The Wittenberg Center in collaboration with the HHL - Leipzig Graduate School of Management organized a summer school from the 20th to 26th July 2008. A total of 50 participants, drawn from five continents, among them the doctoral students of - HHL Leipzig and Young Leaders and professionals of the Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics´ “Young Leaders Fellowship program. The focus of the five days program was base on the underlying principles of Economic Ethics.

The courses, lectures and case studies deepen the understanding of the Golden Rule – Invest in the conditions of social cooperation for mutual advantage - and its implications. 

Prof. Dr. Andreas Suchanek (Dow Research Professorship for Sustainability and Global Ethics at the HHL and the Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics) and Prof. Dr. Arnis Vilks (Chair of Microeconomics, HHL) treated the challenges of leadership in the 21st Century as well as modern conception of ethic in a globalized world.

In order to relate sustainability with investment decisions, Dr. Annett Baumast (Zurich Cantonal Bank), presented the rationale behind sustainability ratings and the future trends and opportunities of Sustainable ratings.

Prof. Dr. Ingo Pies (Chair of Business Ethics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) presented some of the causes of corruption as well as delivered a methodology for preventing corruption both in businesses and society in a global context. Prof. Dr. Manfred Georg Kirch (Chair Marketing Management, HHL), treated issues related sustainable marketing with special focus on the role of corporation in poverty eradication under the framework of the “Bottom of the Pyramid” (Marketing for the poor).

The results of the working groups was by presented the participants to a panel of experts from the practice such as ambassadors of Malawi and Mozambique, deputies from the Embassy of Namibia as well as the German director of Transparency International, corporate representative such as BP and KPMG in the Wittenberg City Hall.

The Summer School also offer heuristics to young leaders for changing existing paradigms to promote consciousness for global issues, mutual dependencies, and worldwide inclusion as well as to empower participants with the necessary entrepreneurial spiritedness for both private and collective action.

To continue the advancement of Entrepreneurial Spirit, Corporate Responsibility, Sustainable Development, the Wittenberg Center planed to be executed further events of this kind in the coming years, with young leaders/professional together with experts and practitioners from academia, business, politics, media and the civil society.