IUS Launches VIRTUS Center to Explore Ethics in Economy and Society
What does it mean to act virtuously in everyday life, and can markets ever be neutral when it comes to values? These questions brought together scholars and experts in ethics at the International University of Sarajevo (IUS) on Friday, October 30, 2026, for the official launch of the VIRTUS Center for Ethics in Economy and Society between East and West.
Hosted at the Faculty of Business and Administration (FBA), the event introduced an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to advancing a virtue-based understanding of ethics and examining the moral challenges of contemporary economic and social life.
The opening ceremony featured remarks by FBA Vice Dean Prof. Dr. Šejma Aydin; VIRTUS Management Board Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ü. Serdar Serdaroğlu from Istanbul University; and VIRTUS Center Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sümeyye Kuşakcı. The program invited participants to consider where virtue can be found in everyday life, who bears responsibility for promoting values, and how ethical principles can guide individual and collective choices.
Keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Ömer Torlak delivered a presentation titled “Virtue in Economic Life and Marketing Ethics: On the Possibility of Moral Markets.” An author of numerous books and articles on marketing and business ethics, Prof. Dr. Torlak brought his research expertise to the discussion of morality in markets and economic activity.
The program continued with a video featuring interviews with scholars and experts in ethics, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Prof. Dr. Senad Bušatlić, a member of the VIRTUS Management Board.
The panel brought together Dr. Ahmet Albayrak, Co-founder and Deputy Chairman of Hamilik Okulu; Prof. Dr. Ahmet Alibašić, Professor of Islamic Civilization at the University of Sarajevo’s Faculty of Islamic Studies; and Dr. Ubeyd Sakin, Adjunct Instructor at IUS and Head of Office at the Turkish Red Crescent Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their varied academic and professional backgrounds provided perspectives from education, religious scholarship, and humanitarian work.
By connecting business ethics with broader questions of virtue and social responsibility, the event opened a discussion on how values shape economic and social relationships. It also encouraged participants to examine the idea of value-neutral markets and consider the responsibilities of individuals and institutions in promoting ethical conduct.
The launch marked the beginning of VIRTUS’s work as a space for interdisciplinary research and exchange at IUS. Through its future research and activities, the Center will continue exploring how a virtue-based approach can help address moral questions in economic and social life.
