1. Understand the control mechanisms of governance and financial transparency that infer the credibility of financial reporting. 2. Acquire an overview of ethical theories and their potential for engagement with business. 3. Explore the elements of a professional judgement as an approach to making ethical decisions in business. 4. Understand that corporate compliance is fundamental to corporate social responsibility.

Corporate governance functions of responsibility, accountability and transparency. The role of the corporate board. Corporate architecture and mechanisms for governance and financial transparency. Understanding transparency mechanisms as instrumental in providing credibility to corporate reporting. Framing business ethics: Corporate responsibility, ethical decision-making. Normative ethical theories: utilitarianism, ethics of duty, rights and justice, virtue ethics, feminist ethics, discourse ethics and post-modermism. Professional independence and professional judgement and the distinction between the terms truth and truthful. Governance role of financial accounting information: impact on economic performance: project selection, information asymmetry. Threat of moral hazard: Agency theory, resource dependence, stakeholder theory. International and cultural dimensions to business ethical behaviour. Recognise business ethics as an element of corporate citizenship and sustainability; appreciating that corporate compliance is a cornerstone for corporate social responsibility. Bushman on corporate transparency, Bentham and Kant on utilitarianism, Lonergan on professional judgement. Roarty on language, Blackburn on truth.

Understand that transparency mechanisms provide credibility to corporate assertions Explore ethical theories as a basis for professional judgement Examine the corporate governance role of financial accounting information Recognise that business ethics enhance corporate citizenship and sustainability.

Appreciate that corporate compliance is a cornerstone for corporate social responsibility.

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Students will peruse the disclosures of corporate entities to determine their credibility. Various theories in ethics will be studied for their relevance in an agency and stakeholder environment. Corporate social responsibility will be perused for its legitimacy in advancing economic goals

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