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MBA SCHOOLS/TEACHING ETHICS

Lessons from the slippery slope

THERESA EBDEN

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 8:52 PM EDT 26/03/08

Business students learn about right, wrong and the grey areas by getting a first-hand look at the consequences ...Read the full article

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  1. Sayless Thinkmore from Toronto, Canada writes: Funny:

    I graduated from Ivey recently. The guy who won the gold medal that year admitted to insider trading in front of his entire class, then bragged about it afterwards. And he did it in front of two or three professors. They didn't have much to say. I don't know how his class reacted, but our section heard about it and couldn't believe it.

    The guy who won it the year before scooped a bunch of case reviews and pasted them directly into his exams. One prof had a crush on a classmate; she couldn't string two intelligent words together, but she had pretty eyes and an attractive physique. She did well. Most of the dean's honours students I knew used cheat notes from their friends in the second year, spreadsheets, etc. They didn't talk much in class but still got high marks. There were one or two I remember pretty well. They wrote quotations from their CFA manuals--tips and things--into their exams or comments they made in class. Just to sound smart. I guess it worked.

    After graduating, I went to a function with some friends from Schulich and Rotman. They had similar stories. Taking students to prison, inviting guest speakers like Leeson, etc. has some sex appeal to the popular media, but if this issue is going to be handled maturely, there should be national exams in issues like ethics. Actually, there should be national business school exams that include sections on finance, operations, marketing, strategy, and ethics. That would give a better indicator of ranking, instead of asking recruiters (or journalists) to rank b-schools.
  2. No Left or Right Just Neutral from Canada writes: No need to worry about minimum security prisons. What ever the scam is just buy a palace in Florida and invest there. The bigger the loot the better. G&M won't let anybody comment even after you are convicted.
  3. J Kooman from Canada writes:
    Richard Ivey School of Business professor Gerard Seijts is leaving me with an impression that he has ethnical crisis of his own to deal with before his students.

    Has he given sufficient consideration that by paying a huge fee (of about $12000/30-minute speech) to a previous criminal Nick Leeson, he is rewarding malpractice and crime?

    The message Mr Seijts brings to his student is quite clear. Don't get caught. If caught, make sure you make a big mess. Join me in my lecutre after serving your jail time.

    The worst part is crime pays before and after jail time.

    ...
  4. Duane Freemantle from writes: "There should be national exams in issues like ethics." How true that is. It is quite interesting that an person who previously showed at lack ethics to have gotten paid $12,000 for giving a lecture. What is interesting is the amount of payment, and not that he is giving a lecture. However, it can be agreed that he must be a very smart and articulate person.
  5. yousaf meier from ottawa, Canada writes: What a bunch of nonsense. When I was in primary school, we had a reform speaker/criminal come give the “I’ve done it, but don’t do what I did” talk. His name was Roger Caron, author of “Go Boy”. The book itself is a pretty good read. Mr. Caron was a relatively famous Canadian criminal in the 70s who escaped prison several times. He was arrested again on some crime about 10 years after he gave the talk at my school….would this surprise anyone? This clown of a prof at the MBA school is not doing his students any favours by having a criminal and fraudster come give a similar talk to his students. Sounds like this prof is looking only for attention. You want to invite mentors who will be and are good examples of integrity and honesty – this applies to the education of students in any profession. The idea that someone would be steered clear of nefarious acts, by hearing first hand accounts of a lowlife fraud and criminal who happened to get caught, is nonsense, and shows a basic lack of understanding of human behaviour. There will always be dishonest people who will do dishonest things even in the face jail time as a punishment - their psychology isn’t going to be altered by hearing one of these bogus talks. On the other hand, reward students who have good intentions from the start, by giving them a chance to hear from upstanding, successful members of their profession.
  6. Joe Liberali from Canada writes: It always makes me smile when people show delusions of grandeur. Getting an MBA doesn't put you any closer to prison than not having one, once you're out there you're just like every other manager on the street. Really. Enjoy.

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