BMO5501 BUSINESS ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Assignment 2 : Reflective Journal Page
1. Overview 2-3

2. Table of Contents

a) Business Ethics 4-5
b) Sustainability 6-7
c) Capitalism 8
d) Corporate Social Responsibility 9-11

3. References 12

Overview
The three main topics of the course, Ethics & Business Ethics, Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are very relevant in today’s business world. The phasing and sequencing of readings starting with Ethics, then to Sustainability and ending with CSR provides a good foundation to the business practices of CSR. Without the foundational understanding of Ethics normative theories and Sustainability phenomenon and issues, and the concepts of socialism, capitalism, corporate citizenship, the readings and eventual learning about the subject of CSR would be more superficial and spiritless.
The 4 key normative ethical theories of Egoism, Utilitarianism, Kant’s, Rights have very different moral reasoning in judging what is right or wrong, good or bad. Egoism is very individualistic and consequentialist. Utilitarianism is also consequentialist but based upon the aggregated greatest number of well beings. The opposite of these two are non-consequentialist, one theory is based on the motives – Kant’s categorical imperative and second theory is based on Rights, human rights and natural rights. Each ethical theory has its valid points and justification. In real life practice, we may tend to adopt or skew towards some ethical theory more than others depending on our conviction at that moment, much influenced by life experience, parental influence, culture, religion, country and circumstances then.
Sustainability is related to the environment as many resources are irreversible and finite in quantity. In an