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Lying to a client to protect your job. Turning a blind eye to a questionable practice in order to avoid conflict. Accepting a moral compromise to please your manager. In the business world, ethical dilemmas are part of everyday life. It is precisely these grey areas that the Business Ethics course addresses. Taught in the third year of the Grande École Program by Guillaume MERCIER, the course challenges students to confront the complexity of real-world decision-making.

The course encourages students to reflect on fundamental questions like: what does it mean to act ethically in business? How can one remain true to personal values under professional pressure? And above all, why is ethical reflection essential in today’s economic environment? Far from being purely theoretical, Business Ethics challenges students to examine how they make decisions—both now and in the future.

Training clear-sighted, responsible, and value-driven Managers

To prepare future managers to act with integrity—even when decisions are complex or potentially risky for their careers—the Business Ethics course helps students develop self-awareness. They are encouraged to identify their core values, understand their decision-making processes, and cultivate genuine moral discernment.

Students learn to recognize ethically sensitive situations, analyze their choices, and understand why well-intentioned individuals may sometimes act against their own principles. This awareness strengthens their ability to resist pressure, question what seems obvious, and act responsibly.

A striking introduction: the “Crafting Your Life” simulation

From the very first session, the course stands out for its original approach. Thanks to an initiative by Guillaume Mercier, Professor of Business Ethics, students take part in the “Crafting Your Life” simulation developed by Harvard Business School.  

“For 40 minutes, students live a virtual life, making a series of major and everyday decisions that shape their personal journey. Career, relationships, family, social engagement, personal well-being—every choice has consequences, sometimes immediate, sometimes long-term. Through this simulation, students (re)discover a reality that is often overlooked: our decisions are interconnected, and each choice sets us on a path we are not always fully aware of.” 

Guillaume MERCIER, professor of Business Ethics

For Marie-Capucine Germain, the experience was eye-opening: “I found the simulation quite intense but enjoyable. I recognized myself in the results, and it really helps you realize how important context is in shaping our choices. For me, having a good life means being able to do what you want, and money is a means to achieve that—it gives you autonomy and the power to make the choices you truly want.”

Becoming aware of time, priorities, and trade-offs

“The primary goal of the simulation is to prompt students to ask questions that are rarely addressed in an academic setting: Who am I? Where do I want to go? What does a successful life look like? It also shows how easy it is to be carried away by short-term decisions, at the risk of facing limited or even impossible choices later on,” explains Guillaume Mercier.

Yann Chibois, a third-year student, highlights the difficulty of some decisions: “The choices are often very clear-cut, almost black and white. They can be tough, but they really force you to think about what you truly prioritize. In real life, I think I would put work first more than I did in the simulation, and focus less on my social life.”

The simulation also underscores an essential reality: you can’t have everything. Building a life—both personal and professional—means making choices, taking responsibility for them, and above all making them yourself, rather than letting external expectations decide for you.

A lasting experience

For Guillaume MERCIER, “the key message of Crafting Your Life is the importance of finding balance between professional life, personal relationships, social impact, and individual well-being. A successful life is not about accumulating achievements, but about making consistent choices guided by clear, aligned values. That’s exactly what this course and the simulation help students understand.”

For Alexandra Bureau, the simulation served as a decision-making exercise: “It was very condensed and quite realistic—it really trained me to make decisions. I had to make choices over a 15-year period, and it truly reflects the work–life balance issues we’ll all face. I’m satisfied because I often chose my relationships and myself over work, and that feels right to me. In real life, if my circle is understanding, I would have made exactly the same choices.”

Today, ethics plays a central role, both in human decisions and in strategic choices. In this sense, the course is a cornerstone for students and a solid foundation for future projects. Because beyond technical skills, it is often the invisible decisions—the ones we make when no one is watching—that define a manager. And sometimes, an entire life,” concludes Guillaume MERCIER.