SAM1A Ethics, Economics and Sustainability

• Topics

  The course demonstrates how ethical theory and economics are crucial for understanding challenges related to ensuring sustainable development for both people and the environment.

  The course presents key positions within normative ethics (theories of what is right and wrong) and studies how perceptions of right and wrong affect people's choices. The course also provides an introduction to key ideas in economics: How does a market economy function when people make rational choices and governments have done a good job regulating the markets? What happens when this is not the case?

  Drawing on ethical theory and ideas from economic, a range of fundamental challenges related to ensuring a sustainable development are discussed. Topics include fair income distribution, environmental issues, corporate social responsibility, economic crime, trust, and discrimination.

• Learning outcome

  Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

  Knowledge

  • Explain key concepts, questions, and positions in normative and positive ethics.
  • Explain basic concepts in economics related to scarce resources, market efficiency, and market failure.
  • Discuss central arguments concerning economic inequality, corporate social responsibility, globalization, and anthropogenic climate change.
  • Explain how trust, institutions, and economic policy instruments affect sustainable development and economic crime.

  Skills

  • Identify moral dilemmas and ethical issues in the market economy and in other academic fields at NHH.
  • Apply normative ethics, positive ethics, and economic theory in analyses of sustainability challenges and decision-making situations.
  • Develop academically grounded assessments of measures that strengthen firms’ reputation, trust, and accountability.

  General competence

  • Assess the distinction between positive and normative questions in analyses of ethical and economic issues.
  • Assess fundamental challenges related to sustainable development in firms and society.
  • Understand the strengths and limitations of experimental methods.

• Compulsory Activity

  The students must take part in at least 8 out of 12 experiments/surveys conducted in class.

• Assessment

  Digital school exam (5 hours).

• Grading Scale

  A-F

• Literature

  The course reading list is available in Leganto.