Professional Responsibility

(Markets, Ethics & Law)

Course Description:

The purpose of this particular section of Professional Responsibility is to combine some of the basic principles taught in the regular PR course with a broad understanding of the causes and consequences of market failure and the history, structure, and responsibilities associated with the governance of corporations in our modern society.

The course will rely on a new book by Prof. Smith and Prof Ingo Walter called Governing the Modern Corporation (Oxford Univ. Press, late 2005) which will be available in the bookstore. This book examines the role of corporations, investors, intermediaries and regulators in the events that preceded and followed the build-up and bursting of the financial bubble in 2000-2004.

There is also a series of reading from the MEL textbook, Professional Responsibility, which will be posted on Blackboard at no cost to the students.

The syllabus indicates the nature of the material to be covered, and students should familiarize themselves with it before deciding to sign up for this course. Other sections of Professional Responsibility that do not involve the Smith and Walter book are available for those students preferring the traditional approach to the course.