Business Ethics and Society

The Catholicism and the Disciplines USEM course is designed to engage ideas from the Catholic tradition with the perspective of one or more disciplines and to engage issues of faith or normative questions both critically and constructively in light of that tradition. The course explores a topic, poses a question, or investigates a problem by encouraging students to consider relevant sources and scholarship in relationship to the Catholic tradition. The course will be taught in seminar style, encouraging active participation and discussion between faculty and students, with a particular emphasis on the development of a student's skills in writing and research.

Modern societies are complex and technologically infused. How might individuals, businesses, and other groups use technology to enhance—or undermine—their societies? This course explores three themes: (1) the virtues of citizens and leaders in the digital age; (2) the ethics of profitable firms; and (3) the ethical use of technologies including AI. We will consider the character of admirable businesspeople and other leaders, the promises and perils of technologies including AI, controversies around the acquisition, use, and sale of personal and financial data, and the role of technology in just societies and lives well-lived.

This course is intended to be a second level theology course that introduces fundamental principles of Catholic moral theology and Catholic Social Teaching, as oriented specifically for those preparing to enter the business world. As such, students will be encouraged to think in theological categories about business and ethics, and to appreciate how these categories bring the light of faith, in unity with the insights of human reason, to bear on the purpose of business and the possibility of virtuous engagement in this profession within a just and humane society.

The Business Honors Program colloquium brings together students, faculty, and business leaders to discuss concrete ways in which students can contribute to the understanding and practice of business as an honorable enterprise as well as a school of virtue. Seven meetings of the colloquium will take place during the course of the entire semester. Enrolled students are expected to attend at least five of these meetings, but are encouraged to attend all colloquia.

The Business Honors Program colloquium brings together students, faculty, and business leaders to discuss concrete ways in which students can contribute to the understanding and practice of business as an honorable enterprise as well as a school of virtue. Seven meetings of the colloquium will take place during the course of the entire semester. Enrolled students are expected to attend at least five of these meetings, but are encouraged to attend all colloquia.

The Business Honors Program colloquium brings together students, faculty, and business leaders to discuss concrete ways in which students can contribute to the understanding and practice of business as an honorable enterprise as well as a school of virtue. Seven meetings of the colloquium will take place during the course of the entire semester. Enrolled students are expected to attend at least five of these meetings, but are encouraged to attend all colloquia.

This gateway seminar for the Minor in Business and the Common Good will be limited to 24 Mendoza College students, with priority given to students intending to pursue the Minor. The seminar focuses on the place of wealth and commerce in a well-ordered life, both for the individual and the community. Among other topics, the course takes a special interest in the rich Catholic tradition of reflection on these topics, especially the Catholic social teaching relevant to business that has emerged in the last two centuries.

What is the role of business in a just and humane society? Many of you are about to dedicate your lives to business, and the rest of you will work, in one way or another, with business. Yet many people believe that business is a morally suspicious activity, a suspicion evident in the common belief that business people need to "give back" to society. Is business an activity for which one must atone? Are people right to be suspicious of business? This course is designed to engage ideas from the Catholic tradition with perspectives drawn from moral philosophy, business, and economics. We will engage issues of faith and normativity both critically and constructively. Students will consider competing positions on faith and normative questions, will reflect on (or discover elements of) their own faith or non-faith, and will describe the extent to which they believe various claims are supported by faith or reason. This course responds to Pope John Paul II's Centesimus Annus (1991) and Pope Francis's Laudato Si (2015), which called on Catholic education to "safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic 'human ecology'" (Centesimus Annus, 38). *FOR BUSINESS HONORS PROGRAM STUDENTS ONLY.*

What is the role of business in a just and humane society? Many of you are about to dedicate your lives to business, and the rest of you will work, in one way or another, with business. Yet many people believe that business is a morally suspicious activity, a suspicion evident in the common belief that business people need to "give back" to society. Is business an activity for which one must atone? Are people right to be suspicious of business? This course is designed to engage ideas from the Catholic tradition with perspectives drawn from moral philosophy, business, and economics. We will engage issues of faith and normativity both critically and constructively. Students will consider competing positions on faith and normative questions, will reflect on (or discover elements of) their own faith or non-faith, and will describe the extent to which they believe various claims are supported by faith or reason. This course responds to Pope John Paul II's Centesimus Annus (1991) and Pope Francis's Laudato Si (2015), which called on Catholic education to "safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic 'human ecology'" (Centesimus Annus, 38).

