Torsten RingbergM&I Marshall & Ilsley Center for Business Ethics Teaching Fellow
Assistant Professor – Marketing

Professor Ringberg believes that while most people may make good moral decisions in their personal lives, some people (including some business students) somehow see business as an altogether different arena. Thus, it is important to teach ethical reasoning in business settings, i.e., to identify the positive/negative ethical outcomes for all stakeholders. Professor Ringberg believes that exposing students to this process also enables them to move up the ethical decision ladder (from egoistic and group-based decisions to treat every stakeholder with respect and integrity). For example, the decision to increase price on a drug should include willingness to engage and evaluate ethical consequences for all affected stakeholders (e.g., consumers, including those who can no longer afford it; doctors, including those who now have to prescribe a less potent drug to low income patients). Making explicit the ethical consequences for stakeholders stimulates ethical awareness. Moreover, once negative ethical consequences for a stakeholder are identified it becomes more difficult to simply walk away from the issue.

MBA student feedback concerning ethics activities in Professor Ringberg’s classes:

• I loved these. Each group came up with timely, relevant topics. It was great to discuss and think about these issues.
• Class discussions were very helpful for me as it helped increase my understanding of the many ethical stakeholders that surround each issue.
• Thought-provoking. I find myself now following BP and the Gap in the news. As a result of the mini-discussions, I am more informed and understand the news on these subjects more completely. I am now more aware of the environmental movements by companies and do not simply accept their stated motives – I question them.
• Relevant. The discussions, though focused on ethics, all turned out to have very relevant application to marketing.