Acting Responsibly: Ethical Decision-Making in Business is a comprehensive, interactive open educational resource designed to help learners develop ethical awareness, apply ethical decision-making, and make responsible decisions in complex business environments.
The resource is structured in two main sections. The first introduces five core ethical theories: utilitarianism, ethics of caring, justice, virtue ethics, and universal rules, each offering a different lens for evaluating right and wrong. The second section presents a clear, four-stage ethical decision-making process that guides learners from identifying a business decision to reflecting on outcomes and long-term impacts.
Throughout, learners are encouraged to think critically, consider multiple stakeholder perspectives, and recognize ethical tensions between competing values. Real-world scenarios, H5P activities, and glossary terms create an engaging and practical learning experience. Developed by faculty for use in undergraduate business courses, this OER supports values-driven leadership, responsible management education, and the broader goal of ethical business practice in today’s interconnected world.
Note: In preparing this course book, AI tools like ChatGPT were utilized to generate some of the content and assist with sourcing interactive questions using H5P. These tools supported the creation of foundational explanations, key concepts, and interactive learning activities, enriching the learning experience. While the content was AI-assisted, all material has been carefully reviewed and edited by the authors to ensure accuracy, relevance, and pedagogical value.
