AKTU Universal Human Values and Professional Ethics (BMBF401) Syllabus PDF – MBA (Banking & Financial Services) 4th Semester

Course Objectives

1. To help students distinguish between values and skills, and understand the need, basic guidelines, content and process of value education.
2. To help students initiate a process of dialog within themselves to know what they ‘really want to be’ in their life and profession.
3. To help students understand the meaning of happiness and prosperity for a human being.
4. To facilitate the students to understand harmony at all the levels of human living, and live accordingly.
5. To facilitate the students in applying the understanding of harmony in existence in their profession and lead an ethical life.

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Understand the significance of value inputs in a classroom, distinguish between values and skills, understand the need, basic guidelines, content and process of value education, explore the meaning of happiness and prosperity, and make a correct appraisal of the current scenario in society.
2. Distinguish between the Self and the Body, understand the meaning of harmony in the Self, and the co-existence of Self and Body.
3. Understand the value of harmonious relationships based on trust, respect and other naturally acceptable feelings in human-human relationships, and explore their role in ensuring a harmonious society.
4. Understand harmony in nature and existence, and work out their mutually fulfilling participation in nature.
5. Distinguish between ethical and unethical practices, and develop strategies to actualize a harmonious environment in their profession and workplace. Course Description Every human being has two sets of questions to answer for life: (a) What to do? and (b) How to do it? The first pertains to the value domain, while the second relates to the skill domain. Both are complementary; however, the value domain has a higher priority. Today, education has become increasingly skill-oriented, often overlooking the fundamental human aspiration to live with happiness and prosperity despite significant technological advancement. This course aims to provide value-based inputs that help students develop right understanding and right feelings in their personal and professional lives, enabling them to lead an ethical life. Students learn the process of self-exploration, understand the distinction between the Self and the Body, appreciate naturally acceptable feelings in relationships, comprehend the comprehensive human goal in society, recognize mutual fulfillment in nature, and understand co-existence in existence. As a natural outcome, students become capable of evaluating and practising ethical living and professional conduct.

Course Content

Unit I: Course Introduction – Need, Basic Guidelines, Content and Process for Value Education (8 Hours)

• Understanding the need, basic guidelines, content and process for Value Education.
• Self-Exploration—what it is, its content and process.
• "Natural Acceptance" and "Experiential Validation" as mechanisms for self-exploration.
• Continuous Happiness and Prosperity—A look at basic human aspirations.
• Right understanding, relationships and physical facilities as the basic requirements for fulfillment of human aspirations with their correct priority.
• Understanding happiness and prosperity correctly—A critical appraisal of the current scenario.
• Method to fulfill human aspirations through understanding and living in harmony at various levels.

UNIT II: Understanding Harmony in the Human Being – Harmony in Myself (8 Hours)

• Understanding the human being as a co-existence of the sentient "I" and the material "Body".
• Understanding the needs of the Self ("I") and the Body—Sukh and Suvidha.
• Understanding the Body as an instrument of the Self ("I" being the doer, seer and enjoyer).
• Understanding the characteristics and activities of the Self and harmony within the Self.
• Understanding harmony between the Self and the Body: Sanyam and Swasthya.
• Correct appraisal of physical needs.
• Meaning of prosperity.
• Programs to ensure Sanyam and Swasthya.

UNIT III: Understanding Harmony in the Family and Society – Harmony in Human-Human Relationship (8 Hours)

• Understanding harmony in the family as the basic unit of human interaction.
• Understanding values in human relationships.
• Meaning of Nyaya and programs for its fulfillment to ensure Ubhay-tripti.
• Trust (Vishwas) and Respect (Samman) as foundational values.
• Understanding the meaning of Vishwas.
• Difference between intention and competence.
• Understanding the meaning of Samman.
• Difference between respect and differentiation.
• Other salient values in relationships.
• Understanding harmony in society as an extension of the family.
• Samadhan, Samridhi, Abhay and Sah-astitva as comprehensive human goals.
• Visualizing an undivided society (Akhand Samaj) and universal order (Sarvabhaum Vyawastha) from family to world family.

UNIT IV: Understanding Harmony in Nature and Existence – Whole Existence as Co-existence (8 Hours)

• Understanding harmony in nature.
• Interconnectedness and mutual fulfillment among the four orders of nature.
• Recyclability and self-regulation in nature.
• Understanding existence as co-existence (Sah-astitva) of mutually interacting units in all-pervasive space.
• Holistic perception of harmony at all levels of existence.

UNIT V: Implications of Holistic Understanding of Harmony on Professional Ethics (8 Hours)

• Natural acceptance of human values.
• Definitiveness of ethical human conduct.
• Basis for humanistic education.
• Humanistic constitution and universal order.
• Competence in professional ethics: o Ability to utilize professional competence for augmenting universal human order. o Ability to identify the scope and characteristics of people-friendly and eco-friendly production systems, technologies and management models.
• Case studies of holistic technologies, management models and production systems.
• Strategy for transition from the present state to universal human order: o At the individual level—as socially and ecologically responsible engineers, technologists and managers. o At the societal level—as mutually enriching institutions and organizations.

Suggested Readings

1. R. R. Gaur, R. Sangal & G. P. Bagaria (2009). A Foundation Course in Human Values and Professional Ethics.
2. Ivan Illich (1974). Energy & Equity. The Trinity Press, Worcester; Harper Collins, USA.
3. E. F. Schumacher (1973). Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered. Blond & Briggs, Britain.
4. Susan George (1976). How the Other Half Dies. Penguin Press.
5. Donella H. Meadows, Dennis L. Meadows, Jorgen Randers & William W. Behrens III (1972). Limits to Growth. Universe Books.
6. A. Nagraj (1998). Jeevan Vidya Ek Parichay. Divya Path Sansthan, Amarkantak.
7. P. L. Dhar & R. R. Gaur (1990). Science and Humanism. Commonwealth Publishers.
8. A. N. Tripathy (2003). Human Values. New Age International Publishers.
9. Subhash Palekar (2000). How to Practice Natural Farming. Pracheen (Vaidik) Krishi Tantra Shodh, Amravati.
10. E. G. Seebauer & Robert L. Berry (2000). Fundamentals of Ethics for Scientists & Engineers. Oxford University Press.
11. M. Govindarajan, S. Natarajan & V. S. Senthil Kumar. Engineering Ethics (Including Human Values). Eastern Economy Edition, Prentice Hall of India Ltd.
12. B. P. Banerjee (2005). Foundations of Ethics and Management. Excel Books.
13. B. L. Bajpai (2004). Indian Ethos and Modern Management. New Royal Book Co., Lucknow.

Course Outcomes