Leeds Metropolitan University

Globalisation and ethics in the workplace

Project Leader: Rev Gwen Collins, Chaplain, with support of a module development team

Introduction to the module

The module aims to help students understand the complexities of globalisation and to relate such understanding to the ethical questions that they will confront in future employment. Students who successfully complete this module should be able to:

  • critically analyse selected global issues facing humanity in the 21st century
  • identify, in broad terms, the global footprint of and the ethical/value systems implicit in their working environment
  • apply ethical frameworks in a global setting
  • evidence reflective practice on their own ethical/value system
  • synthesise issues and individual practice for the future.

Students consider how their personal and professional aspirations articulate with their concerns about the world. Critical discussion, web searching, a simulation game, staff and student presentations and the development of a global-footprint questionnaire help students explore the global context in which organisations operate. WebCT, which is used as an e-resource bank, has been developed alongside the module to support the development of critical practice. Such concepts as sustainable development, peace and security, poverty, human rights and cultural diversity, health and disease, power and powerlessness, and resource sharing are researched and discussed. Students are challenged to reflect upon how personal, corporate and professional value systems develop, and to contemplate whether it is possible to exercise responsible global citizenship in the workplace.

Assessment requires that the students apply their own experience to module content; 50% of marks are allocated to the development of a portfolio containing set exercises, source materials and reflective commentary, while the remaining 50% is allocated to a poster presentation of a topic of choice.

Key issues

  • Optional modules may have difficulties with recruitment, particularly when competing with well-established alternatives which are more obviously career related. This raises questions about the most effective place for global perspectives within the curriculum.
  • In any faculty there are likely to be individual staff members with deep concerns about global issues. Cross-departmental links can help to build on this commitment, reduce feelings of isolation, strengthen global dimension teaching and begin to influence university policy.
  • University chaplaincies are in a strong position to initiate debate about ethical issues and global justice and to encourage cross-university collaboration. But as they have no power within university structures, it is crucial that their initiatives are legitimised, owned and developed by the institution.
  • For global perspectives initiatives to have impact across a university requires a receptive climate. Coinciding with appropriate times in the Operational Plan and gaining support from influential bodies within the organisation, such as the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Committee, will greatly enhance effectiveness.

More examples of practice:

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