Students research ethical challenges faced by entrepreneurs on Chios

09. December 2025

What ethical dilemmas do entrepreneurs have to overcome? Viadrina students were able to find out on the Greek island of Chios at a cosmetics company, a herb exporter and a wedding planner, among others. Together with students from Aegean University, they took part in an ERUA travel seminar entitled "Researching Responsibility: Ethical Dilemmas in Organisational Life". After the research stay on Chios in November 2025, a conference to evaluate the results took place on 9 December as part of the return visit to the Viadrina.

How does a wedding planner deal with the different demands and emotional challenges of her customers? What liberties can the franchisee of a cosmetics chain take? And what does an herbal expert do when she realises that she is offering her products too cheaply? German-Greek groups of students were able to explore these questions with entrepreneurs on Chios. Viadrina economists Prof. Dr Jana Costas and Lilo Meier developed the theoretical background knowledge on ethical dilemmas in organisations in on-site and online sessions with the students. The practical insights were made possible by their Greek colleague Prof Dr Niki Glaveli from Aegean University.