| CODE | EMA2000 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Standards of Conduct in Business and Government | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit is divided into three broad segments. Using carefully selected case studies, the first segment examines problems such as conflict of interest, corruption, professional liability and whistle-blowing; it seeks to identify the nature and causes of these problems, their incidence in business and governmental transactions, and their consequences for business efficiency. Taking its cues from the first section, the second section examines the principles of right conduct that are typically applied in Western enterprises and liberal democracies, covering subjects such as professionalism, accountability, legality, liability, regulatory oversight. The final section of the unit reviews the legal, institutional, professional and other instruments that are used to maintain standards of conduct in business and government. It covers corporate governance codes, codes of conduct for public officials, Maltese and European legislation on corruption, company directors' liability, public administration, public procurement, official secrets and whistle-blowing. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit provides undergraduates in the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy with a sound grounding in the principles of right conduct and corporate governance, as well as the legal and regulatory frameworks governing standards of conduct in business, politics, government and the voluntary sector. It seeks to prepare them for professional life by inculcating an awareness of the challenges to integrity and probity, their sources and consequences, as well as a sound grasp of the principles and norms governing professional behaviour in business and government. Finally, it offers some practical insights about avoiding and dealing with ethical difficulties in these fields. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: (a) explain the causes of ethical problems in business and government, the principles governing right conduct and the principal legal, regulatory, institutional and professional norms safeguarding integrity in corporate life and public affairs; (b) analyse instances of corruption, professional liability, conflict of interest and other ethically sensitive situations in business or government, correctly diagnosing the systemic or professional failures that led to the problem/s, and identifying the legal, regulatory, institutional and professional norms that may be germane to the issues. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: (a) write analytical reports or articles (scholarly and popular) dissecting instances in which breaches of corporate or public ethics are alleged, and proposing ethical solutions to resolve breaches of the law or of professional standards; (b) comment in a cogent, well-informed way on proposals for adjustments to codes of corporate conduct or codes of conduct for public officials. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Abed, G. T. (ed). 2002. Governance, Corruption and Economic Development. International Monetary Fund. Davies, A. 2011. The Globalisation of Corporate Governance: The Challenge of Clashing Cultures. Gower. De George, R. 2005. Business Ethics. Prentice Hall. Guler, A. & D. Crowther (eds). 2011. Governance in the Business Environment. Emerald. Iyer, N. 2006. Fraud and Corruption. Gower Press. Kim, K., J R Nofsinger & D J Mohr. 2010. Corporate Governance. Prentice Hall. Rothstein, B. 2011. The quality of government: corruption, inequality and social trust in international perspective. University of Chicago Press. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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