On November 4 and 5th, the Dalhousie Faculty of Management hosted the 4th annual Scotiabank Ethics in Action conference.  This event consists of a video and essay contest, guest speakers, a case competition, and the presentation of the prestigious Ethical Leadership Award. It seeks to bring together young professionals and students from across the country to discuss and tackle some of the most important ethical issues facing business today.

Every year, five dedicated second-year Dal MBAs take on the enormous task of planning and running this national ethics case competition and conference. Having just completed the event, we took the time to have some of this year’s planning committee reflect on why being part of this initiative was such an integral part of their MBA degree:

Last year, I attended the event as a volunteer, and was inspired to apply for the leadership team. Working with the leadership committee this year has been a great way to apply things I learned in class and in residency. Not a lot of students have the opportunity to manage a project of this size and our team was truly able to showcase our abilities. – Shivani Seth, Director of Events & Logistics, MBA Class of 2017

Ethics in Action is important to my degree because it enabled me to learn about ethical issues in a relatively safe environment. Many news stories highlight situations where business leaders have found themselves in ethical situations they never anticipated. Having an ethics based case competition on campus enabled me to think about critical issues that I may face in the future. – Mary Crosbie, Director of Case Competition, MBA Class of 2017

It’s not just the organization of the conference where Dal MBA’s are involved however, it’s also the case competition itself. Jordan Yanover – member of Dalhousie’s MBA case team which took home first place – explained what being on the case team meant to him:

It gave me practical experience on how to handle ethical situations, which may arise while at work. This is something that all business leaders will have to do at some point and is important for any MBA student to learn. I was also in the unique opportunity to hear professionals speak about ethics, sustainability initiatives, and different approaches to problem solving. The best part about the weekend was meeting other students from all over Canada. We were able to speak about our experiences, our school and our classes, and learn from one another. We were brought together because of something we are all passionate about. – Jordan Yanover, MBA Class of 2017

With record breaking attendance and volunteer commitment at this year’s event, it’s clear that Dalhousie’s MBAs are dedicated to pursuing business in an ethical and sustainable manner. Already, the MBA Class of 2018 is excited to help organize and compete at next year’s event. Hope to see you there!