ETHICS AND THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS
Reflection questions
, Table of contents
Week 1 – Reflection questions ............................................................................................3
1 What is morality, ethics and ethical theory?.............................................................................................. 3
2 What is business ethics and why is it challenging? .................................................................................... 3
3 What is the difference between ethics and the law?................................................................................. 3
4 Which dimensions of the Moral Machine experience receive more agreement? .................................... 3
5 Which cultural differences come through in the Moral Machine when comparing Western, Eastern and
Southern cultures? ......................................................................................................................................... 3
6 What are the core normative theories in Modernist Western thinking? What are the core ideas of
each?............................................................................................................................................................... 3
7 What are alternative theories to Modernist Western normative theories described above? ................. 3
8 What kind of practices can we implement to create more value in a utilitarian sense? .......................... 4
9 What is the difference between ethical absolutism, relativism and pluralism? ....................................... 4
Week 2 – Reflection questions ............................................................................................4
1 What kind of factors do humans take into consideration beyond their own economic interest? ........... 4
2 What is an ethical dilemma?....................................................................................................................... 4
3 What are the main elements of the (rational) ethical decision-making model ........................................ 4
4 What are key individual factors that affect decision-making? .................................................................. 5
5 What are key situational factors that affect decision-making? ................................................................. 5
6 What kind of biases do Banaji et al. 3003 identify and how do they suggest to address them? ............. 5
7 Describe a cognitive bias and use an example to illustrate it. ................................................................... 5
8 What is a good leader?................................................................................................................................ 5
9 What are mission and value statements, purpose statements, codes of ethics and whistleblowing
mechanisms? .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Week 3 – Reflection questions ............................................................................................6
1 What are evolutionary goals in comparison to proximate goals? ............................................................. 6
2 What are the five ways that current and ancestral practices do not match in terms of evolutionary
foundations of behavior? ............................................................................................................................... 6
3 How can evolutionary principles be put into practice to advance sustainability?.................................... 6
4 What is social entrepreneurship? Can you give examples of social enterprises? ..................................... 6
5 What are key legal forms that social enterprises adopt based on the study by Mair (2020)? What is
mission drift for social enterprises and how does it present itself? With what types of organizations do
social enterprises partner with? .................................................................................................................... 7
6 What is Corporate Responsibility? What is Corporate Sustainability? How do these differ? .................. 7
7 Does it pay to be good/green? ................................................................................................................... 7
8 What is shared value and what are its components? Can you give an example? ..................................... 7
9 What is a stakeholder and what are the three focus areas of stakeholder theory? ................................. 8
10 What are the stages of stakeholder mapping and what does each entail? ............................................ 8
Week 4 – Reflection questions ............................................................................................9
1 What is the Anthropocene and how does it demonstrate itself in key socio-economic and earth system
trends? ............................................................................................................................................................ 9
2 What is the Genuine Progress Indicator, the related criticism and related trends? ................................. 9
3 What are the UN Sustainable Development Goals? .................................................................................. 9
4 What are Planetary Boundaries? .............................................................................................................. 10
5 What is Doughnut Economics? ................................................................................................................. 10
6 What are key trends in climate change? What are their causes and impact? ........................................ 11
7 What is the circular economy? Give examples of the circular economy in practice. .............................. 11
8 What is the triple layered business model canvas? Give an example of how it can be used. ................ 11
Reflection questions
, Table of contents
Week 1 – Reflection questions ............................................................................................3
1 What is morality, ethics and ethical theory?.............................................................................................. 3
2 What is business ethics and why is it challenging? .................................................................................... 3
3 What is the difference between ethics and the law?................................................................................. 3
4 Which dimensions of the Moral Machine experience receive more agreement? .................................... 3
5 Which cultural differences come through in the Moral Machine when comparing Western, Eastern and
Southern cultures? ......................................................................................................................................... 3
6 What are the core normative theories in Modernist Western thinking? What are the core ideas of
each?............................................................................................................................................................... 3
7 What are alternative theories to Modernist Western normative theories described above? ................. 3
8 What kind of practices can we implement to create more value in a utilitarian sense? .......................... 4
9 What is the difference between ethical absolutism, relativism and pluralism? ....................................... 4
Week 2 – Reflection questions ............................................................................................4
1 What kind of factors do humans take into consideration beyond their own economic interest? ........... 4
2 What is an ethical dilemma?....................................................................................................................... 4
3 What are the main elements of the (rational) ethical decision-making model ........................................ 4
4 What are key individual factors that affect decision-making? .................................................................. 5
5 What are key situational factors that affect decision-making? ................................................................. 5
6 What kind of biases do Banaji et al. 3003 identify and how do they suggest to address them? ............. 5
7 Describe a cognitive bias and use an example to illustrate it. ................................................................... 5
8 What is a good leader?................................................................................................................................ 5
9 What are mission and value statements, purpose statements, codes of ethics and whistleblowing
mechanisms? .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Week 3 – Reflection questions ............................................................................................6
1 What are evolutionary goals in comparison to proximate goals? ............................................................. 6
2 What are the five ways that current and ancestral practices do not match in terms of evolutionary
foundations of behavior? ............................................................................................................................... 6
3 How can evolutionary principles be put into practice to advance sustainability?.................................... 6
4 What is social entrepreneurship? Can you give examples of social enterprises? ..................................... 6
5 What are key legal forms that social enterprises adopt based on the study by Mair (2020)? What is
mission drift for social enterprises and how does it present itself? With what types of organizations do
social enterprises partner with? .................................................................................................................... 7
6 What is Corporate Responsibility? What is Corporate Sustainability? How do these differ? .................. 7
7 Does it pay to be good/green? ................................................................................................................... 7
8 What is shared value and what are its components? Can you give an example? ..................................... 7
9 What is a stakeholder and what are the three focus areas of stakeholder theory? ................................. 8
10 What are the stages of stakeholder mapping and what does each entail? ............................................ 8
Week 4 – Reflection questions ............................................................................................9
1 What is the Anthropocene and how does it demonstrate itself in key socio-economic and earth system
trends? ............................................................................................................................................................ 9
2 What is the Genuine Progress Indicator, the related criticism and related trends? ................................. 9
3 What are the UN Sustainable Development Goals? .................................................................................. 9
4 What are Planetary Boundaries? .............................................................................................................. 10
5 What is Doughnut Economics? ................................................................................................................. 10
6 What are key trends in climate change? What are their causes and impact? ........................................ 11
7 What is the circular economy? Give examples of the circular economy in practice. .............................. 11
8 What is the triple layered business model canvas? Give an example of how it can be used. ................ 11
