Accounting Model

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Lesson Plan Industry Sector
Finance & Business

Lesson Plan Originally Created By: Susan Morris

Business Ethics

Part of Unit: Accounting Cycle for a Service Business/Sole Proprietorship

Lesson Plan Overview / Details

Students will understand the importance of business ethics and how they affect all aspects of the business industry - accounting, marketing, administration, small business ownership, etc...

Lesson Time

55 - 60 minute
2 Class Periods

Teacher Preparation

These are the things you will need to consider gathering and organizing in advance of teaching this lesson:

Before class begins, place several empty wallets around the room in places where students may have “dropped” them.

As the teacher, make note of where you placed them. See how many students find the wallets and give them to you; how many check the contents of the wallet and see your note to give it to you and then they give you the wallet.  (This will be addressed later in class)

This lesson very easily takes up 2 standard class periods. Determine the amount of time that you want to devote and adjust accordingly.

Objectives and Goals

  • Students will be able to distinguish between personal and business ethics.
  • Students will be able to use critical thinking skills to make ethical decisions.

Activities in this Lesson

  • Movie Trailer - Hooks / Set

    After the tardy bell rings, show movie trailer for Liar, Liar to introduce topic.

  • Sponge Activity - Hooks / Set

    After the movie trailer introduces the topic, have students get their writing journals and see the question of the day on the board. They will have approximately 5 minutes to write their response:

    In your opinion, what is the difference, if any between morals and ethics? Explain with examples of each.

    Note: Teachers who are in a computer lab may wish to have the students type the journal entry in MLA style and print the results and place the entry in the writing journal.

  • Lecture - Lecture

    Lecturing activity takes about 10 – 15 minutes.

    • Open Power Point on Business Ethics
    • Many companies and industries have moral/ethics clauses in hiring contracts
      • Research potential employees on the Internet
      • Facebook, Twitter, MySpace - look at profiles, pictures, and activities
    • Explain how businesses make decisions (bottom-line) good and bad
      • Enron scandal
      • Maddox scandal – stocks and securities
      • More scandals than good decisions make the news
    •  For personal ethics you can ask yourself questions based on a 9-point checklist.
      • Is there an ethical problem?
      • Who is affected?
      • What are the facts?
      • Is it simply right vs. wrong?
      • Is this an ethical dilemma: Right vs. wrong?
      • What resolution principles might be applied?
      • What are your options?  Is there a third way?
      • What is the best decision?
      • Revisit and/or reflect on that decision
    • The class will then be asked questions from the handout  - Business Ethics
    • The handout helps make the distinction between personal and business ethics - making right decisions.
    • Business Ethics [ Download ] Handout Questions to be answered in groups/ class discussion
    • Business Ethics.ppt [ Download ] Lecture Power Point
  • Modeling - Demo / Modeling

    Demo/modeling will take about 15 minutes. (this is the section where you will discuss the "wallets" - point out how many students immediately brought you the wallet and how many "looked" first and then found the note to bring you the wallet - don't name names - students will be extrememly embarrassed if you point out their lack of morality)

    • Write T – charts on the board  (example on last slide of Power Point) labeled Personal and Business. The T-Charts will emphasize the left side as “good” decisions and the right side as “bad” or inapropriate decisions.
    • Students will approach the board and fill in the charts based on asked questions (good and bad choice) (teacher can ask more questions if they want, a basic 5 are provided):

    What do you do when?

    1. Your mom wants you to wash the dishes and you want to play your new video game

    2. Your little brother wants to share your ice cream but you don’t want to

    3. You found a wallet (discuss the first set results – how many people gave you the wallet, how many checked it first, etc.)

    4. Your boss wants you to give him a trial balance report by the end of the day; you want to leave early and can’t get the trial balance to balance.

    5. Your supervisor asked you out on a date and you think they are really “hot”.

  • Do you get it? - Check Understanding

    Short group activity that will take approximately 15 – 20 minutes.

    In checking for understanding, have students break up into groups of 3-4. Have them discuss and then write up a response to the following questions (and hand-out, Business Ethics), in which one individual in the group will share with the class (each person has a part – contributor, recorder,time-keeper, speaker):

    (Note: Teachers in a computer lab may wish to have the assignment typed with all students' names instead of hand-written.)

    1.What makes the decisions on the T-Charts “right” or “wrong”?  - Make a list.

    2.How do you determine if the decision you are making is right or wrong?  - What guides you to make decisions?

    3.Was there an individual in the group who did not participate? How did it make the group feel about the lack of participation from the individual.? What do you do about it?

    As students finish, have them practice what they are going to say to the class and have the group critique.

    Have each individual speaker for each group present their findings to the class.  Initiate a class/round robin discussion where everyone says something about the topic.

  • Let's Play - Group Work

    Give the students 5 - 10 minutes to complete the first scenario in their small groups. The first scenario asks students to make a managerial decision. Monitor the groups’ progress – ensure each group has a recorder, contributor, and speaker. Make sure they are writing down their interpretations and responses.

    For the second scenario, increase the group sizes to encourage role playing. Have the students look at the different points of view. Note: This scenario has a tendency to run longer due to the emotional nature of the scenario. It can run 20 - 30 minutes (or you can insist on a shorter time frame with one person being the time-keeper).

    The third scenario can be accomplished in class if time permits or can be assigned as homework. NOTE: If working in class, this scenario should be moved to be the second one - BEFORE - you enlargen the groups for the lifeboat scenario. Again, have students record their interpretations and decisions regarding the situation they have been presented with.

  • After Action Review - Closure

    Teacher and students will spend 15-20 minutes discussing their thoughts and emotions on making decisions and how they are related to business and their personal lives.

Assessment

Assessment Types:
Writing Samples, Observations,

1. Students will turn in the interpretations and decisions of the: "Do you get it" activity.

2. Students will write a 5 - paragraph essay: describing their role in the lifeboat scenario, how the group worked or did not work together, the decision of the captain, the reaction of the group to the decision (if you were  the captain, would you have made the same choice), and overall thoughts on the process.