Just how fine is the line between legal obligations and ethical principles?
Sometimes it’s a razor edge. An organisation may find itself in a situation where a business activity is legal, but not necessarily considered ethical or acceptable by society more broadly. This raises a big question: just because an organisation can, does that mean it should?
The key point is that legal obligations do not set the ultimate outcome – sometimes an organisation seeking to claim social legitimacy will be expected to do more than just meet the legal baseline. In this course we question if complying with the legal baseline is enough.
Throughout these episodes, you’ll consider the organisation you work for in relation to two distinct themes. First, the legal duties, rules and obligations a director must follow. Secondly, how the organisation relates to and impacts society and the environment, and whether a ‘social licence to operate’ is necessary.
Viewing an organisation through these two lenses provides you with quite different views of the way it operates. This course complements the Integrity course where we discuss your duties and responsibilities as an individual.
All this information and more is in the following short, informative Society episodes.