COMM394outline fall2020 Steven PDF

Preview

Summary

Download COMM394outline fall2020 Steven PDF

Description

Syllabus

COURSE INFORMATION Course title: Government and Business Course code: COMM 394 / FRE 394 Session and term: 2020W1 Section(s): 104, 105, 108, 109 / 001

Credits: Class location: Class times:

Course duration:

Sep 8 - Dec 3, 2020

Pre-requisites:

Division:

Strategy and Business Economics

Co-requisites:

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION Instructor: Steven Minns BEng CEng MICE DIC MBA PhD Phone: 604 822 3149 Office: Email: [email protected] Office hours:

3 Online Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9.3010.50 (104), 11.00-12.20 (105), 14.00-15.20 (108/001), 18.3017.50 (109) One of COMM295, ECON201, ECON301 N/A

HA270 Tuesdays 3.30-4.30pm

Teaching assistant: Navid Siami Email: [email protected] COURSE DESCRIPTION This course uses a framework based on economic analysis and ethical principles to address the role of government in a market economy and the relationship between government and business. The course addresses three basic questions: (1) What should the role of government be? (2) What is the social responsibility of business? (3) How successful are the actual policies of governments? An important part of the course involves consideration of current public policy issues as well as ethical dilemmas confronting managers.

COURSE FORMAT This course is structured using a combination of lectures, case discussions, guest lectures, article discussions, presentations and group debates. Refer to the schedule for more details. As the course is online, there will be a combination of asynchronous components (materials to watch and read prior to class) and synchronous, live, in class sessions. Over the period of the entire course, there will be a split of approximately 60% synchronous and 40% asynchronous content. Scheduled class times will therefore be shorter than the traditional 80 minutes class (they will generally be between 40-60 mins). We will use Zoom to have our classes during the scheduled class times: Zoom Meeting ID:202 838 3926 Passcode: 419613 1 COMM394 104, 105, 108, 109 and FRE 394 001

September 10, 2020

Syllabus

For this course, you are required to use a Zoom account during synchronous classes and office hours. If you do not have a Zoom account, you can create one here: https://zoom.us/signup. Note: creating a Zoom account requires that you provide a first name, last name, and email address to Zoom. For privacy purposes, you may consent to using your existing email address and your real name. Alternatively, if you prefer, you may sign up using an alternative email address and an anonymized name that does not identify you (i.e. Jane Doe, [email protected]). If you have trouble creating an account, or accessing a Zoom session, please contact [email protected]. You will be required to provide the email address associated with your Zoom account in a Canvas quiz for identification purposes. To help replicate the classroom experience, make sessions more dynamic and hold each person accountable, both students and instructors are asked to have their cameras on during Zoom sessions. This is the desired norm for the Sauder undergraduate program as it will provide you the best learning experience. Students who require an accommodation with regard to the “camera on” requirement must contact their instructors in advance of the first class to discuss options. Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally by joining sessions on time, muting mics when not speaking, refraining from using any other technology when in-session, attending in attire you would normally wear to school, and participating from a quiet environment. Content from synchronous sessions will be selectively recorded per instructor discretion and made available to students on Canvas. Pre-recorded lectures will be posted for the duration of the course length and class Zoom recordings will be posted for 48 hours or until the next lecture video is posted. This is done to allow students the opportunity to return to lecture content to solidify learnings and to allow students to catch up if they miss a live session (e.g. due to technical problems). Note that class discussions on current affairs, discussion questions and articles will generally not be recorded. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of Commerce 394, students should be able to:  Demonstrate critical analysis of issues facing society and business.  Comment intelligently on public policy and the role of government in relation to these issues.  Use a framework based on economic concepts and ethical principles to guide public policy, taking into account market failure, incentive effects, economic efficiency, and fairness.  Evaluate the appropriateness of particular business decisions based on important philosophical approaches to business ethics. ASSESSMENTS Summary Component Current affairs presentation Debate Midterm exam Final exam Class participation Total

