Legal and Ethical Responsibilities of Business Leaders

Legal and Ethical Responsibilities of Business Leaders is a flagship course of the International MBA and can be taken as a stand-alone module.

This course offers a powerful combination of academic excellence, practical insights and personal reflection. Participants benefit from the same high standards, faculty expertise and learning experience as MBA students, while focusing on one of the most critical skills for today’s leaders: legal and ethical responsibilities.

Participants will explore the economic, legal and ethical responsibilities that come with leadership in modern organisations. Built on the assumption that business, like law or medicine, is a profession with a critical role in society, the course challenges participants to go beyond performance and profitability and to fully embrace accountability.

This module provides a realistic, decision-oriented understanding of leadership responsibility and equips participants with practical tools to navigate complex, high-stakes situations—where legal compliance, ethical integrity and economic performance may collide.

• Identify key legal issues
• Assess risks for the company and its governance
• Design pragmatic strategies to manage legal exposure and support business objectives
• Navigate competing stakeholder expectations
• Make sound decisions under uncertainty and pressure
• Balance short-term performance with long-term responsibility
• Shape organisational conduct through governance, incentives, compliance and culture

Participants are exposed to international business and tax law, corporate governance, stakeholder responsibility and leadership dilemmas through a structured, case-based pedagogy inspired by real global business situations.

This course is structured around two complementary pillars that reflect the real challenges faced by business leaders : 

Section 1 – Law, Liability and Corporate Accountability

The first section examines leadership responsibility from a legal and regulatory perspective, focusing on liability and accountability in international business.

Through a single, integrated case study following a company’s journey along the J-curve, participants explore the full lifecycle of a business across four strategic phases:

• Preparing for growth (intellectual property protection, fundraising)
• Generating revenue (jurisdiction choice, incorporation, contracts and trade)
• Going global (licensing, franchising, international expansion)
• Harvesting value (tax planning, asset protection, succession and estate planning)

This section empowers leaders to work effectively with legal advisors, ensuring that law serves strategy—not the other way around.

Section 2 – The Leader’s Responsibility Triad: Economic, Legal & Ethical

The second section places leaders in complex, often conflictual decision-making situations where ethical, legal and economic responsibilities intersect.

Using high-impact Harvard Business School cases, participants confront real leadership dilemmas involving responsibilities toward:

• Investors
• Customers
• Employees
• Society and the public

A strong emphasis is placed on personal reflection, encouraging participants to challenge their assumptions, clarify their values and understand how their own character and beliefs shape leadership decisions.

This course is ideal for:

• Executives dealing with complex leadership responsibilities
• Managers and entrepreneurs operating in international or highly regulated environments
• Leaders seeking to strengthen their decision-making credibility and accountability
• Professionals who want to better understand the legal and ethical consequences of leadership actions

The course is particularly valuable for those who wish to lead responsibly, confidently and strategically in a world of increasing scrutiny.

Olivier Hance

Lawyer | Hance Law Avocats

Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion co-signed by the House of Training and HEC Liège. 

This module grants 5 ECTS credits, awarded solely to participants who choose to pursue the International MBA.

Delivered entirely in English and based at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (Kirchberg), this Executive MBA is designed for professionals seeking a transformative learning journey. Jointly offered by HEC Liège, holder of prestigious AACSB and EQUIS accreditations, and the House of Training, which brings in-depth knowledge of the Luxembourg market, the program combines academic excellence with practical relevance. 

If you want to learn more about this programme, please visit the dedicated page : International MBA