DSST Business Ethics study guide
DSST Business Ethics · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The DSST Business Ethics and Society exam is a credit-by-examination option for learners who need to demonstrate college-level knowledge in business ethics without sitting a traditional course. The DSST program is recognized by many colleges and universities that award credit for passing scores, and this title is listed at the baccalaureate level for 3 semester hours. The DSST Business Ethics study guide has 9 sections and about 3,825 words.
01Moral Philosophies and Business Ethics
The exam treats moral philosophy as a working toolkit rather than a history lesson: you get a business decision and must say which normative theory supports it, what each theory demands, and where it breaks down. Expect definitional items on the major schools plus applied scenarios that reward following a theory through to a conclusion instead of reciting it.
554 words, about 3 min02Social Responsibilities of a Business
This domain tests the vocabulary of corporate social responsibility and, more importantly, the live debate over what a business owes beyond profit. Questions typically ask you to classify an activity inside a CSR framework, or to predict how a shareholder-primacy theorist and a stakeholder theorist would each evaluate the same decision.
417 words, about 2 min03Regulation of Business
This domain asks why governments regulate, which agencies and statutes do it, and how to reason about a merger, a pricing practice, or a safety rule. Expect questions that name a statute or agency and test whether you know its scope, plus scenarios that require applying antitrust or consumer-protection logic.
412 words, about 2 min04Employer-Employee Relations
This domain covers the legal and ethical boundaries of the employment relationship: hiring, monitoring, discipline, termination, pay, safety, and voice. Questions often present a workplace conflict and ask whether the employer's action is lawful, ethical, or both - the two answers frequently differ.
397 words, about 2 min05Ethics of Information
This domain covers privacy, data protection, ownership of information, security, and the conduct questions raised by big data and algorithms. Expect scenarios about data sales, monitoring, intellectual property, and insider information, and expect the exam to want the specific principle or statute named.
403 words, about 2 min06Ethics in International Business
This domain tests how firms handle norms that differ across countries: bribery, labor standards, human rights, environmental rules, and gift-giving. Questions usually present a manager facing a local practice and ask what the law requires and what ethics permits - the answers are not always the same.
433 words, about 2 min07Corporations and Stakeholders
This domain concerns who the corporation is for and how it is governed. Expect questions that contrast shareholder primacy with stakeholder theory, test the board's fiduciary duties and the business judgment rule, and ask you to rank stakeholders by salience in a specific case.
416 words, about 2 min08Ecology and Global Business
This domain applies ethics to environmental impact: externalities, commons problems, sustainability, and the policy instruments that price or prohibit harm. Questions tend to ask you to diagnose a pollution scenario, choose among regulatory tools, or name the treaty or principle involved.
390 words, about 2 min09Business and Government
This domain examines the interface between firms and the state: how government shapes markets, how business tries to shape government, and where advocacy crosses into corruption. Expect questions on lobbying, campaign finance, rent-seeking, regulatory capture, privatization, and procurement ethics.
403 words, about 2 min