Business Ethics:

Facilitator: Dennis Cooley

Mission Statement:

BETT's mission is stated within the framework of the Northern Plains Ethics Institution's questions: What kink of world do we want to live in? and How do we get there?

• Finding ways to help people in the local community be more ethical.
• Focusing on local and global business ethics issues.
• Finding ways to take ideas and put them into action.
• Rebuilding the trust in business and business leaders.
• Be willing to accept being wrong about moral issues.

History: Founded on 27 January 2003

Goals:

Short term goals

• Work on a practical way to teach business ethics.

1. Replace abstract ethical theory with practical theory.
2. Eliminate the lack of awareness of ethical issues.
3. Develop and use case studies of actual experiences. Be sure to include the actual consequences to the decisions that were made. These could be solicited from local business and students.
4. Have concrete answers to situations/case studies. Don't let it appear that any answer is correct or leave it an open question. [The Group Decision Center and PRS system are useful in discussing the issues without fear of being singled out.]
5. Develop systematic approach to handling ethical dilemmas.
6. Have employers sit down with students. Students will understand the importance and impact of ethics on business and employers will see what sort of support framework they need for graduates.
7. Make a clear distinction between legal and ethical issues. Emphasize the latter's importance over the former.
8. Create a dialogue on basic human relationships that will help to develop the internal self and relationships with others.
9. Address issues that are important in real life, such as relationships to customers, other employees, etc.

• Hold Workshops/Conferences

1. Re-establish trust in the business community.
2. Develop a dialogue for employers and employees to develop a resource from which both groups will learn.
3. Create a wide spread participation in the workshops/conferences.

Suggested Topics:

1. Keeping Honest People Honest.
2. Risk Communication.
3. The moral duties of local businesses in times of natural disaster.

• Hold Saturday Seminars

People from the community would suggest topics or speakers for 9:00am-2:00pm seminars. BETT would procure the speakers and hold the seminars.

Long term goals

1. Finding ways to make people in the local community be more ethical.
2. Focusing on local and global business ethics issues.
3. Finding ways to take ideas and put them into action.
4. Rebuilding the trust in business and business leaders.
5. Be willing to accept being wrong about moral issues

Membership:

Bahman Bahrami Associate Dean NDSU
C.E. Harr
David Martin
Vernon Dobis 
James Clifton
James Venette
Jay Leitch
Keup
James Legler
Nola McNeally
Micheal Garrison
R. Carlson
Sharon Cobb
Terry Knoepfle
Thomas Buckhoff
Mark Chekola
Steve Scherling

How To Organize a Think Tank

E-Mail: John Helgeland@ndsu.edu and Dennis.Cooley@ndsu.edu
NDSU Northern Plains Ethics Institute
402 Minard Hall
North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105
Phone: 701.231.8654