Ethical Leadership in Business and Society

PROGRAM CONTACT:

Ray Jones, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Coordinator, Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics
Office: 2406 Sennott Square
Phone: 412-383-7493
See Website

PREREQUISITES FOR PROGRAM ENROLLMENT/WHO SHOULD ENROLL?

The Summer Edge in Ethical Leadership in Business and Society is designed for Pitt students outside of the College of Business Administration who have an interest in ethics and leadership. Any student with an interest in engaging in lively discussion of the interesting ethical challenges of leadership could pursue this program as a means of gaining focus in leadership and ethics in their studies and in their professional development.  All courses are required and must be completed within the summer term.

Students are asked to apply for admission to the program. A cohort of 20-25 students will be accepted each summer into the program.  Students who are interested in applying should have the following in terms of background:

  • Currently enrolled full-time students in one of the colleges of the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Campus (current College of Business students are not eligible for this program)
  • Strong overall performance in a challenging curriculum with a 3.0 or higher college GPA
  • At least 24 credits at the college level (may include A.P. credits)
  • Completed application along with an essay on how the program can help to support your overall professional, personal or career goals and aspirations. Note, once students complete the Summer Edge application, the program contacts will contact interested students to provide them with directions on how to submit the essay.
  • An interview may also be required

COURSES AND COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Required program curriculum (12 total credits)

  • Ethics and Leadership in Organizations  (3 credits)
  • Business Ethics and Stakeholder Engagement (3 credits)
  • Principles and Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility in Business (3 credits)
  • Leadership Capstone Experience (3 credits)

Ethics and Leadership in Organizations- 3 credits*
This course is based on a core assumption that the performance of an organization is shaped and ultimately determined by leaders who take an "ethical" approach to their role - meaning that they have an acute awareness of the broad social context in which their enterprise operates - as well as the tools necessary to navigate the dilemmas and controversies that are a natural part of any organization's operations. The main work for the class is a series of short papers that are designed to elicit examples of challenging leadership and ethics examples from current events, popular culture, and students’ personal leadership experiences. The final product of the seminar is a project or paper in each student’s area of interest/focus.

Business Ethics and Stakeholder Engagement – 3 credits*
This course provides a thorough examination of ethical theories and their relationship to business and behavior of its stakeholders.  Topics covered in the course include stakeholder analysis and management, ethical theories and analysis in organizations, and government regulation and public policy. Students study various ethical theories and then apply those theories to a series of business ethics dilemmas. By the end of the course, students should be able to systematically analyze any business-ethics issue.

Principles and Practices of Social Responsibility in Business – 3 credits*
This course will give students exposure to in-depth analysis of leadership concepts and practices in the issue of social responsibility in business and society.  Using cases, exercises and intensive class discussion, students will explore key topics such as stewardship in business, social responsibility, sustainability, stakeholder analysis, and leading change in organizations. Both research as well as current organizational practices in these various areas will be topics for discussion and application in this course.

Leadership Capstone Experience – 3 credits*
This course is designed around experiential learning and uses a service project for a community organization to enhance student understanding of a particular content area in leadership and ethics. Students are challenged to immerse themselves in readings, essays, and discussions in a specific content area, which is used and reflected upon throughout the duration of the community-service project. This is an inductive process that provides a sound complement to more traditional deductive approaches in business education, such as the case study approach.
*represents new course (subject to approval)

                                                                                                                       

EXPLANATION OF EXPERIENTIAL/OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM COMPONENT

The experiential learning component uses a service project for a community organization to enhance student understanding of a particular content area in leadership and ethics. Students are challenged to immerse themselves in readings, essays, and discussions in a specific content area, which is used and reflected upon throughout the duration of the community impact project. This can also include helping real organizations address complex issues of ethics, leadership and social responsibility in today’s complex environment. Read one example of a student project outcome. 

MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership was established in 1999 as part of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh. Our mission is to add value to organizations through ethical leadership. To accomplish this, we focus on creating and utilizing knowledge through cutting-edge research, experience-based learning, and active community engagement. Our commitment to ethical leadership fits perfectly within the University of Pittsburgh as a "leader in education, pioneer in research, and partner in regional development."