD: (ACCT 305) –

    Reviewed the Code of Ethics put forth by the Institute of Managerial Accountants

  • Tina Caratan, PhD: (ACCT 504) –

    Guest speaker Paul Keller, CPA (Partner, Moss Adams). Discussed the tax implications to the tax exempt community including the appropriate methods of advising charities to defer or mitigate potential tax liabilities, as well as discussed cases of tax fraud and the impact of such to the offending charity, the not–for–profit community as a whole, and the general public. Additional guest speaker Nancy Young, CPA, CMA (Senior Manager, Moss Adams), upcoming on November 14. Will discuss fraud in the NFP and government arena, specifically how it occurs, why it occurs, and how it can be prevented (or at least mitigated).

Department of Decision Sciences

  • Susan Cholette, PhD: (DS 855/412) –

    In DS 855, a guest lecturer, an auditor from Intertek, will speak on fair labor issues in overseas companies. In DS 412, there will be a presentation of sustainable supply chain concepts, including a carbon footprinting analysis.

  • Ozgur Ozluk, PhD: (DS 412) –

    During quality control, will discuss how statistics can purposefully be misused (and how to recognize such misuse).

  • Theresa Roeder, PhD: (DS 412/601) –

    In DS 412, classroom discussion will be on ethics vs. morality, and how these topics relate to Management Science. In DS 601, classroom discussion will be on ethics vs. morality, and how these topics relate to Operations Management.

  • V. Udayabhanu, PhD: (DS 412) –

    During quality control, will discuss how statistics can purposefully be misused (and how to recognize such misuse).

  • Leyla Ozsen, PhD: (DS 212) –

    Presentation and class discussion of topical examples of (purposeful) misuse of statistics in the media from that week.

  • Julia Miyaoka, PhD: (DS 212) –

    Presentation and discussion of a statistics case with significant ethical considerations.

    Katy Azoury, PhD: (DS 212) –

    Presentation and discussion of a statistics case with significant ethical considerations.

  • Sada Soorapanth, PhD: (DS 212) –

    Presentation and discussion of a statistics case with significant ethical considerations.

    Jamie Eng, PhD: (DS 110) –

    Students will perform mortgage rate analysis, including a study of conforming loan standards, with discussion of predatory loan practices.

Department of Economics

  • Kirill Chernomaz, PhD: (ECON 301) –

    Prof. Chernomaz will discuss with his students the ethical dilemmas associated with production externalities as well as free riding and provision of public goods. In another class he will be talking about ethical implications of pricing strategies aimed at increasing the producers' profits at the expense of consumers.

  • Lisa Takayama, PhD: (ECON 301/520/820) –

    Prof. Takayama will discuss various anti–competitive business practices as they relate to the attainment and maintenance of market power and antitrust.

  • Zuzana Janko, PhD: (ECON 500/612) –

    In ECON 500, Prof. Janko will discuss the Ethics of US Monetary Policy with a special focus on the monetary policy as a response to the Financial Crisis of 2007/2008. In ECON 612, Prof. Janko will discuss the European Union and the ongoing financial crisis, what triggered the crisis (the moral hazard problems), and the moral hazard (and too big to fail) problems of other financial crises.

  • Michael Bar, PhD: (ECON 312/302) –

    In ECON 312, Prof. Bar will teach his students how to measure discrimination (gender and race based) in the labor market. In ECON 302, he will also discuss the subprime mortgage crisis in 2007–2009, with the emphasis on ethics in the banking sector.

  • Don Mar, PhD: (ECON 400) –

    Prof. Mar will give a lecture on the ethics and economics of monopolies in the late 19th century US.

  • Professors Sudip Chattopadhyay, Phil King, Michael Potepan, and Betty Blecha will encourage students in their classes to attend the Speaker Events during Business Ethics Week.

Department of Finance

  • Deniz Tudor, PhD: (FIN 353/828) –

    Deniz Tudor will be showing the documentaries "Inside Job" and "Maxed Out" in her FIN 353 and FIN 828 classes. She will also discuss the Dodd–Frank Act, predatory lending, front running, insider trading, spinning, laddering, etc.

  • Alan Jung, PhD: (FIN 350) –

    Alan Jung will show and discuss the Frontline video "The Madoff Affair" in his Fin 350 class.

  • David Hysinger, PhD: (FIN 365) –

    David Hysinger will have an in–class case/exercise on real estate broker ethics, e.g. conflicts of interest, fiduciary duties, etc. in his Fin 365 class.

  • George Li, PhD: (FIN 350/819) –

    George Li will discuss a case related to business ethics in Fin 350 (two sections) and Fin 819 (two sections).

