San Diego State University

College of Business Administration

Meets: M 7:00-9:40 pm, BA 249
Schedule Number: 22050
Instructor: Assoc. Professor Craig P. Dunn, Ph.D.
Office: SS 3406
Office Hours: 6:00-7:00 pm M, and by appointment
Phone: 594-5783 (office/voicemail)
E-mail: craig.dunn@sdsu.edu
URL: www.dunn.cc

This course has been offered within your curriculum in order to stress the appropriateness of evaluating corporate action from the perspective of the natural environment. The overriding pedagogical objective is to sharpen your abilities to think critically and to diagnose situations from the environmental perspective. Accomplishing this objective entails introduction to a broad range of ethical and social frameworks as the interface between corporations and the natural environment is examined.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: What is the relationship between business and the natural environment? Do corporations-and more particularly the managers who represent them-have any responsibility to preserve the environment? How does business activity impact the ecosystem? What is the appropriate relationship between the human species and the balance of the natural environment? These and other related questions provide the `grist' for this course.

This course has been designed to be a challenging and exciting course for the MBA student. There is not a specific set of skills serving to lead you through the course, and no unifying meta-theory to inform your decisions. The problems and issues of the environment embrace the entire spectrum of business and management disciplines-and more. Many variables and situational factors must be dealt with at once; weighing the `pros and cons' of a particular course of action necessitates a total enterprise perspective.

In concert with the rather ambitious charter of this course you will be required to articulate and defend your environmental philosophy; i.e., with respect to the study of management, what is the appropriate business response to environmental issues?

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1. To increase the student's understanding of the tasks of the `environmentally conscious' manager;
2. To build the student's skills in conducting environmental analysis in `messy' situations;
3. To improve the student's ability to manage organizational processes;
4. To integrate and extend upon the knowledge gained in earlier business courses;
5. To convince the student of the essential role of envirnmental sensitivity in the conduct of business enterprise;
6. To utilize the principles and concepts of social theory through case study methodology; and
7. To better equip the student to integrate his/her environmental philosophy with a successful career as a practicing manager.

EVALUATION POLICY: A maximum of 1000 points may be accumulated in this course. Point distribution varies as follows (see grading contract at end of syllabus for details):

GRADING STANDARDS: The following University-wide grading standards will be used to determine final course grades. You are responsible for monitoring your own progress throughout the course.

PLAGIARISM"Plagiarism is formal work publicly misrepresented as original; it is any activity wherein a person knowingly, directly, and for lucre, status, recognition, or any public gain resorts to the published or unpublished work of another in order to represent it as one's own. Work shall be deemed plagiarism: (1) when prior work of another has been demonstrated as the accessible source; (2) when substantial or material parts of the source have been literally or evasively appropriated (substance denoting quantity; matter denoting qualitative format or style); and (3) when the work lacks sufficient or unequivocal citation so as to indicate or imply that the work was neither a copy nor an imitation. This definition comprises oral, written, and crafted pieces. In short, if one purports to present an original piece but copies ideas word for word or by paraphrase, those ideas should be duly noted" (Lindey, Alexander, Plagiarism and Originality, 1952; as cited in San Diego State University 1992-93 Graduate Bulletin).

"Wittingly or willfully to ignore or to allow students' ascription of others' work to themselves is to condone dishonesty, to deny the purpose of formal education, and to fail the public trust;

Accordingly, one who is suspected or accused of disregarding, concealing, aiding, or committing plagiarism...must be liable to an appropriate penalty, even severance from the University...should the demonstrated plagiarism clearly call into question one's general competence or accomplishments" (San Diego State University 1992-93 Graduate Bulletin).

Students involved in plagiarism (including `cheating') on any MGT 740 coursework will receive a failing grade for the course.

READINGS: Three books are assigned: Business and the Environment: A Reader (Welford/Starkey), The Ecology of Commerce (Hawken), and The Balanced Company: A Theory of Corporate Integrity (Kaptein/Wempe). Supplementary case studies and reading materials will also be made available by seminar presenters. You are expected to read each assigned chapter and/or article before the scheduled discussion of that reading.

SOCIAL DILEMMA GAME: Students will participate in an environmental `game.' A renewable resource pool has been established, and every class session each student will decide how much of this `commons' will be appropriated for private use. Students may discuss and/or collaborate during any and all phases of this game. Ultimately, students will be evaluated on the basis of a one-page double-spaced typed `interpretation' of the relevance of the game to management practice. Game `objective(s)' and `rules' will be negotiated during one of the first class sessions.

