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Prominent Community Member and Business Leader Connects Business Students with the Real World

Former president of Johnson & Johnson David Paterson draws on own experiences and shares lessons learned

Prominent Community Member and Business Leader Connects Business Students with the Real World
Prominent Community Member and Business Leader Connects Business Students with the Real World

David Paterson believes that students gain an important perspective when they hear from someone who has practical business experience relating to their area of study. That’s why Mr. Paterson, a local business community leader and former president of Johnson & Johnson, has been speaking to business classes at Trent University for the past four years.

“The theory of specific topics is one thing, but understanding how this theory is often applied in real business settings helps them appreciate the learning from their course materials,” Mr. Paterson said.

Recently, Mr. Paterson was invited by Dr. Sheldene Simola, a faculty member in the Business Administration program, to speak to business students in her third-year Personal ethics in organizations and business class. The course, which applies ethical theories to business case studies, teaches students to identify ethical issues and to reflect on their own values.

Mr. Paterson drew upon his experience as a senior executive at Johnson & Johnson, using personal stories to reflect on the lessons he had learned throughout his career. In particular, he related how Johnson & Johnson had dealt with the Tylenol scandal of 1982 which resulted in a $100 million product recall. He used this as an example of effective and ethical crisis management by a large corporation.

“My hope is the students will appreciate that there are business organizations in society who place a high degree of importance on maintaining high standards of ethical behavior through a strong commitment to well-defined values and beliefs,” Mr. Paterson explained.

Dr. Simola said that her students greatly valued the opportunity to learn from Mr. Paterson’s wisdom. “Dave has a wealth of experience in executive roles and has many practical insights that he shares with the students. They particularly love his personal anecdotes and his reflections on the lessons he's learned throughout his corporate career.”

Elizabeth Pancer, a student in the business ethics course, agreed. “It really means a lot when you have someone of his level of expertise coming to a class to discuss important ideas with students that have a real world and lasting impact,” Ms. Pancer said. “He took his time to share with us, not just how ethical decisions are made, but also how to live a full life and not to let our work define us, but rather to let us define our work.”

“It was enjoyable because he wasn’t just there to lecture us or to tell us how we should be, but rather to provide advice,” Jon Craven-Wall added. The third year Business Administration student especially enjoyed Mr. Paterson’s relation of how Johnson & Johnson handled the Tylenol crisis. “To me, taking ownership and doing what’s morally and ethically right is more important than doing what is in the financial best interest of the company,” Mr. Craven-Wall observed.

Ms. Pancer praised Trent for bringing in Mr. Paterson to enhance her learning experience. “This speaks to the level of commitment that our faculty and our university, as a whole, have for the learning outcomes of their students,” Ms. Pancer said. “As students, this is where the real learning takes place.”

Posted on Monday, April 21, 2014.

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