"Ethics Across Cultures," a panel arranged by the Student Leadership and Ethics Board in conjunction with the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics, represented perspectives on dilemmas students from a variety of geographic backgrounds faced in their respective workplaces. Covering nearly every continent, panelists described conundrums that many people would find outrageous, as well as some that seemed relatively commonplace. The stories highlighted the universality of ethical dilemmas in the workplace as well as the nuances that made some events more relatively country- or culture-based than others.

The first three panelists broadly represented Africa, Latin America and Asia with experiences that seemed to highlight the differences between professional cultures across borders, especially from the vantage point of students at a business school based in the United States. Stories of implicit bribery in Africa to help secure a land deal, looking at the practices of price-fixing and collusion in construction in Latin America, and briefcases of money exchanged during a difficult merger in Asia seemed in sharp contrast to what many involved in the business community would consider ethical. The moderator, David Beim, professor of professional practice, finance and economics, at Columbia Business School, said that in matters of ethical quandaries, "the best antidote is to talk."