Business Research Academy: Creating Business Success through Business Ethics and Sustainability

Faculty Advisor: Adjunct Instructor, Loyola Marymount University

Research Program Introduction

This introductory research program is designed to cultivate students’ interest in the business world. Students will study successful businesses, understand the meaning of ethics and corporate social responsibility as a means of doing well in business, compare and contrast ethical business practices in China with ethical business practices in the US, and search for common ground necessary for business success.

Students will learn the research and best practices that indicate the correlation between ethical business practices, corporate social responsibility, and business success. Students will recognize that while ethical business practices and "fairness" are key indicators throughout the world, the meaning of "what is ethical" and "what is responsible and fair" differs across different countries. You will learn about topics such as:

• What is the concept of "fairness," and how does it relate to ethical business practices?

• What are some of the business practices that might be considered unfair?

• Is the concept of business ethics and sustainability different in the U.S. than it is in China? 

The “Fast Fashion” industry is used as a model in this program to help students learn the goals and objectives of a for-profit corporation, understand the concept of a "triple bottom line," the relevance of corporate culture, and the application of fundamental ethical principles to business in the US vs. China. 

“Fast Fashion” is a term used to describe a highly profitable and exploitative business model based on replicating catwalk trends and high-fashion designs, mass-producing them at low cost. It is an industry growing rapidly in the U.S. and China, yet it has many implications for unethical and unsustainable business practices. As a future business student and consumer of fashion, we could think about:

• What is "Fast Fashion"? 

• What are the key similarities and differences between this industry in the U.S. and China?

• What can businesses in both countries do by working together to improve the sustainability and ethical outcomes for this industry?

Students will select a brand considered part of the "Fast Fashion" industry.  Students need to research what is considered unethical about the corporation manufacturing this particular brand and what some recommendations are for this brand to become more ethical and sustainable.

At the end of the program, students will complete a short research proposal on their topic of choice and also give a 3 to 5-minute presentation about their project during the final session of the program.

Program Details

• Cohort size: This cohort is limited to 5 to 10 students

• Workload: Average 3 hours per week (including class and homework time)

• Target students: 7 to 9th graders interested in Business and Social Science subjects. Students must be fluent in English and demonstrate self-management skills. This project is best for students with genuine curiosity in the subject, diligence, and initiative.

• Schedule: TBD. (Meetings will take place for around one hour per week, with a weekly meeting day and time to be determined a few weeks prior to the class start date.)