*Special note: Thought some readers might like to see the structure of the course I teach on fashion and business ethics at Loyola. I change the syllabus each year to include fresh books and articles but the basic idea remains the same.
What: PL 310 Business Ethics
Where: MH 440
When: MWF 9.00-9.50 & 10.00-10.50
Who: Dr. Graham McAleer
Questions: (410) 617 2027: gmcaleer@loyola.edu
SP 2016 BUSINESS ETHICS: FASHION AS AN INDICATOR SPECIES
Course Overview
Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments:
“The man of rank and distinction, on the contrary, is observed by all the world. Everybody is eager to look at him, and to conceive, at least by sympathy, that joy and exultation with which his circumstances naturally inspire him. His actions are the objects of public care. Scare a word, scare a gesture, can fall from him that is altogether neglected.”
Isaiah, 53: 2-3
“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him … and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Kanye West:
“I’m Christian in the same way that people have issues with certain elements of Christianity. It’s like if you go into a Ralph Lauren store, maybe that buyer didn’t do the exact buy that you want, but you still really like that brand.”
Objectives
All philosophy aims at self-understanding, but in addition:
To learn moral theory
To learn about the industry of taste
To inquire into the moral nature of free markets
To become familiar with Catholic distributivism
To inquire into the moral standing of privilege and equality
To assess the moral character of property ownership
To assess the moral coherence of commercial civilisation
To understand the role of sympathy in moral life
To see how moral theory emerges from broad concerns in business
To see how moral theory can assist in decision-making in marketing, management, the conduct of office life, and international business
To explore the intersection of business, ethics, and aesthetics
To learn to read accurately
To develop skills of moral decision-making in business
To explore the relationship between moral theory and moral theology
Readings: Books
At the bookstore:
- Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (Liberty Fund, 1982)
- Immanuel Kant, Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View (Cambridge, 2006)
- Albert Camus, The Plague (Vintage, 1991)
Feel free to order these online.
Readings: Articles
Articles by David Hume and other thinkers, and some news articles, are online at Moodle under our class. In the syllabus these are marked M.
Read them online and have them to hand on your computers etc. for in-class discussion.
Articles from the Wall Street Journal are to be downloaded and brought to class as per the syllabus. I’ve listed these by title and byline. Just go to Google, enter the title and print out the first hit (typically!). Otherwise go to the WSJ subscription we all have through the Loyola Library.
A few other items are from other publications and can be got from an easy Google search.
We will watch some film clips in-class
Examinations
Grades will be calculated as follows:
* Three in-class examinations: each worth 20%
* A participation grade worth 20%
* Attending four lectures worth 20% grade “A.”
Examinations are applications of ethical theory learnt to an issue in business. What I call a “scenario exam.”
The exact requirements for obtaining a good grade will be detailed by example in class, as well as student model answers after examinations.
Crucially, I use the entire grade scale of A to F. A = exceptional; B = good; C = satisfactory; D = less than satisfactory but with some merit; F = wholly insufficient. Students should not expect to get A’s and high B’s all the time and students who do not commit to this course should expect to get F’s.
Mandatory Lectures: you get 20% grade A for going to four events.
Please consult the website: http://www.loyola.edu/department/ccst/events
Choose FOUR amongst all these options. I appreciate that conflicts arise. We can discuss these cases individually but it should be possible for almost all of you to attend four out of these seven possible lectures/events.
Participation is not attendance but requires active engagement. This begins with preparation.
Assessed as follows:
A = Able to address issues related to the readings and ongoing commitment to class discussion.
B = Significant contributions to class discussion and able to answer direct questions on the readings.
C = Sometimes able to address matters to do with reading and some engagement with developments in class discussion.
D = Minimal contributions to class and no evidence that done the reading.
Policy respecting cell phones: Zero tolerance.
Do not have them out ever. Every time professor sees a student texting a full letter grade is removed from a grade received on an exam. Solution: Keep your cell in your bag; it’s that simple.
The following general requirements must be noted:
Regular attendance is required for a passing grade. The instructor reserves the right to raise or lower a final grade for the course based on a student’s exceptionally good or exceptionally poor class participation.
Class Meetings and Content (some additions to content possible)
1/20: Introduction (no readings)
1/22: Hume “Of Refinement in the Arts,” M, pp. 268-271
1/25: “Why Sumptuary Laws, Despite a Rich History, Never Lasted Very Long” (Cynthia Crossen)
“India’s New Beauty Ideal Is a Wisp of Its Former Self” (Margot Cohen)
“When the Boss Sets the Style” (Ray A. Smith)
“Apprentice: Do these chaps dress like gentlemen?” (Daily Telegraph: William Hanson)
1/27: Hume, “On Refinement in the Arts,” pp. 271-280.
