Business Ethics Foundations

Overview

Today’s lesson introduces students to business ethics and helps them explain how ethical choices affect customers, workers, and a business’s reputation. Students apply simple ethical decision-making steps to a realistic Year 9 workplace scenario.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify what “business ethics” means and why ethical behaviour matters.
• WALT describe how ethical responsibilities apply to key business stakeholders (customers, workers, owners, community).
• WALT use an ethical decision-making process to judge a scenario and suggest an improved action.

Success criteria

• I can define business ethics in my own words.
• I can name at least 3 stakeholders affected by business decisions and explain how.
• I can apply a 4-step ethical decision process to make a recommendation.
• I can justify my recommendation using “fairness, honesty, respect, responsibility” ideas.

Curriculum links

• Business and ethical responsibilities in business contexts (Year 9 focus: understanding impacts on people and communities).
• Students examine real or hypothetical business decisions and evaluate consequences for stakeholders.
• Students communicate reasoning clearly using simple evidence from a scenario.
• This supports transferable competencies: critical thinking, ethical understanding, and communication.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Starter: Think & Sort

• Teacher shows 4 short statements (e.g., “hiding extra costs”, “safety checks ignored”, “honest advertising”, “fair pay for new staff”).
• Student sorts them into “ethical”, “unethical”, or “not sure” and gives a one-sentence reason for each.

2. 5–12 min · Direct teach: What counts as ethical?

• Teacher explains business ethics as the moral standards that guide how a business behaves, even when something is “legal but unfair” (simple examples only).
• Student completes a mini-notes sheet: definition + 4 key ideas (fairness, honesty, respect, responsibility).

3. 12–20 min · Stakeholder spotlight

• Teacher introduces a stakeholder lens: who is affected by the business decision and how they may benefit or be harmed.
• Student draws a simple stakeholder map for one scenario context (e.g., a café, retail shop, online reseller) and labels: customers, workers, business owners, local community.
• Student writes one impact per stakeholder (positive or negative).

4. 20–30 min · Ethical decision steps

• Teacher models a clear 4-step process on the board and reads it aloud slowly:

1. Identify the ethical issue
2. Consider stakeholders and impacts
3. Choose what is most fair/honest/respectful/responsible
4. Recommend and explain actions (including how to prevent the problem)

• Student repeats the steps using one guided example, answering brief prompts orally or in writing.

5. 30–40 min · Main task: Scenario judgement

• Teacher gives one Year 9-appropriate scenario card (single page, readable): “A clothing shop knows a supplier sometimes uses unsafe working conditions. The shop owners have two options: stop selling the brand (and lose profit) or keep selling because prices are low. They are worried customers will not choose the higher price line.”
• Student completes an “Ethics Decision Sheet”: identify the issue, list stakeholders and impacts, choose the best option, and write a justification with at least two ethical ideas (fairness/honesty/respect/responsibility).

6. 40–45 min · Exit ticket: Quick check

• Teacher asks 3 rapid questions while the student writes short answers:
• What is business ethics?
• Name two stakeholders and one impact.
• What step did you use to make your final recommendation?

Resources

• Scenario card (print or digital) with large font and short sentences
• Ethical Decision Sheet template (4 steps + justification lines)
• Mini-notes sheet (definition + 4 key ideas)
• Whiteboard markers / paper
• Timer (visual)
• Dyslexia-friendly reading supports: coloured overlays or dyslexia-friendly font option, and audio recording of scenario if available

Assessment

• Formative check during the starter sorting: student’s reasoning indicates understanding of ethical/unethical cues.
• Teacher listens to stakeholder explanations and checks for correct stakeholder identification and impacts.
• Exit ticket: verifies definition, stakeholder awareness, and use of the decision steps.

Differentiation

• Support for dyslexia-friendly needs:
• Provide scenario text in audio (teacher read-aloud) and/or with a text-to-speech tool.
• Use a dyslexia-friendly font or coloured paper/overlay for the scenario and worksheets.
• Offer sentence starters for justification: “I recommend… because…”, “This affects… by…”.
• Support for emerging understanding:
• Offer a partially completed stakeholder map (e.g., customers and workers already labelled).
• Use a checklist version of the Ethical Decision Sheet.
• Challenge for advanced learners (when ready within time):
• Add a “trade-offs” section: what the business gains/loses with each option, and which ethical principle outweighs others.
• Ask for one realistic action to “prevent recurrence” (e.g., supplier auditing plan, ethics statement, customer transparency approach).
• One-student pacing:
• Keep tasks short and switch modes (read, talk, write) every 5–8 minutes to maintain focus.