European Ethics Bowl was initiated by four partner institutions who recognized the importance of raising awareness on the relevance and complexity of ethics in an engaging and meaningful way throughout Europe.
With the wish to make the EEB a Pan-European competition founding partners invite all EU universities and institutions with an academic programme to participate in the competition.
Leveraging on the North American experience (the American Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl has 25 years of history), the EEB was initiated by four institutions that recognized the importance of ethics in business life: the EIB Institute (Luxembourg), Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany), the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), and the Université Paris-Dauphine (France). The founders aim to encourage an engaging and meaningful dialogue on business ethics across European institutions.
The EEB operational headquarters are located at the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana, while the EIB Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt and Université Paris-Dauphine form the EEB Advisory Board.
After a successful pilot in 2020, the EEB founders invite European universities and institutions to join as members. All European universities and institutions with an academic programme are eligible to participate in the competition.
When fully established, the EEB shall include one or more universities from all European countries. Participation is free of charge for the institutions as well as for participating teams.
Scroll down to read what they have to say…
Ethics reflects about values and norms and that matters because internalised values and norms drive the behaviour of persons and organisations alike. In a world in which values and norms move faster than ever before understanding the importance and impact of ethics is not a luxury but an essential part in the life of every person and every organisation. Unfortunately ethics capabilities are underdeveloped in our educational system. The ethics bowl is a fascinating first step to tackle this missing part. It confronts students with the value diversity in the world and the impact this has on decision making within the organisation.
Professor of business ethics, sustainable business and sustainable finance at University of Antwerp and KULeuven; Former chairman of European Business Ethics Network
“There are seven sins that will destroy us: Wealth without work; Pleasure without conscience; Knowledge without character; Religion without sacrifice; Politics without principle; Science without humanity; Commerce without morality”. (Mahatma Gandhi)
The current crises have reiterated the words of Mahatma Gandhi and proved again that universities have a key function in society, which is much more than education and science. As higher education institutions, we have accepted the mission to develop by example the highest ethical standards for our internal and external stakeholders. The European Ethics Bowl is a perfect opportunity for academics and students to promote together this goal.
Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” (FEBA, SU), Head of Department “Industrial Economics and Management”
Our understanding of the importance of ethics is perfectly reflected in the Potter Stewart’s quote that ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do. This is the take-away point that we hope our students attain.
Members of the Department of Marketing; Special research emphasis on ethical issues surrounding different marketing stakeholders
When you open the last issue of Business Ethics Quarterly, the topics are: Equality and Gender at Work in Islam, Reactivity to Sustainability Metrics, Shopping with Conscience, Rawlsian Institutionalism and Business Ethics, and online The Right to Free Trade and Justice. The most-read article is Ethics of the Attention Economy: The Problem of Social Media Addiction. The most cited article is The Politics of Stakeholder Theory. This shows how diverse the field of just Business Ethics is. Today (30.04.2021), UNESCO is debating what should be the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. We need to know before we get there, not struggle with it afterwards. The most intriguing for some is searching for the answers to unexplored situations and new technologies rather than inspecting ways of applying the already discovered patterns.
Lecturer of management, business ethics and research methods; Member of the the Academy of Management and the Society for Judgment and Decision Making
TALTECH has identified raising awareness about ethics as one of it’s goals. We shape the skills of future leaders so giving the students a strong foundation on ethics is crucial. European Ethics Bowl helps to do that through debating on ethical issues. It is not only the participating team who benefits, but also the audience as ethical dilemmas are raised and presented through different perspectives.
Entrepreneurship lecturer, Programme director for two master programmes: International Business Administration and Management and Marketing programme
The definition that the French philosopher, Dominique Lecourt, gives of ethics sums up quite well the problematic that is attached to it: “Ethics is a reflection, a questioning that deals with dilemmas. Faced with complex situations, there is a choice to be made between several answers, all of which are unsatisfactory.”
Head of the double French-German degree program and double French-Canadian degree program, Academic manager of international exchanges
Immanuel Kant was already thinking about the honesty of the merchant, and the relevance of ethical issues in business activity has since increased with the growing role of economic issues for our society today. The European Ethics Bowl offers an opportunity to ascertain the actuality of ethical problems in economics and approaches to solutions. The EEB combines that on an academically high level with the pleasure of debating and exchanging ideas with others.
Department of Economics and Business, Director of the Bachelor’s Programme in Finance, Accounting and Management at the German-Vietnamese University
We believe that events such as the European Ethics Bowl are more relevant now than ever before because as Europe becomes more and more integrated with the rest of the world through various globalization processes, education institutions have a responsibility to contribute to raising awareness of the relevance and complexity of ethical issues and to improve the ability of students to discuss ethical issues; that is why we have joined the European Ethics Bowl Competition to provide a platform for our students to participate and openly discuss ethical issues in the context of work, organisations and business in the Europe.
Associate professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, specialization on Global Economy & Globalization and Development
One of my great students told me, “Who doesn’t know what is good and what is bad? But in the lectures, I realized that ethics can be studied for a lifetime and it helps to make the world better” It is why for me it is important to talk about these topics. Because “Ethics and equity and the principles of justice do not change with the calendar.” (D. H. Lawrence) What will happen tomorrow begins today. Let’s build the Future together with the European Ethics Bowl!
Lecturer of Economics and Business Management Psychology of Management and Business Ethics and CSR
European Ethics Bowl gives students an extraordinary opportunity to discuss the most important, current issues faced by Europeans. Students can get international experience and network with the sharpest minds coming from all around Europe.
Department of Organization and Management Theory with specialization in Corporate Social Responsibility and Governance
Ethical behavior and social responsibility are core values at Iscte Business School. In business as in life, ethical issues must be taken into account, in order to face any ethical dilemmas that may arise and make informed decisions.
Deputy Director of the Department of Marketing, Operations and General Management, Interlocutor of Quality and Sustainability at the Iscte Business School
Ethics are really important for young generation in order to provide them clear understanding of the system of moral principles for future leaders. On one side, it connected with attitude what is good and what is bad for individuals and society but also on the other hand, it is about people behaviours. Many research studies mentorship gaps regarding ethical issues in digital life and balance between sustainability and profitability. This competition will be great opportunities for all participants (students and mentors) to discuss and share their experiences. It will be base for developing better ethical ecosystem for young generations in Europe.
Full Professor, Case Study Expert, Managing Director of Belgrade International Case Competition
A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.
– Albert Camus
Associate Professor of Public International Law, expert in the area of International Human Rights Law, International Migration Law and International and EU sports law
The fact is that many of the issues I have faced in my career, whether in the role of advisor to the Prime Minister, a diplomat, or as Secretary General at SEB LU, have been complicated, ambiguous, and difficult to resolve. When faced with an ethical dilemma, your decision-making principles can be either the happy medium (not too much, not too little) or the greatest good for the greatest number of people, or perhaps do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But which is right and which is wrong? Is there more than one right answer? European Ethics Bowl is designed to improve your ability to identify and openly discuss ethical issues in a work environment.
BSIS coordinator