SEMINAR PRESENTATION: Students are to work in seminar groups of two to three in facilitating discussion for one class session. These 'presentations' are to address the seminar readings as catalogued in the course schedule. The facilitators will be responsible to: 1) provide a brief summary of the literature to be discussed for the selected class session (assume the class has read the assigned material); 2) introduce relevant commentary and/or supplementary readings where appropriate; 3) prepare relevant questions for discussion to be distributed electronically one week prior to their scheduled seminar; 4) relate the required reading to the topic under discussion; 5) introduce case(s) or other relevant pedagogical devices linking theory and practice, and 6) provide an annotated bibliography of readings related to the topic under consideration.

Areas that will be considered (in addition to those previously or subsequently mentioned) in evaluating the seminar presentation are:

• Adequacy of analysis
  
• Clarity and conciseness of arguments
  
• Integration of social theory within discussion of topic
  
• Professionalism/creativity of presentation
  
• Linking of theory and practice
  

A one-page double-spaced typed project proposal is to be submitted by each group for approval no later than the fourth day the class meets. Please note that written 'deliverables' are to include the proposal, a two-page executive summary (if selecting option a), and a thorough written case analysis (if selecting option b) .

Option a: Environmental Social Change Program. Each group selecting this option is to provide the class a debriefing of their project, to include 1) an overview of the project; 2) ethical and social reasons for its importance; 3) assessment of the degree of relevance of the project to environmental management, 4) an evaluation of both the degree of success of the intervention (to include a cost/benefit analysis--for a guide click here) as well as the reasons for the project's success or failure, and 5) a question and answer session. Prior to embarking on their project each student group is to complete and return a 'Release of Liability' form which will indemnify the University from any claims which might result from activities associated with the project. If working with children, it will also be necessary for each group member having direct contact with minor children to submit to both a police background check as well as insure that any necessary innoculations for TB are current.

Option b: Written Case Analysis. Each group selecting this option is to prepare an analysis of an environmental management case of their own choosing, to include: (1) a statement identifying the environmental management problem; (2) listing of alternatives providing resolution of this problem; (3) analysis of proposed resolutions from the perspective of environmental as well as managerial theory; (4) selection of optimal solution (with supporting defense from both the environmental and managerial perspectives); (5) consideration of how this solution contributes to the betterment of the natural environment, as well as (6) suggestions for implementation. Any assumptions made must be clearly identified as such, but do not 'assume away' the problem-resolve it! Copies of the case under consideration are to be provided to the instructor in electronic form no later than one week prior to presentation. These cases can come from any appropriate current source, such as the Wall Street Journal and the 'Social Issues' column of Business Week.

Presentations will take the form of a 20-30 minute oral presentation followed by a 10 minute question and answer session. Be creative. Prepare the analysis as if you were presenting the information to the top management team of your company (or any other fitting audience you explicitly identify), to be role-played by those students not in your group (who will be accountable for posing relevant questions to the presenting group). For those selecting option b, a thorough written case analysis is also required.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: There are four writing assignments which are due throughout the term of the course (see course schedule for details). These writing assignments relate directly to the course content, either as presented in class or as covered in assigned readings. Each student is to respond to the writing prompt with a two page, typed paper which directly addresses the question(s) posed. While it is certainly allowable for students to discuss these writing assignments with one another, the final papers ought to be recognizable as the 'independent' work of the student submitting the writing assignment.

TERM PROJECT: As an alternative to the writing assignments ourlined immediately above, a term paper may be submitted the final day of the course. This project is essentially a written summary of the student's 'environmental philosophy,' with each student required to articulate and defend his/her perspective on the question: What is the appropriate relationship between business enterprise and the 'natural environment'? In formulating this 'position paper,' consideration should be given to the following issues:

Reasons for the position taken should rely upon ethical, social, and business theory. Defense of the position taken, rather than the position itself, is of fundamental importance. Text documentation (either from assigned texts or `outside' readings) would be appropriate. Term projects shall be typed using double-spacing; typed drafts may be submitted for instructor comment no later than two weeks before the assignment due date. There is no page length requirement for this assignment; however, parsimony will be one of the evaluation criterion for this assignment.

EXAM: One (optional) essay exam will be given, covering assigned texts as well as class discussions.

CONTRACT: Outlined above are the course activities available to students. Ranges of possible points have been listed in Section IV of this syllabus. Each student is to fill out and return to the professor a binding contract (see syllabus attachment) for work to be completed this session. You are to fill out the number of points desired for each activity. The total number of points must total 1000. Points for each activity will range from 0-35% of the course grade, depending upon the individual assignment and weightings. Points must be selected in increments of 50.

For example, you may choose to minimize the points on the term project (250 points) by completing all other course assignments at close to their minimum points as well:

You will notice that the examination may be eliminated from your grading algorithm. In all cases, class participation is mandatory. Failure to attend scheduled class sessions will be reflected in final course grading.

To send your MGT 740 contract, fill out the following form thoroughly and completely. This form must be submitted electronically. Confirmation will be made by return e-mail.

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