Mercer University - Stetson School of Business and Economics
Spring, 2002
Bachelor of Business Administration
MGT 422: Business and Society
Professor: Harold B. Jones, Jr.
Office Phone: (478) 301-5440
Office Hours: 3:00-5:00, MWF

Course Description:

Class Objectives:
A student who has completed this course should be able to:
1. Describe the relationship between personal freedom and economic progress;
2. Describe the limitations and effects of government regulation;
3. Demonstrate his or her expertise with regard to the specific details of a current regulatory issue.

Prerequisites: Economics 150; Economics 151; Management 363

Textbooks and Other Materials:
Milton and Rose Friedman, Free to Choose
Philip Howard, The Death of Common Sense
Virginia Postrel, The Future and Its Enemies
The Wall Street Journal

Class Assignments and Evaluation

From the pages of The Wall Street Journal you should identify a current example of governmentÿs involvement in the economy. Write a 10 to 15 page paper discussing the background of this issue and its evolution during the course of this semester.

A clipping from The Wall Street Journal will provide evidence that the topic you have chosen is a current issue. The Journal may also be useful in tracing its history and evolution, but do not limit your research to this one source. Read books, look it up on the net, become an expert, and hand in a carefully researched paper.

Be sure to cite all your sources in the paper and to provide a list of references at the end.

Attendance Policy

There isn't one. If you believe you can do well in this course without coming to class and taking notes, feel free to attend at your convenience. I will read the class roll every day to learn names but not to check on individual attendance. In cases where grades lie on the border, a record of regular attendance will be in your favor; otherwise, the grade assigned for attendance and participation will be the average of your exam grades.

Grading Structure

A	92-100%
B+	88-91%
B	84-87%
B-	80-83%
C+	76-79%
C	72-75%
C	69-71%
D	60-68%
F	Any grade below 60%

Yes, you can get an F in this course.

Grades will be assigned on the basis of

Attendance/Participation	10%
First Exam	30%
Second Exam	30%
Paper	30%

Instructional Design:
Lectures, Videos, Class Discussion

Exams

Each exam will consist of five identification items, each of which will count for 10%, and two essays, each of which will count for 25%. Three of the identification items will come directly from the reading. The other two identification items and both essays will come from the class notes.

Please hand in two large bluebooks with your name on them on January 14. I ask you to put your name on them only for the sake of record keeping. The blue book you receive at exam time will not be the one you handed in. You will cross out the name on the book and replace it with your Social Security number. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PUT YOUR NAME ON A TEST OR A PAPER. I do not want to know whose test or paper I am grading; I want to grade your work, not you.

Course Reading and Learning Schedule

Dates	Assignment	Topic
1/7	None	Introduction
1/9-1/11	F&F, pp. 9-37	Markets and Freedom
1/14-1/18	F&F, pp. 38-69	Controls and Tyranny
1/21-1/23	F&F, pp. 70-90	The Rise of Interventionism
1/25-2/1	F&F, pp. 91-149	Destroying Initiative
2/4-2/8	F&F, pp. 189-227	The Best Way to Protect Consumers
2/11-2/118	Howard, pp. 3-53	The Dangerous Thing About Rules
2/20-2/27	Howard, pp. 57-110	The Limitations of Bureacracy
March 1	First Examination
3/4-3/8	Spring Break
3/11-3/15	Review Examination	Movie: Harrison Bergeron
3/18-3/22	Howard, pp. 111-168	The Nature of Special Interests
3/25-3/27	Postrel, pp. 1-26	Resistance to Change
4/1-4/5	Postrel, pp. 27-53; 171-189	Experimentation and Progress
4/8-4/12	Postrel, pp. 83-109	Local Knowledge
4/15-4/18	Postrel, pp. 111-146	Free to Choose
4/22-4/26	Postrel, pp. 146-169	The Natural Environment
May 1	Second Examination
May 3	Final date for handing in papers.