Advanced theological study, rooted in St. Thomas Aquinas, on the art of governance, leadership, and management of a large and complex organization. We will compare present-day strategic management realities (people management, organizational design, decision-making) with historical and ecclesiastical realities (of the Vatican especially). Detailed study of the virtue of prudence, the munus regendi, grace & governance (theology of bishop, gifts of Holy Spirit, and divine providence) in a way that shapes the student’s present and future ability to lead and manage (whether as a future CEO of a large company or as leader in the Church).

What is the role of business in a just and humane society? Many of you are about to dedicate your lives to business, and the rest of you will work, in one way or another, with business. Yet many people believe that business is a morally suspicious activity, a suspicion evident in the common belief that business people need to "give back" to society. Is business an activity for which one must atone? Are people right to be suspicious of business? This course is designed to engage ideas from the Catholic tradition with perspectives drawn from moral philosophy, business, and economics. We will engage issues of faith and normativity both critically and constructively. Students will consider competing positions on faith and normative questions, will reflect on (or discover elements of) their own faith or non-faith, and will describe the extent to which they believe various claims are supported by faith or reason. This course responds to Pope John Paul II's Centesimus Annus (1991) and Pope Francis's Laudato Si (2015), which called on Catholic education to "safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic 'human ecology'" (Centesimus Annus, 38). *FOR BUSINESS HONORS PROGRAM STUDENTS ONLY.*

What is the role of business in a just and humane society? Many of you are about to dedicate your lives to business, and the rest of you will work, in one way or another, with business. Yet many people believe that business is a morally suspicious activity, a suspicion evident in the common belief that business people need to "give back" to society. Is business an activity for which one must atone? Are people right to be suspicious of business? This course is designed to engage ideas from the Catholic tradition with perspectives drawn from moral philosophy, business, and economics. We will engage issues of faith and normativity both critically and constructively. Students will consider competing positions on faith and normative questions, will reflect on (or discover elements of) their own faith or non-faith, and will describe the extent to which they believe various claims are supported by faith or reason. This course responds to Pope John Paul II's Centesimus Annus (1991) and Pope Francis's Laudato Si (2015), which called on Catholic education to "safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic 'human ecology'" (Centesimus Annus, 38).

This course will center on readings and discussions exploring what it means to be a virtuous person engaging in business, and whether, and how, business can contribute to a life well lived. We will first explore what it means to be a good person. Next, we will explore what virtuous business might be. Finally, we will explore the public social institutions required to enable people to lead flourishing lives in which business plays a fundamental role.

This is a Catholicism and the Disciplines (CAD) course that can fulfill a core curriculum requirement, or can be taken as an elective. Work has long been a subject of Catholic thought, with the first chapter of Genesis regarded as "the first gospel of work" (Laborem Exercens, para. 25). This course focuses on the interior spiritual aspects of work, and does so via the Catholic intellectual and social traditions. A person's interior spiritual life, or "interior life" for short, has been described as the intimate conversation that the person carries on with God during the daily moments and seasons of life. When it comes to the subject of work, the interior life involves one's internal disposition toward his or her work, how one understands his or her work, and one's intentions for work. The Church's proposition is that all have the ability to envelope their work in the interior life. In this discussion-based course, we will seek to understand what that means for your intended profession or discipline.

This course explores the challenges of pursuing and maintaining good romantic, marital, and familial relationships in the context of a capitalist society. The ethical challenges are both theoretical and practical. Theoretically, for example, the utility-maximizing approach to decision-making typical of the market contrasts with the attitudes and commitments necessary for deep and stable family relationships. Practically, the requirements of professional “success” – understood as securing and maintaining a high-status, high-paying job – often leave little time to pursue serious romantic relationships or to have and raise children. In a different way, the poor and working classes face a lack of stable jobs and an adequate family wage, presenting practical impediments to marriage and childrearing. This course will help students to have a deeper understanding of these sorts of challenges, and to consider how best to respond to them in planning their own lives and in seeking to ameliorate these challenges as future leaders in business, politics, law, or other fields; as members of local communities, churches, and other intermediate associations; and in the public policies they support as citizens.

