Ethics in Action

Year 12 Business Studies (NSW Curriculum)

Duration: 50 minutes
Class size: 25 students

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Learning Objectives

Aligned with the NSW Business Studies Stage 6 Syllabus (Business Environment and Business Management) and 21st Century Skills framework:

• Critically analyse ethical issues in business contexts and their impacts on stakeholders (A4; Business Environment).
• Evaluate different ethical perspectives and decision-making approaches within business operations (A3-A4; Business Management).
• Develop oral communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills through structured debate and role-play activities aligned to NSW English and Business Studies outcomes .
• Apply ethical frameworks to real-world business dilemmas, considering impacts on diverse stakeholders (HSIE Stage 6 Humanities and Social Sciences emphasis on evaluation and ethical considerations).

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Lesson Overview

Students will engage in an immersive, creative exercise where, working in groups, they design a business ethical dilemma based on authentic, recent case studies. They will then participate in an improvised courtroom-style debate, each representing differing ethical perspectives and stakeholder interests. This deepens conceptual understanding of business ethics while cultivating critical reasoning and persuasive communication.

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NSW Curriculum Links

• Business Studies Stage 6 Syllabus dot points:
  • Analyse ethical issues and dilemmas that businesses face and their impact on stakeholders (ACARA, NSW Business Studies Outcomes).
  • Examine the role of ethical decision making in business environments (Business Environment topic).
• Cross-curriculum priorities:
  • Employ literacy skills through presenting arguments and listening critically (English curriculum alignment for Year 12) .
  • Develop interpersonal and communication skills through role-play and debate activities.

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Materials Required

• Printed or digital summaries of authentic business ethical dilemmas (e.g., environmental impact, employee rights, consumer protection, corporate social responsibility cases).
• Role-play cards (Judge, Plaintiff, Defendant, Witnesses representing different stakeholders).
• Whiteboard/flipchart and markers.
• Timer or stopwatch.

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Lesson Plan Breakdown

Time	Activity	Details
0–5 min	Introduction & framing	Teacher outlines objectives, links to NSW Business Studies ethical decision making and stakeholder concepts. Brief explanation of ethical dilemma and courtroom debate format.
5–15 min	Group formation & scenario crafting	Students split into 5 groups of 5. Each group receives an authentic ethical case study summary and task to create a short business ethical dilemma scenario incorporating stakeholder impacts. Encourage complexity and nuance.
15–30 min	Courtroom debate preparation	Groups assign roles: Judge, Plaintiff (arguing ethical issues), Defendant (defending business), and Stakeholder Witnesses (representing impacted groups). Groups prepare arguments focusing on ethical perspectives (e.g., utilitarian, deontological, virtue ethics) and stakeholder impacts.
30–45 min	Impromptu courtroom debates	Each group performs a 5-minute improvised courtroom debate in front of the class. Judge moderates; others present their ethical arguments and stakeholder impacts. Audience encouraged to listen critically.
45–50 min	Reflection & debrief	Whole-class discussion: What ethical dilemmas were most challenging? How did different perspectives affect reasoning? Teacher links to NSW curriculum learning objectives and business ethics real-world significance.

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Differentiation & Extension

• Support: Provide scaffolding with ethical framework summaries and question prompts.
• Extension: Students write a reflective paragraph post-lesson analysing which ethical perspective they found most convincing and why, integrating NSW syllabus terms and concepts.

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Assessment

• Observation of engagement and use of business ethics terminology during scenarios and debate.
• Quality and breadth of ethical viewpoints and stakeholder considerations articulated.
• Reflective paragraph (optional) assessed on critical analysis and application of ethical theory to business dilemmas.

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Teacher Tips to Impress

• Use real-world business case studies from Australian contexts to ground ethical dilemmas in familiar terrain (e.g., mining, fashion industry, tech companies).
• Encourage use of NSW syllabus terms such as ‘stakeholders,’ ‘ethical perspectives,’ ‘corporate social responsibility,’ and ‘business environment’.
• Model the Judge role first with a mini-demonstration to show how to structure arguments and encourage respectful rebuttal.
• Use a quick “ethical dilemma brainstorm” whiteboard activity to activate prior knowledge before scenario crafting.
• Film or audio record debates (with consent) for students to self-assess communication and reasoning later.

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This lesson plan integrates NSW curriculum-aligned Business Studies learning objectives through an innovative, performative learning experience that develops ethics knowledge, critical thinking, and communication skills in an engaging, student-centred way. The courtroom debate scenario motivates creative exploration of business ethical dilemmas while fostering empathetic understanding of diverse stakeholder perspectives relevant to future business leaders.

If desired, I can generate supplementary materials such as ethical dilemma case summaries or debate role cards tailored to the curriculum and student abilities. Just ask!