THE BUSINESS ETHICS PROGRAM

Basic information:

By September 2004, Junior Achievement Worldwide launched implementation of its Ethics in Business Worldwide Program. That pilot program has been initially aimed at educating the high schools students in 20 JAW member countries (including Serbia ). It took three years for preparatory activities before implementation of that program could have been started. Selection of countries to be included into the program implementation in this first stage, has been done based upon a comparative analysis of a greater number of national high-school study programs, and also upon the fact that - at least partly in the selected countries (Serbia included) - the business ethics issues have not been at all (or at least only partly) so far the subjects of high scool studies. The program is supposed to last for 5 years, and during that period, it would be completely financed by the JAW - through the USAID donations. The program evaluation has been assigned to WIRE.

On the Program

The Worldwide Program on Ethics in Business guides stodents from all over the World via the case study method in which they develop their personal sense for ethical values in business operation, as well as for their own personal character values and ethics.

The WPEB is standardly performed twice a year, in two 12-week blocks. The first block is dealt with through an interactive work in the classroom, where the main topic is related to a case study, through which a specific ethical problem- issue in an American company is considered, while the second block is consisted of the creative work of individual students taking place via the Internet communication - where a specially designed software package is being utilized by being approached through each student's user name and the code - of course, after those have been identified by the professor.

The study topics

  • The field 1: What is the ethics about?  
  • The field 2: Universal values-basics
  • The field 3: Personal values-basics 3
  • The field 4: Your essential values -what's the most essential?
  • The field 5. The essential values at work
  • The field 6: The conflicting values - why it is so difficult to do the right thing?
  • The field 7: Barriers to bringing right decisions - 4 types of motives
  • The field 8: Personal values & business ethics-how business& society coop.?
  • The field 9: The business ethics & society-tolerance, ethics, values
  • The field 10.Business,socuety,World-20 great thoughts on caracter importance
  •  The field 11: Why the ethics is import. for our future- developing your ethics
  • The field12: Ethics - who are you and what are you becoming?

The skils:

  • Communicating
  • Resolving conflsicts
  • Bringing decisions
  • Thinking with a critical approach
  • The team work
  • Analysis of ethical dilemmas

The internet program has been translated into languages of all participating countries.

During the 12-weeks time period, the students through their work in the class and with the computer are collecting the needed points, hence becoming eligible to enter the pace for being elected for the best student in the class, then: in the school, then: in the country, and with a touch of luck - for one among the 6 best students in the world who are thus winning the opportunity to travel to the one week USA visit and companionionship with altogether 11 other students who also won the same award either in the autumn or in spring term of 2004-2005 study year.

  • ETS "Jovan Trajkovic" - Zrenjanin Prof. Biljana Grek
  • Gymnasium - Kraljevo Prof. Gordan Malkovic
  • ESTS "Nikola Tesla" - Kraljevo Prof. Slobodan Kalicanin

Having in mind that all of us have been faced with the new program, as well as with the requirement to rely as much as possible upon the Web-program - hence we decided to leave upon the class teachers the decision-making upon the ways & means of implementing this program - approriately to the specific educational profiles and age of students. Consequently: the Zrenjanin group selected somewhat slower pace of work - hence, their program lasted for 10 months (which was partly "off line"). On the other hand, prof. Kalicanin with his students were completely relying upon the Internet program, hence, the study material was taken over from the Internet site, and sudents were directly sending their prepared work-outcomes, as well as communicating and discussing directly the study issues with the-same-program-studying students in other countries.

Between the 12 th and 16 th of February 2005, the JAS had a pleasant opportunity to host Ms. Courtney Gordon, the JA Worldwide International Operation Director- who was personally directly involved designing the effective Ethics program. The program of Ms.Gordon's activities included a visit to the town of Zrenjanin secondary school "Jovan Trajkovic", which was included into the JAS program by September 2004. The group of 22 students of that school with their teacher, Prof. Biljana Grek have had a lots of questions related to the Ethics in Business subject, - but also on Ms. Courtney's experiences while working with JA students all over the world, including the issues concerning the African tribes' people habits, then, on the USA educational system,etc.The JAS expressed the gratitude to the hosting party for their hospitality.

Furthermore, the students have throughout the 12-week program analyzed the case-study problem-provoking situation in an international food-processing company. The problem has been considered from the points of view of: the company owner, the managing director, a number of department heads, as well as from those of customers and journalists. That appeared to be a good opportunity for studens to get also in this way acquainted with possible problems to be faced in business people's real-life situations - as well as to make their own judgement what would they do if finding themselves in such a situation. Finally, one of the students' assignments was to make for themselves visually meaningfull personal "coats of arms" or some other personal visual symbol.

They have also submitted their own proverbs, and other written ideas to the electronic library that was a component part of the Internet program. They also exchanged their ideas ith their counterparts in Lithuania , Albania , Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - as directed by the program. This work of students was evaluated and recorded with the appropriate gradings. It was partly arranged by the very program of study, while professors were marking the results of work performed during the lecturing time, and finally, the evaluators were evaluating the group work results.

Hence, at the end of each study-block, we have obtained the so called "national finalists". Based upon this process and following the already established common criteria - the JAW has proclaimed 6 + 6 best students of the program "Business ethics" for the study-year 2004/2005. The JA Worldwide-awarded students in the first year of studying this subject were the following:

Block 1 - September - December 2004:

  • Hong Kong - Monique Wong
  • Bulgaria - Yoana Pendachanska
  • Montenegro - Anđela Davidović
  • Kazakhstan - Yana Kochshuk
  • Jordan - Amal Ershaied
  • Romania - Sabina

Block 2 - March - July 2005:

  • Kyrgzstan - Adelya Djailoeva
  • Montenegro - Ana Aligrudic
  • Serbia - Aleksandra Marinkovic
  • Romania - Radu Jeflea
  • Turkmenistan - Nadya Li
  • Bulgaria - Tsvetelina Dinkova

THE JAS STUDENT ATTENDING THE "BUSINESS ETHICS PROGRAM" CONFERENCE IN COLORADO SPRINGS FROM AUGUST 22 nd TO 28 th 2005
Aleksandra travels to Colorado !!!

Aleksandra Marinkovic from the Electrical Engineering School "Nikola Tesla" in Kraljevo has - with the other 11 best placed students worldwide - taken part at the "Business Ethics Program" JAW Conference held in Colorado Springs between August 22 nd to 28 th 2005.

The12 students Wordwide awarded in the same way for the study-year 2004/2005 are :

  • Hong Kong - Monique Wong
  • Bulgaria - Yoana Pendachanska
  • Montenegro - Anđela Davidović
  • Kazakhstan - Yana Kochshuk
  • Jordan - Amal Ershaied
  • Romania - Sabina
  • Kyrgzstan - Adelya Djailoeva
  • Montenegro - Ana Aligrudic
  • Serbia - Aleksandra Marinkovic
  • Romania - Radu Jeflea
  • Turkmenistan - Nadya Li
  • Bulgaria - Tsvetelina Dinkova

We are expressing our gratitude to the professors: Biljana Grek, Gordana Marković and Slobodan Kaličanin

We are sharing with Aleksandra best wishes for pleasant journey and both active and interesting attendance at the conference, and - on her imprressions - we shall learn after she returns back!!!!