Some of the leading scandals to strike the corporate world during the last 25years were because of unethical behavior. The Wells Fargo and the fraudulent applications scandal, West Point and their class of cheaters, Volkswagen (VW) emissions scandal, Marble Ridge Capital LP, Nikola, Enron, Arthur Andersen, and the Financial Crisis of 2008 are some names synonymous with unethical behavior. Occurrences of unethical behavior are not limited to a specific industry, and such behavior continues to present itself as a key business risk to the modern entity.
This honors seminar will focus on unethical behavior as a critical business risk and its impact on the institution of higher education. In the first part of this course, students will be introduced to the modern understanding of ethics and ethical behavior. This seminar will guide students through three theories, namely, the general systems theory and its influence on the contemporary organization, organizational theory, and behavior, as a component of systems theory, and the enterprise risk management theory. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations (FSGO) and its role in ethics compliance will also be explored. In the second part of this seminar, students will conduct research, using an extensive selection of sources, to identify, and assess risks of ethical blindness in higher education. In the third, and final part of this honors seminar, in a team structure, students will apply what they have learned in parts one and two of this seminar, and design interventions to reduce such risks in higher education, employing a well-structured process by which to arrive at comprehensive decisions.
About Professor Barclay-Platenburg
Le Anne Barclay-Platenburg is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Library and Information Science. In addition, she is an Assistant Editor for Open Information Science Journal. Barclay-Platenburg obtained her doctoral degree from Walden University, her Master’s degree from NYU, and her undergraduate degrees from Long Island University. She also holds a CRISC (Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control) certification from ISACA. Her research interests include Information Systems and Social Impact, IT Risk Management, IT Governance, IT Compliance, Smart Cities Technologies, Data Analytics, and Ethics Risk Management.