The BESP Fellows Colloquium is an undergraduate seminar affiliated with and organized by the Business Ethics and Society Program in the Mendoza College of Business. The colloquium is intended for Mendoza undergraduates that are part of the BESP Fellows Program or the Business and Common Good minor. The colloquium will focus on a specific topic or theme related to the intersection of commerce, society, and human flourishing.

The Deloitte Scholars Colloquium is a one-credit undergraduate course affiliated with and organized by the Notre Dame/Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership (NDDCEL). A small group of selected students will meet in person weekly to discuss assigned readings, to listen to and engage with invited speakers, and to form a community of Notre Dame business students interested to explore the nature of honorable business and their personal commitments to creating value both for themselves and for others. The Colloquium will meet for two hours one afternoon per week during the academic semester. The first hour will be dedicated to discussion of readings or an invited speaker. During the second hour, we will have a meal together (provided by the NDDCEL) and continue informal discussion and conversation. Deloitte Scholars are expected to participate in the activities of the NDDCEL beyond the Colloquium. The NDDCEL will assist Deloitte Scholars in networking, internship opportunities, and so on. Deloitte Scholars will also be granted recognition of their status, and may use this designation on resumes, email signatures, etc. In year 20xx, for example, students may call themselves a "20xx Deloitte Scholar." Members of the Colloquium are expected to: 1. Attend all meetings and participate actively in discussions. 2. Periodically lead discussions, offer suggestions for readings and/or discussion topics, and help with logistics for invited speakers. 3. Write a reflection paper, due at the end of the semester, describing what they have learned from the Colloquium, what value they thought it had, and any suggestions or recommendations they have for future iterations of the Colloquium.

The International Business Fellows is being offered for the third time as a course affiliated with and organized by the Business Ethics and Society Program at the Mendoza College of Business. This course recognizes a select number of undergraduate students who are interested in global affairs, want to explore the nature of honorable business within our globalized world, and who seek to explore the ethical and professional challenges and opportunities for pursuing business as a force for good in the international context(s). International Business Fellows will be encouraged to participate in the activities of the Business Ethics and Society program beyond the Colloquium. In addition, International Business Fellows are expected to enroll each semester in the 1.5 credit International Business Fellows Colloquium, which meets once weekly and provides an opportunity for small-group discussion, close interaction with distinguished faculty and/or business leaders, as well as dinner. As a conclusion to the last two offerings of this course, the participants of the Colloquium were given the opportunity to participate in an international immersion experience to Poland. The trip made possible for students to interact with business leaders and politicians, and explore the challenges and opportunities of business in one of Europe’s fastest growing economies, as well as exploring business in a post-communist free market economy within the context of Catholic Social Thought and the influence of Pope St. John Paul II. While there is no guarantee that participants of this colloquium would be able to once again travel for such an experience, we are actively exploring this possibility and hope to offer it as an option as details emerge. The immersion experience will be contingent upon funding.

The Deloitte Scholars Colloquium II is a one-credit undergraduate course sponsored by the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership (NDDCEL). A small group of selected students meet in person weekly to discuss assigned readings, to listen to and engage with invited speakers, and to form a community of Notre Dame business students interested to explore the nature of honorable business and their personal commitments to creating value both for themselves and for others. The Colloquium will meet for two hours one day per week throughout the academic year. The first hour is dedicated to discussion of readings or an invited speaker. During the second hour, we have a meal together (provided by the NDDCEL) and continue informal discussion and conversation. Deloitte Scholars are expected to participate in the activities of the NDDCEL beyond the Colloquium. The NDDCEL will assist Deloitte Scholars in networking, internship opportunities, and so on. Deloitte Scholars will also be granted recognition of their status, and may use this designation on résumés, email signatures, etc. The Colloquium is led by Professor James Otteson, Faculty Director of the NDDCEL. Other guests also periodically join us. Members of the Colloquium are expected to: Attend all meetings and participate actively in discussions. Periodically lead discussions, offer suggestions for readings and/or discussion topics, and help with logistics for invited speakers. Write a reflection paper, due at the end of the semester, describing what they have learned from the Colloquium, what value they thought it had, and any suggestions or recommendations they have for future iterations of the Colloquium.

