The Institute of Management Accountants and Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business Administration will host an ethics presentation by Special Agent Deane Hassman from the FBI.
His presentation, “A Slippery Slope of Decisions Can Define Your Ethics: A Perspective From a Criminal Investigator,” will take place in WCBA’s auditorium on Friday at 11 a.m. The event is free and open to all interested students, faculty and community members.
David Law, a professor of accounting and finance at YSU, is the faculty adviser for the student chapter of the IMA and has spearheaded ethics events in the past. Law said that for the past four years, the IMA and WCBA have worked together to support various ethics events.
“Our goal has been, and still is, to support the development of ethics in business students,” Law said.
Law said he feels that Hassman’s presentation will contribute to reaching this goal.Hassman is expected to stress the importance of having a strong ethical framework. Law indicated that Hassman will explain how one bad decision may lead to other bad decisions. He will also connect classroom ethics curriculum to real world scenarios.
“Discussing ethics, especially based on real world work experience, helps to drive home the point that ethics is not just a class to pass, but a decision-making skill that is a life-saver in the real world,” Law said.
Some students have expressed interest in Hassman’s presentation. Michelle Green, an accounting major, explained the importance of business ethics.
“Ethics in business is how you conduct yourself within the business world. If you don’t conduct yourself properly, it won’t be long until you are out of the business,” Green said. “The event is beneficial because [Hassman] has seen and done things that we, as students, haven’t seen yet. This info is vital because we don’t want history to repeat itself.”
Stephen DiPaolo, a finance major, is enrolled in a business ethics course. DiPaolo added that he can learn from an experienced speaker.
“Hearing somebody with experience talk about how you should act in a work environment would help myself and others understand the importance of ethics,” DiPaolo said.