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Society and Business

"What does it mean to say that "business" has responsibilities? Only people can have responsibilities. ...the one and only social responsibility of business is to increase profits..."
-- Milton Friedman

“The difficulty, in sociology, is to manage to think in a completely astonished and disconcerted way about things you thought you had always understood.”
-- Pierre Bourdieu

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Purpose of course

The primary purpose of this course is to help you see business and its role in society in different ways. It is my hope that your understanding of business and its place in society will evolve as you are both astonished and disconcerted.

Methods

It can be difficult to step outside the box and see something with which you are familiar -- such as business -- in a different light. To help, we will employ social science methods. Thus, the course is interdisciplinary in nature. This course will:

	Ask you to use *participant observation* to help make familiar work settings seem strange,
	Review a series of writings and videos related to social theory that will offer different perspectives on human interaction, and
	Apply the social theory in the context of concrete *case studies* focused on current issues in business and its relationship to society.

ASU Transfer

For business students following the ABUS transfer program, SBU200 transfers to ASU in lieu of a SOC prefix Social and Behavioral Science course. SBU200 also carries the G (Global awareness) designation.

Course Description

The study and scientific inquiry of issues and demands placed on business enterprise by owners, customers, government, employees and society. Included are social, ethical and public issues and analysis of the social impact of business responses. Prerequisites: None.

Course Competencies

Students who successfully complete this course should be able to:

1.	Define business and society and their interrelationship.
2.	Explain the major social and behavioral criticisms of business and characterize business's general response.
3.	Explain how corporate social responsibility encompasses economic, legal, ethical, and voluntary components.
4.	Define business ethics and describe the complexities of making ethical judgments.
5.	Identify and describe the ethical elements of moral judgment.
6.	Describe the major ethical challenges of operating in a multicultural environment.
7.	Define government regulation and explain the major reasons for regulation, the types of regulation, and social issues arising out of regulation.
8.	Describe major types of regulatory reform and their characteristics.
9.	Describe the evolution and current strategic approaches business uses in political participation in local and global venues.
10.	List and describe the major controversial advertising abuse issues, and the role of the Federal Trade Commission.
11.	Describe product issues related to quality and safety, and role of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Food and Drug Administration.
12.	Describe causes of environmental problems and their social impact.
13.	Describe governmental roles in environmental issue that affect national and international settings.
14.	Describe social and economic reasons for community involvement, corporate philanthropy and community employment responsibilities.
15.	Explain employee rights movement and underlying principles.
16.	Describe the social impact of freedom-of-speech and whistle- blowing issues.
17.	Describe concerns surrounding employees' right to privacy.
18.	Explain right to safety in the workplace and the role and responsibilities of OSHA.
19.	Describe employment issues as they relate to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, and physically challenged.
20.	Define the social and behavioral postures with respect to affirmative action.
21.	Define the concept of corporate public policy and relate it to strategic management.
22.	Describe issues relating to corporate ownership, corporate governance, and responsiveness to corporate stakeholders.