Singapore University of Social Sciences

BUS208 Ethics, Law and Sustainability focuses on the role of ethics and law in business sustainability. Businesses operate in an environment defined not only by market forces, but also by ethical, legal, political and cultural obligations. This course introduces students to ethical and legal challenges they will face as business people, managers, and entrepreneurs. Students will learn about broad sustainability issues involving business, and how business managers, constrained by law and motivated to act ethically and responsibly, should make decisions about the proper courses of action. With the rise of the digital economy, the increasing use and application of information technology across business areas also means that data privacy and cyber-security are now crucial aspects of business ethics and compliance. In this era where customer data and greater understanding of customers drives businesses to become more competitive, more than ever, there must be a line to draw such that personal customer data is protected from being exploited by businesses for profits. Students will learn about the various applicable data privacy and security laws and standards that businesses ought to take into account to foster business sustainability. Fundamentally, this is a course about judgment. Students will learn to think critically and make judgments in a sustainability-oriented business context that will broaden individual and business priorities far beyond traditional business aims of profit.