Ethics in Action is an event that was created in 2013 through a partnership with the Rowe School of Business and Scotiabank in order to shine a light on the importance of bridging the gap between social responsibility, ethics and business success. Its goal is to provide business leaders with the necessary tools to tackle complex decisions while maintaining a commitment to ethical principles.

The event (which was held November 14-15, 2014 at Dalhousie) has four components: a case competition for both undergraduate and graduate business students, an essay/video contest on creative leadership, the presentation of the Scotiabank Ethical Leader Award, and the conference itself. Behind this event is the Leadership Team, consisting of the following Corporate Residency Master of Business Administration (CRMBA) students (pictured above):

• Top Left: Samantha Burnet (Director of Events and Logistics)
• Top Centre: Samantha Huelin (Director of Sponsorship and Awards)
• Top Right: Josh Mitton (Director of Case Competition)
• Bottom left: Christina Meagher (Director of Communication)
• Bottom Centre: Kathleen Leadbeater (Chair of the Leadership Team)
• Bottom Right: Jessica Sinclair (Director of Conference)

This year’s Ethics in Action event was a great success, even with the unique challenges the Leadership Team faced while organizing the event. Second-year CRMBA student, Jessica Sinclair, explains:

“We started preparation for Ethics in Action back in February while we were all on our corporate residencies. This posed a series of challenges as we were spread across the country; therefore, our communication strategies had to grapple with time zone challenges and very different schedules. To overcome this, we utilized multiple forms of communication such as email, Facebook, Skype and Google hangout and planned a very successful event!”

Students can get involved with Ethics in Action by both participating in the competition and becoming a volunteer for the event. Jessica spoke on behalf of the Leadership Team about how participating or volunteering in the event will not only help students develop their leadership skills, but also provides a unique experience to add to their portfolio:

“The reasons to get involved are based upon the increasing emphasis of ethical behaviour in the work place and a commitment to values-led leadership. It is important to develop the skills and awareness of ethical practices early on in your career. It is also important to note that Ethics in Action is one of a kind across the country which makes it a phenomenal opportunity.

Please reach out to anyone on this year’s Leadership Team to learn more about the event, the different roles and opportunities to network with prominent business leaders across a variety of industries.”

Applications for next year’s Leadership Team (restricted to CRMBA students) will be available this week!

For more information, visit the Ethics in Action website as well as their Facebook page.