BUU33590 Business in Society

(5 ECTS)

Lecturer:

Matthew J. Cull                 

E-mail: cullm@tcd.ie 
Office Hours: Meetings can be scheduled at any time via an email request; there will also be a weekly (Zoom) office hour.

Available to Exchange students 

Module Description

The Business in Society module investigates the relationship between business and society. The point of departure is that business forms an inherent part of society; hence, we use the phrase business in society, not business and society. The module critically explores some of the more traditional topics associated with corporate social responsibility (CSR), but the focus is on new models and new ways in which the purpose of business can be understood, models of the society in which business exists, and how the business and society relate. Using the tools of philosophy and political theory, the module critically engages with the ideas put forward by Ed Freeman and others in the prescribed textbook, “The power of and: responsible business without trade-offs”. These ideas focus on purpose, stakeholder value, business as a societal institution, the complexity of people and the relationship between business and ethics. The latter parts of the course will look in more detail at the nature of the society that business finds itself in: thinking about the origins of the capitalist mode of production, the sorts of constraints it places on business, and what changes to that society have begun to occur thanks to technology and business’s adoption thereof.

Learning & Teaching Approach

The approach in this module is primarily face-to-face. It is expected that students should complete the relevant pre-reading and engage actively in class discussions and group activities. Group debates will also take place at scheduled times in the second half of the module.

Learning Outcomes

Having completed this module, you should be able to:

• Explain and evaluate core theories, concepts and frameworks through which the role of business in society is informed.
• Differentiate between and explain some of the core dichotomies in the field, e.g. profit and purpose, shareholder and stakeholder, regulation and voluntary action, etc.
• Recognise and evaluate the ethical significance of business decisions, activities and behaviour on society.
• Recognise and evaluate the emerging role of technology and its impact on society.
• Recognise and evaluate different theories of society and its relationship to businesses and individuals.

Relation to Degree

This module forms part of a suite of modules of Trinity Business School across the four years of our business-related degree programmes. This suite is focused on a range of philosophical, ethical and societal issues that constitute the broader environment of business and affect the relationship between business and society. The aim is to enable the development of technically capable and conceptually proficient graduates who can thrive in a dynamic and fast-changing environment. The module will serve to develop students’ understanding and skills in critical analysis as well as provide valuable context for all other modules.

Workload

Content	Indicative Number of Hours
Reading prescribed material	48
Participating in online discussions	12
Attendance of class debates	16
Group assignment	24
Preparation for and writing of final exam	25
Total	125

Students will be pre-assigned to a syndicate group. A series of online class debates will commence in week 4. Two teams will debate a motion, followed by class discussion and a vote. A system of peer grading will apply, where students grade the presentations based on a clearly defined rubric. The peer grading will also form part of the overall assessment of the module.

Required Textbooks

Freeman, R.E., Martin, K.E., and Parmar, B.L. (2020). The power of and: responsible business without trade-offs. Columbia University Press.

To purchase, follow this link: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-power-ofand/9780231188500 or order from your local bookshop

General Supplementary Readings (more readings will be added on Blackboard):   

Collins, “Weber’s Last Theory of Capitalism” (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2094910)

Donaldson, T. and Walsh, J. (2015). Toward a theory of business. Research in Organizational Behavior, 35, 181-207.  DOI: 10.1016/j.riob.2015.10.002

Fleming, Peter. (2017). “Why Homo Economicus Had to Die... Over and Over Again” in The Death of Homo Economicus

Friedman, M. (1970). The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits. Available at https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/13/archives/a-friedman-doctrinethe-social-responsibility-of-business-is-to.html  

Heath, Joseph. (2014) “Business Ethics Without Stakeholders” in Morality, Competition and the Firm

Lugones, Maria. (1990) “Structure/Antistructure and Agency Under Oppression” Hypatia 87(10): 500-507.

Mau, Soren. (2023) “The Universal Power of Value” in Mute Compulsion.

Meiksins Wood, Ellen. (2017). The Origin of Capitalism: A Longer View.

Porter, M. E. & M. Kramer, (2011). The Big Idea: Creating Shared Value; How to reinvent capitalism – and unleash a wave of innovation and growth. Harvard Business Review, 89, 62-77.

Srnicek, Nick. (2017). “Platform Capitalism” in Platform Capitalism.

Táíwò, Olúfẹ́mi O. (2022a). “What is Elite Capture?” in Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else)

Táíwò , Olúfẹ́mi O. (2022b) “What Next: Why Reparations Require Climate Justice” in Reconsidering Reparations

The United Nations (n.d.). The sustainable development goals. Available at https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/  

Varoufakis, Yanis. (2024) “What’s in a Word” Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism

Wark, Mackenzie. (2019) “Capitalism – or Worse?” in Capitalism is Dead: Is This Something Worse?

Wills, Vanessa. (2024) “Marx’s Critiques of Other Ethical Theories” in Marx’s Ethical Vision.

Wills, Vanessa (2018) What Could It Mean to Say, “Capitalism Causes Sexism and Racism?” Philosophical Topics, 46(2), 229–246.

World Economic Forum (2016). “Values and the Fourth Industrial Revolution:

Connecting the Dots between Value, Values, Profit and Purpose”, published by the World Economic Forum, Geneva, 2016. Available at

https://www.weforum.org/whitepapers/values-and-the-fourth-industrial-revolutionconnecting-the-dots-between-value-values-profit-and-purpose.

World Economic Forum (2020). “The Great Reset”. Available at https://www.weforum.org/focus/the-great-reset  

Assessment

Assessment for this module comprises an examination and a group assignment.

Examination (75% of final grade)

There will be a final Take Home Offline Examination.

Group assignment (25% of final grade) 

The group assignment is integrated with the class debates. Two groups will compete against each other by either supporting or opposing a statement related the overall topic of business in society. The topics will be provided during session 3.  Each syndicate group has to participate in a debate, as well as submit a 1000 word written report on the topic. The written report should reflect the position that you have to defend in the debate and does not have to reflect your individual opinions. References should be according to the Harvard method and all sources should be referenced correctly. When direct quotes are used, they should always appear between quotation marks.

Note on assessment of students allowed to sit a supplemental exam

Students who have failed the module and are allowed to sit a supplemental exam will be examined by a written exam only. Previous continuous assessment will not be taken into account in such an examination.

Biographical Note

Matthew J. Cull is a research fellow at Trinity Business School, and visiting researcher at the University of Edinburgh. A philosopher by training, their research focuses on social and political philosophy, ethics, feminist and transgender philosophy, and the philosophy of language. Their work has been published in a number of venues, including Philosophical Papers, Inquiry, Social Ontology, Hypatia, and Social Epistemology. Their first book, What Gender Should Be, was published by Bloomsbury in June 2024. Previously they have held positions at the University of Leeds, the University of Reading, and the University of Edinburgh.