Features and Resources in the OpenStax Business Ethics Textbook

Real-World Examples and Critical Thinking Questions

Throughout Business Ethics, you will find features that engage students by taking selected topics a step further Each feature box contains either a link to a deeper exploration of the topic at hand or critical thinkingquestions that may be geared toward class discussion, student projects, or written essays. Our featuresinclude:
• Cases from the Real World. This feature presents brief examples of real companies making ethical decisions in the midst of hectic competition. Each example includes follow-up critical thinking questions that encourage reflection on the case and how it relates to chapter concepts and themes.

• What Would You Do? This feature presents brief, fact-based scenarios in which students are challenged to put themselves into the shoes of ranking executives and balance a host of interests—some conflicting—as they make decisions for their businesses. Students provide an answer to a practical problem or ethical issue, as well as their reasoning.
• Ethics across Time and Cultures. This feature considers how geography, culture, and time influence the ethical values we have. Follow-up critical thinking questions allow for broader reflection on the chapter topics and encourage deeper integration of the chapter content.
• Link to Learning. This feature provides a very brief introduction to online resources and videos that are pertinent to students’ exploration of the topic at hand. Link to Learning boxes allow students to connect easily to some of the most important thought leaders and concepts in the field of business ethics.

• Learning Objectives. Every module begins with a set of clear and concise learning objectives. These objectives are designed to help the instructor decide what content to include or assign, and to guide students on what they can expect to learn. After completing the module and end-of-module exercises, students should be able to demonstrate mastery of the learning objectives.
• Summaries. Section summaries distill the information in each module for both students and instructors down to key, concise points addressed in the section.
• Key Terms. Key terms are bold and are followed by a definition in context. Definitions of key terms are also listed in the glossary, which appears at the end of the chapter.
• Assessments. Multiple-choice and short-answer review questions provide opportunities to recall and test the information students learn throughout each module.

We’ve compiled additional resources for both students and instructors, including Getting Started Guides, a test bank, and comprehensive PowerPoint slides. Instructor resources require a verified instructor account,which you can apply for when you log in or create your account on OpenStax.org. Take advantage of theseresources to supplement your OpenStax book.

OpenStax partners with the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) to offer Community Hubs on OER Commons—a platform for instructors to share community-created resources that support OpenStax books, free of charge. Through our Community Hubs, instructors can upload their own materials or download resources to use in their courses, including additional ancillaries, teaching material,multimedia, and relevant course content. We encourage instructors to join the hubs for the subjects most relevant to their teaching and research, as an opportunity to both enrich their courses as well as to engage with other faculty.

Stephen Byars received his BA from Claremont McKenna College, his MA from the University of San Diego, and his PhD from the University of Southern California. He teaches business ethics and oral and written communication at the Marshall School of Business at USC to both graduate and undergraduate business majors. He has served as associate director of the USC Writing Program, temporary director of the Writing

Center within the Writing Program, and as director of the USC Marshall Consulting Program. His scholarly interests include business and professional ethics, the constructive mediation of disputes in the workplace, and those best practices that permit leaders to direct business in ways that engender community, social, and corporate good.

Review Business Ethics Chapter 7 including “Non-Compete Agreements” (found in Cases from the Real World in Section 7.1), “Is the Customer Always Right?” (found in Cases from the Real World in Section 7.2), and “Insider Trading and Fiduciary Duty” (from the Ethics Across Time and Cultures feature in Section 7.4). Write a 2- to 3-page paper (minimum of 500 words) in APA format that describes the main ethical issues raised by each of the cases. Using the cases as examples, respond to the following questions and be sure to cite specific examples from the cases to support your analysis.

 

When employees are on the job, what responsibilities do they have to coworkers and to the company, as well as to themselves? How would you react if you learned your company’s managers were behaving unethically or breaking the law? Who could you tell and what would you expect as a result? What would you do if a client or customer was behaving badly toward you as an employee representing your firm? What responsibilities do employers have in creating the workplace conditions that support ethical decision-making by employees?