COURSE OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Business Ethics Essentials course. This program will equip you with the skills and knowledge to understand ethical principles, recognise ethical issues in organisational life, and support ethical behaviour and decision making in business settings. Throughout this course, you will explore how ethics underpins trust, reputation, compliance, and long-term organisational sustainability.

This course begins by clarifying the foundations of ethics so that you can understand the language and concepts used in business ethics discussions. You will examine the meaning and definition of ethics, the nature and objectives of ethics, and the relationship between ethics and morality, religion, law, and values. You will then explore the true meaning of business ethics, the 3 C’s of business ethics, the need and objectives of business ethics, and the significance of business ethics for individuals, organisations, and society, including the key reasons why ethics is vital and why it plays such a central role in business.

The course then looks at how ethical expectations are evolving and how new business realities create new ethical tensions. You will consider the concepts of new ethics and the ethical dimensions that arise in modern organisations, including social and ethical issues related to technology and ethical points of discussion related to intangible assets such as data, brand, and intellectual property. You will also examine the factors causing unethical behaviour and the important elements required to build an ethical infrastructure that supports ethical corporate behaviour rather than relying on individual goodwill alone.

Attention then turns to the organisational systems, programs, and structures that are used to foster and maintain ethical behaviour. You will explore how ethical corporate behaviour is developed over time and the elements of programs for developing ethical corporate behaviour in the organisation. You will examine organisational ethics training, the basic objectives of ethics training programs, and the key features of effective ethics training. You will also look at codes of ethics, the conditions required for codes of ethics to be effective, and the specific areas that most directly affect managerial work. In addition, you will be introduced to the organisational ethics development system (OEDS), the salient features and functions of ethics committees, the role of reward and punishment systems, and the processes and protections associated with whistle blowing.

Leadership, values, and the personal side of ethics are then explored to connect ethical theory with day-to-day decisions and behaviour. You will examine leadership ethics and values, the significance of ethical leadership, and why companies invest heavily in training for effective leadership. You will also analyse ethical choices in business, ethical decisions at both individual and community levels within organisations, and the structure of ethical decision making. From there, you will learn how to use ethical reasoning, identify the most important factors that shape decision-making structures, and understand the ethical/unethical decision-making behaviour model, as well as the common problems in ethical decision making and practical guidelines for making more ethical choices.

By the end of this course, you will be able to define and explain core ethical concepts, distinguish business ethics from related ideas such as law and personal morality, and articulate why ethics is critical for organisational performance and legitimacy. You will understand how unethical behaviour arises, how ethical infrastructures, training, codes, and committees can support ethical conduct, and how leadership behaviour and organisational systems interact to shape culture. Most importantly, you will be equipped with practical frameworks for ethical reasoning and decision making, enabling you to recognise ethical issues early, navigate dilemmas more confidently, and contribute to building and sustaining ethical business practice in your own workplace.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

·       The meaning and definition of ethics

·       The nature of ethics

·       The objectives of ethics

·       The relationship between ethics and morality, religion, law and values

·       The true meaning of business ethics

·       The 3 C’s of business ethics

·       The need and objectives of business ethics

·       The significance of business ethics

·       The key reasons why business ethics is vital and why ethics plays a key role in business?

·       The concepts of new ethics

·       The ethical dimensions

·       The social and ethical issues related to technology

·       The ethical points of discussions related to intangible assets

·       The factors causing unethical behaviour

·       The important factors of building an ethical infrastructure

·       The development of ethical corporate behaviour

·       The elements of programs for developing ethical corporate behaviour in the organisation

·       Organisational ethics training

·       The basic objectives of ethics training programs       

·       The key features of effective ethics training program

·       The codes of ethics

·       Some conditions for effective codes of ethics

·       The specific areas which affect managerial work

·       The organisational ethics development system (OEDS)

·       The salient features and functions of the ethics committee

·       The reward punishment system

·       Whistle blowing

·       Leadership ethics and values

·       The significance of ethical leadership

·       Why companies are investing tremendous amount on training for effective leadership?

·       Ethical choices in business

·       Ethical decisions (individual/community) in organisation

·       The structure of ethical decision making

·       How to use ethical reasoning?

·       The most important factors which make the structure of decision making

·       The ethical/unethical decision making behaviour model

·       The problems in ethical decision making

·       Guidelines for ethical decision making

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.