2 COMM394 104, 105, 108, 109 and FRE 394 001

Weight 10% 20% 20% 40% 10% 100%

September 10, 2020

Syllabus Details of Assessments Presentation In each class from the third week of the course, we will be discussing current affairs topics. All students are required to present (in pairs) a 2-3 minute summary of an article that interests them and is relevant to the course. It should be an article in the news that has been published in the last 8 weeks. It may relate to Canada or it may relate to other countries in the world. Instead of doing these presentations individually, I feel that doing them with a partner will be more enjoyable – it will enable you to connect directly and meaningfully with someone else in the class. (Note, you will also get this opportunity to connect in the debates and to some extent in our class discussions). Partnerships will be formed at the end of Week 2. In your presentation, you should explain:  Why the subject of the article is important and/or interests you.  Summarise what the author discusses in the article, making reference to course content if relevant.  Give your own personal thoughts on the issue.  Conclude your presentation with a question for the class to consider. Participation Class participation is very important in this course and it is especially important as we are all remote from each other and are learning online! I view class discussion as a way of learning from each other: you can learn a lot from listening to your fellow students and you can learn a lot from thinking about the comments you want to make. Most importantly it encourages you to think critically. Participation marks depend on consistent preparation for class (i.e. watching the required video lectures and reading the required articles for each class), attendance in our online classes (Zoom camera should be on) and the frequency and quality of online classroom contributions (Zoom chat but especially audio participation). Exams The format of the exams will be a mix of short and longer answer questions. You will be tested on the material from lectures, pre-recorded videos, the guest lecture, the debates and the assigned readings. Debates You will participate as a team-member in a one-hour debate. Student teams of approximately four members each will be formed. We will do a lottery for the order of selection to allocate the topics (listed below). When it is your team’s turn, you choose the topic and position (“For” or “Against”) from the topics and positions that remain. Debate Rules: The “For” and “Against” sides each have 10-12 minutes to make their opening case. You should use PowerPoint for the opening presentation. Next, each side gives a five-minute rebuttal of the points raised by their opponents by asking them a series of questions. Then we have approximately 10 minutes of questions from the teams and audience, addressed in alternating order, to the “For” and “Against” sides. The debate ends with one-minute “closing arguments” of the case by each side. Since the debates foster oral communication skills, all four team members should speak. Debate marks reflect the quality of research, the organization and delivery of the arguments, and the quality of the rebuttals. A grading rubric is provided on Canvas. All team members receive the same mark. Debate topics: 3 COMM394 104, 105, 108, 109 and FRE 394 001

September 10, 2020

Syllabus 1. Canada, in conjunction with other countries, should develop COVID 19 “immunity passports” for those vaccinated (or with anti-bodies from a previous infection) and restrict travel for those without immunity. 2. Due to increased unemployment from automation, all Canadians should receive a Universal Basic Income. 3. Mandatory tracking of individuals’ movements by government is acceptable during epidemics. 4. Government should ban non-essential single use plastics and tax all other plastic. 5. By 2040, firms should be required to be carbon neutral and countries not reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% should have economic sanctions. 6. Social media firms such as Facebook should change their algorithms to ensure people get differing points of view in their feeds and they have a corporate social responsibility to censor information that is damaging to society. LEARNING MATERIALS Required: The required text book for the course is James A. Brander, ‘Government Policy toward Business’ , 5th edition, John Wiley and Sons. It is available at UBC Bookstore for $98 (as a paper copy). Also, Wiley offers an e-book for rental or purchase (https://www.wiley.com/enca/Government+Policy+Towards+Business%2C+5th+Edition-p-9780470158524) E-Book Rental (120 Days) CAD $17.00 E-Book Rental (150 Days) CAD $19.00 E-Book CAD $48.00 Links to other required readings are given in #1-13 of the Reading Package that follows (or in some cases the articles will be posted on Canvas). Technology Requirements: You will need a computer as the course is online. See further information at the end of this syllabus.