  • Daniela Balkanska, PhD: (FIN 350/BUS 785) –

    Daniela Balkanska will show and discuss the "Inside Job" documentary in her FIN 350 and BUS 785 classes.

  • Michael Needham (BUS 350) –

    Class discussion of the Frontline show “The Warning; Brooksley Born and the CFTC."

Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management

  • Mehmet Ergul, PhD: (HTM 110/HTM 557) –

    Class discussion on Housekeeping and Ethics (HTM 110); discussion on Ethics in Foodservice Industry with case studies (HTM 557).

Department of Information Systems

  • Lutfus Sayeed, PhD: (ISYS 814) –

    Nov 2nd class will discuss the recent publication, Sayeed, L. and Gill, S. (2010) "An Exploratory Study on Organizational Adjustments due to Green IT," International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 233-250.

Department of International Business

  • Yikuan Lee, PhD: (IBUS 590) –

    Will discuss ethics and global business using a case about Nike sweatshop issues.

  • Yim–Yu Wong, PhD: (IBUS 815) –

    Global company's attitude toward corporate social responsibilities will be discussed as a myth or reality. Also had a class solely devoted to CSR on 9/19/2011. CSR is also brought up throughout the course as it suits the topics, which is practically in every class so far.

  • Gerardo Ungson, PhD: (IBUS 868) –

    Triple Bottom Line (Environment, Ecology, and Energy): Two Guest Speakers: Jim Gollub, Managing Director, E3 Institute; former Senior Vice President, ICF International, "Energy, Environment, and Sustainability: One Proposed Blueprint" and Eddie Leung, CEO, Risk and Management Corp., "Evaluating Risk in Sustainability Projects."

  • Lihua Wang, PhD: (IBUS 681) –

    Students will watch two video cases related to ethics in international business and discuss for one hour and fifteen minutes.

Department of Labor and Employment Studies

  • John Logan, PhD: (BUS 682) –

    Guest speaker, Ben Hensler (Deputy Director and General Counsel of the Workers' Rights Consortium) will speak and there will be a discussion of the Nike vs. U of Oregon case that features WRC.

Department of Management

  • Aaron Anderson, PhD: (BUS 888) –

    In this session, we ask and answer the question of whether ethics can harmonize with corporate strategy and use different cases such as Enron, AIG, Lehman Brothers, and Walmart to lever into the conversation. We also discuss broader concepts like increasing shareholder value and if there is a way to maximize it while focusing on the triple bottom line.

  • Toni Petkova, PhD: (BUS 890) –

    Two cases will be discussed: 1. eBay preventing fraud online; 2. Monsanto's international expansion – ethical and legal issues. BUS 890 students are doing their culminating projects on clean technology firms and will present their analysis the first two weeks of December.

  • Peter Melhus, PhD: (BUS 682/784) –

    We will be viewing "An Inconvenient Truth." In addition, students will be taking their second mid–term exam which covers a variety of topics related to corporate social responsibility and business ethics. In BUS 784, we will spend 2/3 of the class discussing sustainable development, businesses' response to date and what businesses can do to be more sustainable in their operations.

  • Jennifer Tosti–Kharas, PhD: (MGMT 648/605) –

    Will have students in her MGMT 648 class discuss methods for leading change, including socially and environmentally responsible change, and students in her MGMT 605 class will assume the roles of a Board of Directors for a pharmaceutical company trying to decide whether to leave a potentially harmful drug on the market.

  • Geoff Desa, PhD: (BUS 690) –

    Group Project Development: Each student team presents and gets developmental feedback on their project. Goal: To develop a comprehensive analysis of a strategic issue facing a large corporation. Social and ethical implications of the team analysis are carefully considered; and projects are revised to incorporate an inclusive solution.

  • Mike Albert, PhD: (MGMT 405) –

    Lecture topic in this mega section introductory Management course will be focused on ethical issues and Human Resources in organizations.

  • Eric Lamm, PhD: (BUS 788/MGMT 655) –

    In BUS 788, the class will discuss Leadership, Power, & Ethics. In MGMT 655, the class will discuss ethical behavior in teams.

  • Murray Silverman, PhD: (BUS 450/682) –

    In BUS 450, discussion topics will be "Green Consumer" and "Eco–labels", as well as Case Study analysis of the Marine Stewardship Council – certification of sustainably harvested fish. In BUS 682, the discussion topic will be Globalization and Sustainability using the Case study of Nike and factory conditions in the supply chain, plus a video on Microcredit practices.

  • Ann Koch, PhD: (BUS 690) –

    The class will discuss sustainable strategy and marketing of new products in the beverage industry.

