Code of Conduct
Principles
The Estonian Business School believes in honesty, integrity and competition as key principles in a functioning market economy. It therefore expects its students, faculty and staff to follow these principles, both in business and in academic life. Any act of cheating, plagiarism, or similar unethical behaviour will be treated as an attack on the institution itself, and punished accordingly. Students need to understand that the value of an EBS diploma in the labour market is based on the fact that it is earned through hard work. Anyone trying to obtain credit by other means than his or her own work not only deprives himself or herself of the opportunity to learn something, but damages the reputation of EBS and steals from his or her classmates by lowering the value of their diploma. Anyone disrupting the learning process lowers the quality of education that students receive. Reports on violations of these principles will be treated confidentially.
Examples of Prohibited Behaviour
- Cheating, plagiarism, collaboration and any other form of academic dishonesty in connection with tests, homework, exams, or final paper;
- Giving false or misleading information to any EBS official, staff or faculty member;
- Forgery, falsification, or misuse of any EBS document or record;
- Disruption or obstruction of teaching, e.g. chatting or use of mobile phones in class, repeatedly arriving late or leaving early;
- Disruption or obstruction of administration or other EBS activities, including library and computer facilities.
Sanctions
A violation of the principles of honesty, integrity and competition at EBS is an abuse of the privilege of studying at EBS, and raises the question as to whether the person is worthy of attending EBS in the future. Sanctions for prohibited behaviour range from grade reductions to expulsion without refund of tuition. Cheating and plagiarism result automatically in an F (zero) for the paper in question.
Smaller sanctions: grade reduction, F for test/exam/homework, additional tasks, remark in student"s academic record, exclusion from class participation in the given course for up to one week.
Severe sanctions: F for semester, repeat course, repeat semester, temporary suspension, permanent expulsion, legal action, exclusion from class participation in the given course for more than one week, exclusion from more than one course.
Lesser sanctions can be decided by an individual member of staff or faculty, more severe ones need the approval of the responsible department chair or the director of studies. The person imposing a sanction sends a written notice containing the name of the student, the offence and the sanction, to the student database ÕIS. Students can appeal against such imposed sanctions in written form to the responsible department chair or to the director of studies.
Definitions
"Cheating" means (l) use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; (2) dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; or (3) the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of the University faculty or staff.
"Plagiarism" means the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.
"Collaboration" means the unauthorized cooperation with another person(s) in preparing academic assignments or collaboration with another person to commit an act of academic dishonesty.
