My MBA in 2007

The current class I am taking is called The Ethical & Legal Environment of Business. We will primarily be focusing on The Case Method for the eight week session.

The Case Method
When applying critical thinking skills, the case method of analysis is a useful tool. Cases have a long history as a teaching tool and are valuable because they provide a common specific experience. Cases never include all the information necessary; they are a parallel to life. It is unlikely that, in any business decision, an individual will have all the facts and information he/she would like to have in order to make the best decision possible. Cases, like life, require that assumptions be made and articulated. The first model analyzes the case from the legal perspective, while the second model uses the ethical framework as a form for case analysis.

The outcomes for week 2 were:

• Formulate a working definition of business ethics.
• Identify potential ethical issues in organizations.
• Discriminate among three approaches commonly used in examining ethical issues in business; and identify strengths and limitations of each approach.
• Competently use the concepts and taxonomy associated with theoretical approaches to ethics.
• Formulate and apply an approach to making personal ethical decisions in business.
  

The cases we analyzed in the first two weeks were the Paul Cronan case and the Ann Hopkins case. They were both interesting and I am enjoying working on cases.

The outcomes for week 1 were:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the differences and similarities between law and ethics as guides for behavior in business.
• Identify tension points between law and ethics when applied to business conduct.
• Articulate the benefits of, and demonstrate the value of, critical thinking.
• Discriminate among the characteristics of critical thinking.
• Demonstrate the process of ethical case analysis.
• Use the case method for both ethical and legal analysis.
• Understand the significance of the Rule of Law and the Nature of Man.
• Distinguish between law and justice.
• Distinguish between natural and positive law.
• Explain the operation of the American legal system.
• Explain the assumptions of capitalism affecting the legal system's operation.