Additional materials recommended but not required: See optional reading list in the Reading Package that follows (#14-29). Reading package Note : Readings can be found by following the links below. If no link is provided, they can be found on Canvas 1. Krugman, Paul, “Disaster Relief Economics” New York Times, August 30, 2011. http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/disaster-relief-economics/ 2. Mickelburgh, Bob, “Patient-based funding breathes new life into hospitals” Globe and Mail, December 10, 2011. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/patient-based-funding-breathes-new-life-intohospitals/article2266746/ 3. Davidson, Adam, “Should We Tax People for Being Annoying?” New York Times, January 8, 2013

4 COMM394 104, 105, 108, 109 and FRE 394 001

September 10, 2020

Syllabus 4. McArdle, Megan, “The Moral Hazard of Naloxone in the Opioid Crisis”, Washington Post, March 8, 2018 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-moral-hazard-of-naloxone-in-the-opioidcrisis/2018/03/08/c3584f16-2259-11e8-86f6-54bfff693d2b_story.html?utm_term=.49bab32f807f 5. Shaw, W. H. and V. Barry, "Ford's Pinto," Moral Issues in Business, 1991, Wadsworth Publishing Company; pp 8688. 6. Case analysis: “Volkswagen AG: The emissions scandal”, by Dr Steven Minns, UBC. (2016) 7. Open letter from Emanuela Montefrancesco, a VW Engineer, that was published in Italian newspaper ‘Corriere Della Serra’, October 15th 2015, Translated by Simon Tanner. http://www.corriere.it/english/15_ottobre_14/emanuela-vw-engineer-if-you-want-the-perfect-car-cheata40d0018-7287-11e5-b015-f1d3b8f071aa.shtml 8. Tamburri, Rosanna, “We like to think we’d never commit fraud”, Globe and Mail, May 19, 2011. 9. Summers, Lawrence, "Let them Eat Pollution", The Economist, Feb 8, 1992, p 82, Issue 7745. 10. Steven Greenhouse, “Some Retailers Rethink Role in Bangladesh” New York Times, May 1, 2013 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/business/some-retailers-rethink-their-role-in-bangladesh.html 11. Friedman, Milton, "The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits", New York Times Magazine, Sept 13, 1970. 12. Arrow, Kenneth , "Social Responsibility and Economic Efficiency", Public Policy, Vol 21, 1973, Harvard University Press, 21, 303-318. 13. Case analysis: “The Wells Fargo sales scandal”, by Steven Minns and Kevin Dhami, UBC. (2017)

Additional readings (optional) – Available digitally either through the online link below or through Canvas 14. O'Meara, Dina, "Pipeline Economics: The dollars & cents of the energy export debate" National Post, April 2, 2013. http://business.financialpost.com/productive-conversations/pipeline-economics-the-dollars-cents-of-the-energyexport-debate 15. Foer, Franklin, “The Case for Regulating the Internet”, The Atlantic, Mar 21, 2018 https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/03/its-time-to-regulate-the-internet/556097/ 16. Mullainathan, Sendhil and Thaler , Richard H., “Waiting in Line for the Illusion of Security”, NY Times, May 27, 2016 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/upshot/waiting-in-line-for-the-illusion-of-security.html 17. Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilmes, “The true cost of the Iraq war: $3 trillion and beyond”, Washington Post, September 5, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090302200.html 18. “How to spot an ethical dilemma” by Professor Keith Head, UBC 19. Waddell, Kaveh, “The Internet of Things Needs a Code of Ethics”, The Atlantic, May 1, 2017 5 COMM394 104, 105, 108, 109 and FRE 394 001

