The BA and the Honours BA programs in Business and Society (BUSO) provide the opportunity to study the impact of business on society and society on business. Students who enroll in Business and Society will undertake this study through a multi-disciplinary approach, using texts from philosophy, economics, geography, sociology and political science.  The program itself is structured around four core courses:

                      Microeconomics

                      Macroeconomics

                      Introduction to Business and Society, and

                      Foundations of Business and Society)

and ten specialized streams of study:

                      The Firm - a) Micro Analysis  or  b) Organizational Analysis

                      The Macroeconomy - a) Macro Analysis or  b) Public Policy Analysis

                      The Global Economy

                      The Social Economy

                      Labour, Professions Occupations and Social Change

                      Law and Governance

                      Media and Communication

                      The Environment

                      Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibility

Students in either the BA or Honours stream choose two of these streams in which they will take the bulk of their courses.

Within the BUSO core courses, capitalist business practices are critically examined, and a variety of responses and alternatives to these impacts are engaged.  The program core achieves this through four general areas of analysis.

1)   Modern economic history: students learn about the origins and development of capitalism and the rise to dominance of the corporation (from 1600 to the present).

2)   Ethics and normative philosophy: students are introduced to the main schools of thought in contemporary ethics and learn to assess the social impact of business practices according to the criteria of equity and social justice.

3)   Social scientific analysis: students learn to analyze from a variety of perspectives the nature of business and economic processes and their impact on society.

4)   Globalization: students are given a thorough overview of the ingredients of contemporary

political-economic developments in the world, e.g. trade, development, labour, global governance, and resistance and alternatives to globalization.

What Business & Society is not

Unlike a traditional business school, the Business and Society undergraduate program is not meant to equip its students with the technical skills to run a conventional business or work in a large commercial corporation. While there are certificates available in Business Fundamentals, Non-Profit Management and Human Resource Management, this program is not a substitute for a traditional business degree.  Rather, Business and Society is a critical, interdisciplinary program in the Social Sciences meant to equip students with broad skill set useful in a range of future careers.