Management Training in Business Ethics

Questions about the right course of action arise at various levels within the business environment: at the level of the regulatory framework, corporate strategy, the team and, above all, in leadership situations. Different values may conflict with one another, meaning that managers not only have to make decisions under considerable pressure and with incomplete information, but must also accept that no perfect solution is possible.

As part of the postgraduate programme ‘Human Resource Development in the Workplace’ at the Technical University of Braunschweig, the Foundation offers seminars for managers in which ethical and moral dilemmas and leadership situations are discussed and problem-solving methods are explored. During the first weekend, fundamental theoretical approaches to business ethics are outlined and the economic implications of the underlying concepts of responsibility are examined. Using topics such as corporate social responsibility, corruption, supply chain integrity, consumer sovereignty and corporate governance, the aim is above all to examine and discuss the interrelationships between the economic system and social processes.

The second part is devoted to HR-specific issues and explores the opportunities and challenges of a values-based leadership culture. In addition to analysing empirical data, participants will discuss sensitive HR issues in teams using case studies based on real-life situations and reach well-founded decisions. As part of this seminar, participants will use a scenario-based role-play to simulate the implications for their company should it join or leave the Global Compact.