Duquesne University Ethics Initiatives

Overview

Duquesne University has a strong commitment to business ethics.  Under the leadership of Jim Weber, as Director of the Beard Center for Leadership in Ethics, there is a strong ethics initiative throughout the graduate and undergraduate program.  Each graduate or undergraduate business major is required to take a business ethics course.  At the graduate level there is a concentration in Business Ethics, as well as a Masters of Science in Leadership and Business Ethics.  All business students are introduced to a comprehensive Code of Ethical Behavior (link here, material below).  In addition, the Beard Center for Leadership in Ethics supports Executive Education Ethics Workshops, Distinguished Ethics Speaker series, and numerous forums, ethics databases, web resources, and luncheons.

Student Code of Ethical Behavior 

Mission:

The mission of the Beard Center for Leadership in Ethics is to promote moral integrity and behavior through ethics education and training to those who encounter, or are preparing to encounter, moral challenges in the business world.

Goals:

Duquesne University’s Schools of Business Administration require coursework in Ethics for both undergraduate business students and graduate, or MBA, business students. These courses take an applied approach, with an ethical decision-making framework for students to use as they consider common business issues. The goal is to enable students to:

(1) recognize ethical issues embedded in common business activities;
(2) analyze ethical dilemmas using both consequential and principled reasoning; and
(3) reach an ethically defensible resolution that fits within the organizational context  where the dilemma is found.

Program Elements:

MGMT 368 - Business Ethics/Communications is required for graduation for all undergraduate business administration students. GRBUS 508 - Applied Ethics continues to be offered providing the foundation for a concentration in Business Ethics, the second graduate business school to offer a major in business ethics major in the country. With this concentration, MBA students can major in Business Ethics, as they can in Finance, Marketing or Leadership and Change Management. Duquesne offers courses in Business Ethics, Information Ethics, Organizational Ethics and Government Interventions, and Global Ethics, as well as enables graduate students to cross-enroll in courses offered by non-business school departments, such as Health Care Ethics, Communication Ethics and Environmental Ethics.

Duquesne University's School of Leadership and Professional Advancement is a recognized leader in providing educational opportunities for adults and their organizations and is the recent recipient of the “Outstanding Leadership Program” by the Association for Leadership Educators. The knowledge and skills attained in the Master of Science in Leadership and Business Ethics program will enable individuals to become productive and ethical leaders. This program teaches important perspectives and skills that can be readily applied both professionally and personally. At the completion of the degree, students will have developed a vision of leadership, a sensitivity to ethical challenges that arise in the workplace, and the skills and knowledge to translate the leadership vision and ethical commitment into reality.

Contact Information:

Jim Weber, Ph.D.
Professor of Business Ethics and Management
Director, Beard Center for Leadership in Ethics
Ph. (412) 396-5475
www.business.duq.edu/Beard