Syllabus Information

1.1. Introduction

It’s an elective course at the end of the degree that allows the student to complement management topics that are relevant for business within the present society, but that receive less attention in the core courses of the degree, such as, corporate social responsibility, the importance of ownership and governance, potential conflicts between ethics and profit maximization, social entrepreneurship, management of intangible assets, etc. It is taught in the Zaragoza-Paraíso Campus.

1.2. Recommendations to take this course

The subject is accessible for any student interested in knowing more about the relationship between business and society, especially business performance, social responsibility, ethics, corporate governance, business models and integral quality management. Students don’t need previous specific knowledge, but it is advisable to have followed a core course in each of the management areas of business and economics. Given the teaching and learning methodology, it is absolutely recommended to attend the class regularly. Reading knowledge in English is advisable.

1.3. Context and importance of this course in the degree

The subject departs from the premise that core courses in management prioritize management learning in market environments, contexts in which agents can choose, so competition conditions are present. The context of the business is put on the side, but it is getting more and more important, competition conditions are mitigated by governmental intervention in the economy, non-financial criteria are introduced in decision-making, social entrepreneurship, ethics, new business models appear in a changing social and economic context that is sensitive to sustainability, justice, protection of the common good, that require new management tools. This subject covers these educational gaps.

1.4. Activities and key dates

The activities and key dates will be communicated through the appropriate means at the beginning of the learning period of the course, especially through Anillo Digital Docente (ADD). The dates for the final exams can be checked in each faculty website where the subject is taught.

2.1. Learning goals

1.- Diagnose management problems that take place when businesses interact with the non-market environment

2.- Apply total quality management tools (TQM, EFQM) to the integral management of businesses and organizations

3.- Evaluate the business performance from the perspective of the different stakeholder groups that have a relationship with the business

 4.- Apply ethics to business management

 5.- Manage culture and trust in organizations to improve economic and social results

 6.- Manage the company from the social responsibility and good governance perspective.

2.2. Importance of learning goals

Business profits are needed for organizational survival, but they are less sufficient to achieve business excellence, understood as congruence among the conduct and performance of the business, and the societal expectations about what organizations should contribute to the common good. The course amplifies the variables and indicators that contribute to understand modern societies, what they should contribute to the common good and what performance measures should be the base for business success.

3.1. Aims of the course

The general objective of the course is to contribute to the education of business & management students in the analysis of the relationship between businesses and society by using tools such as business models and systems to evaluate business performance that integrated social and economic results. We depart from the premise that the organization is an institution whose knowledge is key to understand how society functions, and business decisions related to ownership, governance, organization, values, culture are very important, both to determine economic profits and social results such as the protection of human rights, environmental sustainability, quality of life and at work.

3.2. Competences

1. Specific Competencies

E1. Manage firms and organizations in general

E2. Build from the knowledge on managing the functional areas of the business being able to add the dimensions of business excellence and TQM.

E3. Diagnosis the current and future evolution of a business and organization, and be able to identify the knowledge relevant for TQM

E4. Issue reports and provide consulting services on particular markets and businesses, general and within functional areas having to do with TQM.

E5. Understand and apply scientific knowledge at the same time that practical relevance, in solving economic and business problems in organizational domains.

2. Horizontal competencies

T1. Problem solving capabilities

T2. Organizing and planning capabilities

T3. Ability to find and analyze information from different sources useful for business decisions.

T4. Decision making capabilities

T5. Motivation to learn and apply business models base don TQM and Excellence

T6. Capability to respond and adapt to unanticipated situations

T7. Capability to integrate theory and practice

4.1. Assessment tasks (description of tasks, marking system and assessment criteria)

The student must demonstrate that he/she has achieved the learning objectives through the following evaluation activities:

In the first round, the student can choose between two evaluation systems:

1.- Continous evaluation of the student based on his/her participation in class, resolution of case studies in written, presentation and delivery of a final project. Each part, participation, case studies and final project weights one third of the final grade. To follow this evaluation system, the student should get at least a 3 out of 10 in the exam that will take place at the end of the semester one of the days that are established for continuous evaluation exams. If in that exam the student gets a higher grade than the one that he or she got in the weighted grades from participation, case studies and final project, the grade from the exam will be taken.

2-. Global evaluation: the student that doesn’t follow continuous evaluation or that doesn’t pass the subject through continuous evaluation or that wants to get a better grade will have the opportunity to do a global exam. The final grade will be the highest among those. The global exam will be a written exam in which the student will answer some questions, theoretical and practical questions, in which he or she should demonstrate knowledge and assimilation of theoretical concepts, complementing the answers with the application of practical topics that have been discussed in cases, readings and examples. The theoretical part is between a 50 % and a 60 % of the grade, and the applied part between a 40 % and a 50 % of the grade.

In the second round, the evaluation consists of a global exam, a written exam with similar characteristics to those of the final exam in the first round.

Valuation criteria:

In continuous evaluation:

1.- The student should demonstrate that he or she has followed the content of the subject through participation (participation is valued 0-10 and it will be multiplied by 1/3 to contribute to the final grade). If the student takes part in half of the classes, he or she will get 5/10 (linear system depending on number of participations), that will be multiplied by 1/3.