  • Bruce Paton, PhD: (BUS 682) –

    Case studies will include: Kimpton Hotels's EarthCare Program, and a Climate Change and Corporate Strategy Case: Toyota and the Search for the Superior Car.

  • Denise Kleinrichert, PhD: (BUS 440/682) –

    Oct. 31 topic is Bottom of the Pyramid analysis of opportunities in developing communities for workforce development and social entrepreneurship to solve workforce challenges; plus, attendance at the "Redefining Leadership: Business for Social Responsibility" speaker panel at the DTC campus. From 5 – 6 pm. (BUS 682 sections) – Nov. 2 topic is Outsourced Workforces and Cross Cultural Lessons in Ethical Leadership with class discussion of a Plant Relocation case analysis of Mexico, Philippines and South Africa relocations, plus student partnership presentations on the case study, Mattel & Toy Safety.

  • Tom Thomas, PhD: (BUS 682) –

    Nov. 1 Class discussion and readings will cover corporate governance, fiduciary duties of officers and executives, and effective governance mechanisms that seek to protect shareholders' and other stakeholder interests. We'll use an Enron case study to explore what lessons did we learned (or didn't) from Enron. Nov. 3 Class discussion and readings will cover competition & anti–trust – U.S. antitrust policy as a response to concentrated economic power and anti–competitive practices. The Microsoft anti–trust case will be used to illustrate concepts and issues.

  • Mark Starik, PhD: (BUS 690 sections) –

    A module on Strategic Management & Ethics and we will be discussing a text chapter on Corporate Governance. (MGMT 856) – review a previously covered session on Sustainable Supply Chain Ethics which included several ethical frameworks and an IKEA case on sustainability ethics.

  • Anthony U. Martinez, M.S.W., J.D.: (BUS 690 sections) –

    Class discussion will focus on corporate governance, ethical issues challenging corporate boards of directors, unethical conduct of selected officers of companies and for–profit universities, due diligence in venture capital development, whistle–blowing and Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Report.

  • Mark Juliano, MBA: (MGMT 650) -

    In-class exercises revolving around ethical situations for Innovation and starting new companies. These will be situations that the students read in class and discuss among themselves in small groups. Conflict: Lack of a non-disclosure agreements and non-compete agreements with your colleagues, co-opting components of their business plan and writing your new business plan for your company where some of the ideas are in common, where pursuing a client base that may be the same and potential conflicts of interest. What do you do?

Department of Marketing

  • Jan Ahrens, PhD: (MKTG 469) –

    In her MKTG 469 (Internet marketing), Prof. Ahrens will be discussing ethical and legal issues in marketing online. This includes the B2B, B2C and C2C perspectives. She will have students discuss a case study in class as well.

  • Mahmood Hussain, PhD: (MKTG 649) –

    His class will analyze two short cases on ethics in marketing communication and pricing. Students will also watch a short video on marketing communication to kids.

  • Minu Kumar, PhD: (MKTG 433/637) –

    Prof. Kumar will have his students in MKTG 433 analyze a case where sales employees engage in the practice of "Book and Hold" and explore the implications of it. In another session, students will explore a situation where a sales employee engages in an intimate relationship with the most important client of her territory and the ethical issues inherent in those scenarios. Students in his MKTG 637 will explore the moral implications of offering bribes to close sales in countries where bribery is an accepted norm and the role a code of ethics play in such situations.

  • Veronika Papyrina, PhD: (MKTG 432) –

    Prof. Papyrina will discuss ethical issues related to the publication of caricatures of Muhammad by a Danish newspaper in MKTG 432 (Public Relations) class.

  • Bill Rhyne, PhD: (MKTG 649) –

    Prof. Rhyne will discuss the vocabulary of ethics and some of research in cross–cultural comparisons in cheating behaviors.

  • Sanjit Sengupta, Ph.D.: (MKTG 855/860) –

    On October 31, in MKTG 885 (Marketing of High-Tech Products and Services), Prof. Sengupta will discuss "Strategic Considerations for the Triple Bottom Line in High-Tech Companies," and show a 60 Minutes interview with Bill and Melinda Gates which will give us an overview of the goals, strategies, and programs of their philanthropic foundation. On November 3, in MKTG 860.01 and MKTG 860.02 (Strategic Marketing), students will present on a Harvard case, Product Red (A), an innovative NGO-private sector business model for eradicating HIV/AIDS in Africa.

  • Kathy O'Donnell, Ph.D.: (MKTG 434)
  • Social, Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Advertising and Promotion were discussed on Mon., Oct 31 in class, as well as the case study of the Montana Meth Project as an example of using advertising to "unmarket" a dangerous behavior. The original ads for this project were created by local advertising agency Venables, Bell and Partners.