Ethics, Social Responsibility and the Law

• • Introduction to the role of law in the wider context of ethics and social responsibility
  • Frameworks for Ethical Decision Making: moral reasons
  • Frameworks for Ethical Decision Making: utilitarianism
  • Frameworks for Ethical Decision Making: deontology
  • Frameworks for Ethical Decision Making: virtue ethics
  • Professions and professional ethics -- lawyers
  • Medical ethics
  • Business ethics
  • Corporate social responsibility
  • Public sector ethics
  • Situational crime prevention
  • When things go wrong: contemporary examples

No eligibility requirements

Special requirements

No special requirements

Become better prepared to understand concepts of ethics, social responsibility and the law and how these shape individual and collective behaviour in modern society. Sustainable inspirational leadership can only evolve from a legitimate, ethical and socially responsible base. Equally, reputations can be damaged as a result of conduct that is unethical or unlawful and which may have come about as a result of poor judgment and lack of insight and reflection. This unit will challenge your current thinking and ask you to explore different perspectives around ethics, social responsibility and the law and their interconnections. It will equip you to navigate complex professional ethical dilemmas and make positive choices that are individually affirming and socially responsible. Social responsibility is also explored at the collective level and how this is shaping the modern corporate world with growing expectations on companies to demonstrate corporate social responsibility. You will learn theoretical philosophical principles that encompass ethical decision-making and explore how ethical frameworks can assist a person to make appropriate, rationally defensible decisions within a range of settings: professional ethics, with a particular focus on how ethics influences the life of a legal professional; medical ethics and the contemporary research environment; business ethics and the ethical expectations underpinning corporate social responsibility; and the context of policy settings to minimise criminal behaviour.

• Test (15%%)
• x7 Multiple Choice Quizzes (45%%)
• Reflective Exercise (40%%)