In this paper, we propose a pedagogical approach to teaching business ethics that emphasizes ‘Memento Mori’ - the concept of mortality. In a secular world where the perceived benefits of corruption often outweigh the costs, instilling ethical integrity in business students presents a significant challenge. To address this, we introduce two pedagogical tools designed to encourage students to reflect on their ethical commitments in the business world.
First, students engage with obituaries of business practitioners, following Boccio and Macari (2017). They are tasked with collecting obituaries from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times and subsequently composing their own obituaries (Payne et al., 2022). For this exercise, we assume an expected lifespan of 77 years for male students and 80 years for female students. Their obituaries must include projected accomplishments, close relationships, surviving family members, net assets, and notable anecdotes. The instructor provides two exemplar obituaries—one on Charlie Munger from The New York Times (Sorkin and Hershey, 2023) and another from The Wall Street Journal (Zweig, 2023).
Second, students participate in a guest lecture session featuring a local lawyer specializing in estate planning. The session covers key legal processes, including drafting a will, establishing power of attorney, and appointing trustees, executors, guardians, and healthcare agents. Students then draft both a living will and a standard will, distinguishing between these two legal documents. Unlike the obituary exercise, this activity does not assume a specific lifespan; instead, students use online tools to develop contingency plans for themselves and their parents. This process helps students mentally prepare for the realities of aging and the eventual loss of loved ones.
Third, students engage in a values selection exercise based on Feather and Peay’s (1975) framework of terminal and instrumental values. They are asked to identify their three most important terminal and instrumental values, followed by a structured discussion on the rationale behind their choices. Additionally, they will articulate their authentic passions as future business professionals.
Finally, the course module concludes with a reading and discussing of Jesuit perspectives on death and the students' professional journeys toward ethical integrity. By confronting the reality of mortality, students are encouraged to cultivate a long-term ethical perspective that transcends immediate material gains.
A list of references
Boccio, D. E., & Macari, A. M. (2017). Using the Dead to Teach the Living: Making the Classroom Come Alive With Obituaries. Teaching of Psychology, 44(2), 165-168.
Feather, N. T., & Peay, E. R. (1975). The structure of terminal and instrumental values: Dimensions and clusters. Australian Journal of Psychology, 27(2), 151-164.
Payne, J., Jones, D., Hwang, J., Babar, H., Tse, E., Mock, K., & Moyer, A. (2022). Writing one’s own obituary: Student reflections on an assignment in a positive psychology class. Journal of Happiness and Health, 2(2), 98-107.
Sorkin, Andrew R. & Hershey, Robert Jr. (Nov 28, 2023) “Charles T. Munger, Warren Buffett’s One-of-a-Kind No. 2, Dies at 99” New York Times. Accessible at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/business/charles-t-munger-dead.html
Zweig, Jason. (Nov 29, 2023) “Charlie Munger’s Life Was About Way More Than Money” Wall Street Journal. Accessible at https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/charlie-munger-life-money-ae3853ad