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Business Program

FASPE is an intensive, two-week study program in professional ethics and ethical leadership. FASPE is neither a Holocaust studies course, nor a genocide prevention program. Rather, the curriculum is designed to challenge Fellows to critically examine constructs, current developments and issues that raise ethical concerns in their professions in contemporary settings in which they work.

FASPE Business Fellows examine the motivations and conduct of businesses and business executives in enabling and executing Nazi policies. FASPE then draws on these historical examples to help Business Fellows grasp their role and responsibility as individuals with influence in their communities; and to encourage them to identify and confront the ethical issues currently facing businesses and business professionals.

Each year, FASPE Business awards fellowships to 13 to 16 graduate business students and early-career business professionals. Fellows spend two weeks in Berlin and Poland, where they visit key sites of Nazi history and participate in daily seminars led by specialized faculty. The program couples the power of place with academic rigor and many informal opportunities for creative exchange.

FASPE draws on a large pool of applicants, whose diverse backgrounds and interests enrich discussions both inside and outside the seminar room. Business Fellows travel with Law and Design & Technology Fellows, allowing them to broaden their understanding of the role of professionals over shared meals and activities and in several interdisciplinary seminars. FASPE Fellowships are fully funded so that financial ability does not affect participation.

Eligibility 

FASPE Business applicants must be actively pursuing a career in business and fit into one of the following three categories: 1) be enrolled in an MBA or MSc program with a maximum of 5 years of prior experience at the time of their application; OR 2) have completed their MBA or related graduate degree and be working as a business professional with a maximum of 5 years of experience at the time of application; OR 3) have completed an undergraduate degree and be working as a business professional, with a maximum of 5 years of professional experience at the time of application.

FASPE seeks Business Fellows with diverse interests and backgrounds, including those pursuing careers in any business sector, at non- profits, at start-ups, in consulting, and in other business settings.

FASPE seeks Fellows at a formative stage of their professional lives, who are open-minded and self-reflective, demonstrate leadership capabilities, and possess the potential of having influence in their fields. FASPE selects its Fellows on the basis of their academic background, personal and professional experiences, capacity for leadership, and ability to contribute to the Fellowship program and the alumni community. FASPE values and seeks to create inclusive environments, and welcomes applicants of all religious, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds as well as gender identities. FASPE seeks Fellows who are interested in engaging in discussions with their co-Fellows and faculty, and who have the intellectual and emotional maturity to discuss difficult and controversial issues responsibly and respectfully in small group settings. All applications are welcome and reviewed.

DATES FOR THE 2025 BUSINESS PROGRAM:
May 23, 2025 - June 6, 2025

2025 Business Faculty:
Brooke Vuckovic
TBA

To view photos of the 2024 Business program and to read about the experience, please go here.

FASPE Business Fellows examine topics such as:

• the complicity of German businesses and business executives in the design and execution of Nazi policies
• legal compliance and corporate social responsibility vs. ethical behavior
• the meaning of ethics in business in the absence of a code of conduct
• the ethics of technological and business innovations
• navigating multiple loyalties to stockholders, customers, employees, vendors and communities
• recognizing multiple motivations and ensuring that motivations align with personal and institutional morals
• tactics to address ethical issues within larger corporate institutions

IG Farben factory near Auschwitz.German Federal Archive / BArch, Bild 146-2007-0058 /
CC-BY-SA 3.0

FASPE Business Fellows now hold positions at major financial institutions, global businesses, non-profit organizations and consulting firms. Through their shared FASPE experience, Fellows form long-lasting relationships and deep bonds that grow over time. Business Fellows participate in formal and informal networks that provide support throughout their careers.

The Business program was initially developed in consultation with faculty from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and the FH Wien University of Applied Sciences for Management & Communication in Vienna.