Final report for Business Ethics course

Team members:
For this report, we decided to interview Professor Jen, who is also a faculty member
of our Global Business Department to explore how ethical values are applied in professional
life. His observations provided a useful viewpoint on moral leadership, honesty, and
judgment. Key points of the discussion about moral dilemmas and principles in leadership
positions are highlighted in the script that follows.

Q: Could you please tell us about your background?

A: As you know, I’m professor Jen Ching-Tsung. I have been teaching for more than
13 years in the Department of Global Business, where I am currently a faculty member. I’m
majoring in Strategic Management and Supply Chain Management. I spent more than 20
years as a military officer with a logistical focus before I started my academic career. I'm
from central Taiwan, and I started military school when I was 20 years old. In 1997, I
graduated with a master's degree in contracting management from the United States. I have
since become a teacher after earning my Ph.D. in 2003 from National ChengChi University,
one of Taiwan's best universities for social sciences.

Q: Do you own any business outside the campus or are you a full time teacher?
A: I work as a professor full-time now. Before being a teacher, I was working in the
logistics area, where I was in charge of the safe and prompt delivery of supplies and
equipment, among other necessities like mirrors, weapons, water,... It was an extremely
operational and practical position.

Q: Furthermore, what does ethical leadership in academia mean to you personally?

A: To be a leader, I think the most important thing is not being very smart or famous
or outstanding. Instead, you have to be honest in your mind, in your behavior, and in the way
you treat people. Try to keep your mind and personality pure, and treat others as they are all
kind people.
The second is that respect is necessary. Respecting those in higher positions is
customary, but great leadership entails treating everyone with the same deference,
regardless of status or position. Everyone deserves the same respect.

Q: As you have said before, one of the main factors due to good leadership is
showing respect to others. So, how do you promote that factor or ethical thinking or
attitudes, or behavior towards others to your students?
A: Since I'm a teacher, I can't just tell students what to do - I have to do it myself. I tell
them what I understand. That’s honesty. I also take care to show them respect. Even if they
don’t speak English very well, I still encourage them to speak up. In other words, if I want to
teach my students how they should be, I have to be a role model myself - for example, by
showing honesty and respect in my own actions.

Q: How do you incorporate ethics, or some business ethic elements into your
teaching method or your courses to your students?
A: Sometimes, in my teaching style, I am always seeking a serenical explanation
about some terminologies, and also some academic terms so that they can understand the
professional knowledge. I also ask my students to provide examples in this way. After they
have the information, they attempt to explain "What does this mean?" using examples from
the actual world. As an example, you may mention "honesty" in the real world and then add,
"Some leaders, like the presidents of some countries, may not always say the honest words,
he always says something which is not true." That is the unfavorable perception of honesty.
That's how I instruct my pupils.

Q: Students today have more freedom than in the past; they can speak up if they
disagree with lecturers. Do you think such kind of speaking up is helpful or bad for their
future careers or attitudes toward their employers and colleagues?
A: In the past, that might not have been a good behavior for the students to speak up
their different opinions to their teachers. But in my class or in my teaching style, I always
encourage them “You can express your personal ideas even if you disagree with mine, that’s
fine” and I believe that's also good for their professional careers in the future because I don't
think the business world wants to hire employees who don't have any new ideas. Although
they may not be delivered directly to their supervisors, I believe it is a fantastic signal for a
company to introduce a new invention.

Q: Do you think ethical leadership in the education field is different from that in the
real world?
A: They should have the same standard. Just like I’ve mentioned, being honest,
showing respect to people around you, they have to be the same no matter if they are in the
business or in education.

Q: Do you have any advice for your students who want to become ethical leaders in
the future?
A: Try new things, try to gain new knowledge and also try to be confident to express
your own ideas, don’t hesitate to let others know what you are thinking. That’s all.

After engaging in both the theoretical study and this practical interview, we
insightfully understand ethical issues in business. It also gave us the opportunity to evaluate
our own learning process in this course, as well as the progress we've made.
As freshmen, we want to point out and admit that this Business Ethics course has
completely changed how we view morality. From our standpoints, ethics used to be just right
and wrong, nothing more but now we understand it involves deeper and more critical
thinking and decision-making in real-life situations, especially in the business field. To be
honest, sometimes ethics is more important than professional skills. And thanks to some
experiences Professor Huang shared with us each lesson, we are prepared so much
besides specialized skills for our future career. Those helped us realize that ethical behavior
is something we need to learn and practice before entering the real world.
Coming from traditional Asian backgrounds like Vietnam, we believe that our strong
regard for the law, honesty, and the value of preserving harmony in relationships are our
greatest business ethics assets. These principles teach us to act responsibly, refrain from
hurting other people, and being truthful when making decisions. We are careful in our
actions and try to consider all possible situations that could happen carefully. Nevertheless,
our crucial weakness is that we are afraid to speak up although we notice unethical
behavior, particularly if it involves authorities or senior individuals. This hesitation often
comes from cultural beliefs which place a strong emphasis on deference and avoiding open
conflict. We are fully aware of this challenge and are striving to gain greater self-assurance
in voicing moral issues while maintaining the polite communication style that we cherish. We
believe that with the addition of both education and real-life practice, we may become more
ethically robust and balanced individuals.