In this course, we will critically consider, in light of Catholic Social Teaching, three normative questions regarding the purpose, priorities, and practices of corporations. First, what does the dignity of the human person, as made in the image and likeness of God, mean for people working in business? Second, what do businesses owe to their own workers and the society writ-large, and how do we foster solidarity among those working in business? Third, how can businesses promote authentic human flourishing and integral human development? To answer these questions, we explore certain foundational concepts of Catholic Social Teaching - the dignity of the human person, solidarity and subsidiarity, the virtues of charity and justice, and the common good - and ask how these concepts can be integrated into business practices and corporate governance. To accomplish this end, student wills engage in a close reading of selections from central papal encyclicals on the "social question," including Rerum Novarum, Quadragesimo Anno, Laborem Exercens, Centesimus Annus, Caritas in Veritate, and Laudato Si', as well as contemporary scholarship in business ethics that discusses different models of corporate governance.

Discussion section that accompanies the BES 40470 lecture section. Students taking this discussion section must concurrently enroll in the main BES 40470 lecture section.

This course is a discussion-based seminar investigating a series of “economic sins.” That is, we will explore differing perspectives on a series of controversies in economics and business, such as just or fair wages, collective action problems, exploitation, asymmetry in knowledge and leverage, inequality, sweatshops, sustainability, and cronyism. How does business in a market economy give rise to such problems? How does it, or can it, address them? What is the proper role of government with respect to such issues? Readings will draw from classical and contemporary sources in economics, philosophy, theology, political science, and business ethics, and will represent a range of perspectives. This course is part of the Business and the Common Good minor.

In this course, we examine the sometimes productive, sometime corrosive, relationship between business and politics in America. To do so, we will focus on the ways in which the relationship between business and politics in America has facilitated the rise of extractive forms of exchange and rent-seeking practices at the expense of genuine value creation brought about by voluntary cooperation in productive activities. Throughout the course, then, we will pay close attention to debates—philosophical, theological, political—about the determinants of value in a market economy, including the relative voluntariness of its participants, the definition of “rents” as a kind of unproductive, and so extractive, form of economic activity, and the continuing appeal—for political and business leaders alike—of exercising managerial control over the masses, i.e., their fellow citizens. To illustrate the significance of these debates, and the social implications of the answers provided by their participants, we will investigate how America’s political class has been utilized as an instrument of extraction and rent-seeking by market actors throughout our nation’s history, covering the post-war Gilded Age, the Depression and New Deal, the deindustrialization and deunionization of the American economy in the 1970s, and the globalization of trade in the 1990s. Ultimately, students will be asked to reflect on the moral significance of the ends for which political and economic power has been deployed in an era marked by the rise of big business, the emergence of mass politics, and the expansion of public power to control its citizens.

The last three centuries have seen the worldwide rise of Commercial Society and Democracy, creating the distinctively modern culture we now inhabit, and that inhabits us. This distinctive modernity has inspired both celebration and critique, the subjects of this seminar. The seminar emphasizes depth over breadth, exploring with intensity and leisure a very few works of deep cultural significance. The works chosen will vary from semester to semester to reflect faculty and student interests. Possible choices range from economic and social analysis to works of outstanding aesthetic distinction. For fall 2024, the seminar will focus on Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, and Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina.

This one-credit, pass-fail course offers students the opportunity to read and discuss selected works in a seminar-style format with a faculty member. Readings will focus on the intersection of religious and cultural questions with the practical challenges of the world of business.

The Business Honors Program Capstone Thesis is written under the direction of a regular Mendoza faculty member, with another faculty member, preferably one associated with the BHP, as a second/outside reader. The thesis should be approximately 30 pages, either an original work of scholarship or a research paper. Potential subjects for the thesis might include appropriate and approved topics in political economy, Catholic social thought, business ethics, etc.