September 10, 2020

Syllabus https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/05/internet-of-things-ethics/524802/ 20. Saunders, Doug, “What is your life worth? Let’s get out a calculator,” Globe and Mail, Feb. 7, 2004, F3. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/incoming/whats-your-life-worth-lets-get-out-a-calculator/article741642/ 21. Mann, Charles, “Can planet Earth Feed 10 Billion People?”, The Atlantic, March 2018 https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/03/charles-mann-can-planet-earth-feed-10-billionpeople/550928/ 22. Andrew Coyne, “Why Ontario’s business support program is a harmful, distortionary waste of money”, National Post, April 13 2016 http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/andrew-coyne-why-ontarios-business-support-program-is-a-harmfuldistortionary-waste-of-money 23. “Corporate Social Responsibility Notes on Friedman versus Arrow” by Professor Keith Head, UBC 24. “Where Friedman was wrong”, Promarket blog of The Chicago Booth School of Business, July 27, 2017 by Asher Schechter https://promarket.org/where-friedman-was-wrong/ 25. Bloch, Michael, “Triple Bottom Line”, January 19, 2010 http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/264/1/Triple-bottom-line.html 26. V.Rangan, L.Chase and S.Karim, "The Truth about CSR", Harvard Business Review, February 2015 https://hbr.org/2015/01/the-truth-about-csr 27. M.Porter and M.Kramer, "Strategy and Society", Harvard Business Review, December 2006 https://hbr.org/2006/12/strategy-and-society-the-link-between-competitive-advantage-and-corporate-socialresponsibility 28. “Time to fix patents”, The Economist, August 8, 2015 http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21660522-ideas-fuel-economy-todays-patent-systems-are-rotten-wayrewarding-them-time-fix 29. “No Truck with Cartels”, The Economist, June 4, 2016 http://www.economist.com/news/business/21699957-expensive-times-companies-accused-collusion-no-truckcartels

COURSE-SPECIFIC POLICIES AND RESOURCES Missed or late assignments, and regrading of assessments Late or missed exams, assignments and presentations will get a grade of zero unless there are extenuating circumstances and a formal academic concession is granted. Academic Concessions Academic concessions may be applied for in accordance with Senate Policy V-135. Granted concessions will generally involve re-weightings to other components of the course (e.g. midterm weight transferred to final exam). In the event of a granted concession for a missed final exam, the student will be granted Standing Deferred status and will sit the exam in the following term.

6 COMM394 104, 105, 108, 109 and FRE 394 001

September 10, 2020

Syllabus POLICIES APPLICABLE TO UBC SAUDER UNDERGRADUATE COURSES Respectfulness in the classroom Students are expected to be respectful of their colleagues at all times, including faculty, staff and peers. This means being attentive and conscious of words and actions and their impact on others, listening to people with an open mind, treating all UBC Sauder community members equally and understanding diversity. Students who act disrespectfully toward others will be asked to leave the class and be marked as absent for the day. They may also be removed from a team, lose credit for in-class assessments and activities, or be asked to complete a group assignment individually. Respect for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion The UBC Sauder School of Business strives to promote an intellectual community that is enhanced by diversity along various dimensions including status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, social class, and/or disability. It is critical that students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives be valued in and wellserved by their courses. Furthermore, the diversity that students bring to the classroom should be viewed as a resource, benefit, and source of strength for your learning experience. It is expected that all students and members of our community conduct themselves with empathy and respect for others. The Online Learning Environment Students are expected to adhere to the following Student Code of Conduct: I understand and agree to the following statements:         

I will be the only person viewing and listening to live courses when delivered. I agree that I may not copy, film, audio record, share or in any way record or redistribute a class session. I will not share a Zoom link or invite others who are not registered students in this class Videos posted online may not be accessed for use other than course prep; videos will be taken down 2 weeks after the end of term I will engage in online classes in a professional and respectful manner at all times, this will include: Having my camera on at all times Muting my microphone unless I am called upon to talk Ensuring that I am in a quiet environment Registering and logging into Zoom with an account I have set up to ensure the instructor is aware of my attendance in the class

Electronic Devices During online lectures, students are not permitted to use any electronic devices other than the primary one used for attending the online lecture (e.g. laptop or desktop). Only Zoom and a note-taking application should be open during the online lecture unless an instructor advises the use of another device or application for an in-class activity. Feedback from students indicates that personal devices is the number one distraction from effective learning and participation in the online learning environment. UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND RESOURCES UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles but recognizes that sometimes crises arise and so there are additional resources to access including those for survivors of sexual violence. UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the academic 7 COMM394 104, 105, 108, 109 and FRE 394 001

September 10, 2020

Syllabus community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated nor is suppression of academic freedom. UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for religious observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions. Details of the policies and how to access support are available on the UBC Senate website at https://senate.ubc.ca/policies-resourcessupport-student-success. Academic Integrity The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students ...