2.- Prepare case studies, discuss them in class, and write analysis and management suggestions (1/3 of the grade). The written assignments should be delivered on the dates that the professor establishes. To get the maximum grade in this part the student needs to give all the assignments on time. Not delivering one is penalized with a 40 %, and not delivering two of them with 80 %. If the student doesn’t deliver three or more activities, he or she won’t get a positive grade in this part (the student that delivers all the activities in time could get a maximum grade of 10 in this part, the student that doesn’t deliver one activity could get a maximum of a 6 in this part, and the student that doesn’t deliver two activities could get a maximum grade of 2 points in this part). For the final grade, this part will be multiplied by 1/3.  

3.- Presention and delivery in written of a final project in groups of a maximum of three people (1/3 of the grade). The project will be valued from 0 to 10 depending on the content and presentation, and this grade will be multiplied by 1/3 to contribute to the final grade.

To choose this evaluation system, the student should get a minimum grade of 3 out of 10 in a final exam that will take place during the last days of the semester. If the grade in this exam is higher than the grade obtained by weighting the other three parts (participation, activities, and final project), the highest grade will be chosen.

This exam will have three or four questions, theoretical and practical questions where the student should demonstrate knowledge and assimilation of theoretical concepts, complementing the answers with application of practical issues discussed in cases, readings and examples. The theoretical part will be around 50 % and 60 % of the grade, and the practical part between a 40 % and a 50 % of the grade.

In the global exam it will be valued:  

The degree in which the student has acquired the expected learning results through the answers to the questions about basic concepts of the course, contents of the readings, resolution of exercises and case studies related to the course.

5.1. Methodological overview

Given that it is a final year course, it is understood that application of concepts is more important in learning than acquiring new concepts. That’s why the learning process has been designed in order for the student to be involved in the resolution of practical cases, discussion of ideas and suggestions with the rest of the students, and working in groups through the development of a final project. The student work in preparing cases and discussion is complemented with lectures where the professor leads the transmission of knowledge.

5.2. Learning tasks

Theoretical classes – 25 hours

Practical classes – 25 hours

Learning based on problems / Laboratory (ICT tools)/Seminars/Tutorials/Personal work of the student – 75 hours

Total: 125 hours = 5 ECTS

In relation to theoretical classes, they will be lectures in which the professor presents basic concepts for each topic, justifying their relevance and suggesting concepts and tools that are useful to solve case studies

In the applied classses, case studies will be solved, cases that represent business situations that are complex and not structured, so the student should identify the problem, possible ways to solve it, valuate them, and choose one or some of them defending his or her decision in class.

In addition, there will be readings of academic papers and chapters that will complement the conceptual aspects of each topic presented by the professor. There will also be a team project in which students will analyze in a real organization the different concepts and issues learnt in class.  

Finally, students will have the opportunity to attend individual tutorials.

5.3. Syllabus

Unit 1: Basics on management of organizations

The problem of organizing society, the role of businesses and the enterpreneur in the solution. Creation of wealth as a social objective; difference bewteen social wellbeing and business profits. General problems in internal organization of the business: coordination and motivation. 

Unit 2: The cooperative enterprise

Economic analysis of the cooperative enterprise where workers are owners. Organizational model, ownership rights. Advantages and disadvantages from the perspective of efficiency. Social interest topics.

Unit 3: The simple capitalist enterprise

The role of the entrepreneur or manager and his/her function in the economy. Theories of the entrepreneur. The authority of the entrepreneur in the business: meaning and scope.

Unit 4: The complex capitalist enterprise

Characteristics that define the complex capitalist enterprise: multilevel hierarchy and separation between ownership and control. Factors that explain the transition from the simple capitalist enterprise to the complex one. Management problems that take place in the complex capitalist enterprise. Business performance from the interest of the owners/shareholders.

Unit 5: Corporate Governance

Definition of corporate governance. Conflict between management and shareholders / owners. External and internal controls. Good Governance codes.

Unit 6: Culture and trust in organizations

Non-hierarchical solutions to incentive problems. Organizational culture. Social pressure, solidarity and reciprocity. Economic value of reputation. Management of trust.

Unit 7: Corporate Social Responsibility

Origins of corporate social responsibility. Relationship of the Company with its environment. Stakeholder theory. Social and private benefits of the analysis of the value chain. Ethics in business: different perspectives.

Unit 8.- Social entrepreneurship

The creation of social welfare out of the market. Examples of social entrepreneurship. Tools for managing social enterprises (crowd-funding, social marketing, cost-benefit analysis).

Unit 9.- Ethics in business

What is ethics? Teleological ethics, Utilitarian ethics, Ethics of justice (Rawls). Application to management decisions. Human rights and corporations.

Unit 10: Total Quality and Business Excellence

Principles for Total Quality Management and Organizational Design. Participatory management systems. EFQM Model of excellence.

5.4. Course planning and calendar

The calendar of the theoretical and practical sessions of the subject will be public in the website, as well as the dates in which activities and project should be delivered. Evaluations and other activities will be communicated by the professors through Anillo Digial Docente and/or the notice board / website of the faculty.

5.5. Bibliography and recommended resources

[BB: Bibliografía básica / BC: Bibliografía complementaria]