A Way of Proceeding: Ethical Decision Making for Management Students at Jesuit Colleges and Universities

What follows is a suggestion for how to teach Ethical Decision Making for graduate students at Jesuit Colleges and Universities. This content has also been adapted for undergraduates. This course is based on a seven-week instructional model. We did not include readings because instructors may wish to choose or update the readings; also, the combined text with readings would be unwieldy. Included are a course syllabus, a redacted list of suggested readings, individual and group assignments and lectures for each topic. 

Concluding the Ethical Decision Making “book” is an appendix of a program called the Management Exercises. In the tradition of the Spiritual Exercises as penned by Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, the Management Exercises reflect the more – the magis – to better prepare students as leaders and citizens. The Management Exercises seek to further orient students toward a life of questioning and engagement as students learn to exercise discernment, to build character, and to enact citizenship. To participate in the Management Exercises is to reflect on one’s journey through life. 

Management Exercises was designed to be an online program for MBA students that also included face to face gatherings of cohorts of students to share final reflections.Management Exercises also included a graded component; each module was linked to academic coursework. Students were introduced to the program in Ethical Decision Making, an early core course, which set a strong foundation for the program. More information about how to add Management Exercises to a program or how to apply it in other settings is included in the appendix.