1/29: Adam Smith, pp. 222-223, plus these articles:
“Fashion’s Most Exclusive Show” (Christina Binkley)
“Every Scarf Has a Story,” (Christina Binkley)
“In Argentine Province, Fashion Police Say Small Isn’t Beautiful” (Matt Moffett)
2/1: Scheler, On Vanity M
2/3: “Let Us Now Praise… Pricey Stoves?” (Josh Ozersky)
“Why Does This Jacket Cost $21,000?” (David Coggins)
“The Future of Luxury: Experience Counts” (The Economist) M
“Overexposed: Surviving the Corporate Outing”
(Christina Binkley)
2/5: Catholic Distributism 1: Max Scheler, see “Christian Love in the Twentieth Century” M, pp. 359-68 and pay especial attention to pp. 365-66
2/8: Catholic Distributism 2: Max Scheler, pp. 393-402
2/10: “Diamond Industry Makeover Sends Fifth Avenue to Africa” (Venessa O’Connell)
“The Sublime Cats of Cartier” WSJ Magazine, September 2011 M
“Where Luxury Goes for Leather” (Nadya Masidlover)
“Patagonia Asks Its Customers to Buy Less” (FastCompany.Com: Ben Schiller [Oct. 25, 2011])
2/12: Catholic Distributism 3: Benedict XVI, see “Fraternity, Economic Development, and Civil Socity,” M, pp. 47-51
2/15: “A Modern Conundrum: When Work’s Invisible, so Are Its Satisfactions” (Jared Sandberg)
“The Sandra Bullock Trade” (NYT: David Brooks)
“Why Likability Matters More Than Ever at Work” (Sue Shellenbarger)
“Inside Russia’s Clandestine Showrooms” (Jana Reynolds) BOF
“Colleges Don’t Buy Happiness” (Douglas Belkin)
2/17: Catholic Distributism 4: Benedict XVI, pp. 51-63
2/19: “Feel-Good Fashion” (Laura Neilson & Meenal Mistry)
“Local Uprising” (Katy McLaughlin)
“Made in the USA: A Sweater Travels from Sheep to Shelf” (Christina Binkley)
“Mulberry’s Industrial Revolution” (Daily Telegraph: Luke Leitch)
2/22: Adam Smith, pp. 9-13
2/24: Adam Smith, pp. 34-8
2/26: Modeling the exam
“The Locks Market” (Allure Magazine. March 2009. Katherine Zoepf. See Online reserves at library homepage)
3/7: Scenario Exam #1
3/9: Adam Smith, pp. 50-3 & 57
3/11: “Jay-Z to Roederer Champagne: Drop Dead” (Eric Felten)
“To Refurbish Its Image, Tiffany Risks Profits” (Ellen Byron)
“Gucci Finds Its Brand of Luxury a Tough Sell” (Manuela Mesco)
3/14: Camus, pp. 3-75
3/16: Camus, pp. 75-150
3/18: Articles for Camus TBA
3/21: Camus, pp. 150-225
3/23: Camus, pp. 225-308
3/30: Immanuel Kant, pp. 15-23 & 40-44
4/1: Immanuel Kant, pp. 54-58 & 142-4
4/4: Immanuel Kant, pp. 165-68 & 171-82
4/6: “Is This Man Cheating on His Wife?” (Alexandra Alter)
“Liberal Education: At This College, Videogames Are a Varisty Sport” (Douglas Belkin)
“Can Strappy Heels, Pony Salons Keep Girls in Doll Land?” (Anne Marie Chaker)
“Good Business or Bad Taste?” (Erica E. Phillips)
4/8: Scenario Exam #2
4/11: Adam Smith, pp. 194-200
4/13: “Don’t Call Them Dummies” (Ray A. Smith)
“On Plus Side: New Fashion Choices for Size 18” (Christina Binkley)
“Whether Teen Spirit or Veiled Threat, High-Rise Dubai `Dos Turn Heads” (Leila Hatoum)
4/15: Aquinas, On Vanity M
4/18: Aurel Kolnai, “The Concept of Hierarchy,” pp. 167-79
4/20: Aurel Kolnai, “The Concept of Hierarchy,” pp. 179-86
4/22: “Four-Figure Denim for (Only) Your Figure” (John Ortved)
“The Samurai Sell: Lexus Dealers Bow to Move Swank Cars” (Amy Chozick)
“Wigged Out: Hong Kong’s Lawyers Bristle Over Horsehair Headpieces” (Te-Ping Chen)
4/25: Immanuel Kant, pp. 191-203 & 205-12
4/27: Adam Smith, pp. 179-181
4/29: Adam Smith, pp. 181-85
5/2: “In China, Nothing Says `I Love You’ Like Matching Smiley-Face Shirts” (Laurie Burkitt)
“Land a New Job with some Personal Style” (Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan)
“The Reinvention of the Entry-Level Suit” (John Ortved)
“Secret Rocks” (Shibani Mahtani) library reserve.
Final as per College dates
