GBUS 8489 Philosophy of Business: Business in Society

The purpose of this course is to enable the students to develop a comprehensive “theory of business” that will guide their business careers and inform their leadership. Key sections of the course include: (1) A Philosophical Perspective on Business: What is Real and How Do We Know? (2) Capitalism and Business: Historical, Global, and Modern Perspectives; (3) Business and the Institutions of Society: The Role of Government, Media, NGOs, and Other Stakeholders; (4) Theories and Models of the Person: What Makes People Tick; (5) Putting It All Together: Building a Comprehensive Idea of Business and Personal Success. The course seeks to build on the work of the Initiative for Business in Society, drawing on its research, visitors, and faculty as resources. Key additions to the second-year curriculum from this course will be the focus on philosophical texts as they relate to business and capitalism; the historical perspective on business; a holistic view of the nature of business set within societal frameworks; and a more comprehensive look at human nature and the plurality of theories about human action that have been developed in the past several thousand years. Each section of the course will be global in nature examining ideas such as state-owned enterprise, early trading societies in the Middle East, and Confucian and Buddhist views of the person.

Academic course objectives:

· To Know How To: create a comprehensive theory of business that guides action

· Based on Knowing That or Understanding: the history of capitalism and business around the world, theories of human nature from global sources, and the variety of roles that business plays in societies around the world

Elements of the course grade:

Class contribution                                           50%

Individual paper/project                                  50%