Copyright (c) 2009 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman Recent documents in Laura Hartman en-us Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:40:31 PST 3600 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/27 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/27 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:54:40 PDT With learning objectives designed precisely to measure the student delta based on content, process and engagement in a particular class, those programs that have opted for stand-alone ethics courses may be (though not necessarily are) more prepared to respond to assessment-related inquiries regarding their programs or satisfaction of the standards. The relevance of the AACSB standards modification to the current efforts at ethics integration in business programs is instead a re-examination of how to create a program of integration that is designed to ensure the most effective learning results possible, while responding to the challenges presented by the integrated approach. The purpose of this discussion is to explore some of those challenges that may be somewhat universal to business school programs implementing the integrated approach, and to share one large university's response to those challenges, along with lessons learned. laura hartman Pedagogy and Professional Development http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/26 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/26 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:30:15 PDT In this paper, we explore the world's response to the increasing impact of carbon emissions on the sobering threat posed by global warming: the carbon offset market. Though the market is a relatively new one, it has quickly spawned countless offset providers under both regulated and voluntary regimes. Due to the naïveté of some stakeholders who participate in the market surrounding its rather technical aspects, no common quality or certification structure has emerged for providers. In fact, there are claims to the contrary, that a somewhat 'cowboy' atmosphere exists, and that there are "widespread instances of people and organizations buying worthless credits that do not yield any reductions in carbon emissions" (Harvey and Fidler, 2007). At this point in the evolution of the market, only a handful of offset provider ratings schemes exist; and even these systems leave a vast void when consumers seek only to find a means by which to ensure that they are having their intended impact. The purpose of this paper is, first, to provide a grounded understanding of the nature of the offset market and the ethical tensions that surround it from the perspective of the consuming public. Second, we outline the standards environment for offset providers in order to illustrate most effectively the need for a single set of criteria among providers that is readily understandable by the common consumer stakeholder. We then explore the differences among the providers and articulate the specific criteria upon which providers may be evaluated by this particular stakeholder constituency, by bringing together best practices based on currently available analyses. Finally, we share the results of preliminary data collection in connection with 117 offset providers and highlight early findings. These finding allow us to compare providers effectively and efficiently on a common scale that services both providers, who thereby have greater guidance for self-assessment purposes, as well as consumer stakeholders, who then have the ability to make useful and more informed choices about carbon emission reduction in the future. k. kathy dhanda Additional Subjects in Ethics http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/25 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/25 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:26:22 PDT Six defective mental models that obstruct multinational enterprises from efforts at global poverty alleviation are identified. These include mindsets that define poverty in terms of individual daily earnings, that contend that global poverty is unsolvable, and frame global poverty as a human rights issue. In addition, there are the biased mental models that contend that the poor are incapable, that making money from the poor is unseemly, and that partnerships between multinational enterprises and public organizations are unlikely. It is claimed that such mental models challenge business leaders to be morally imaginative, and specific examples are cited that dispute each of these faulty mindsets.The topic of global poverty is of central and critical interest to the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and myriad other international foundations, governmental and non-governmental organizations. Additionally, many scholars, including Jeffrey Sachs (2005) and Paul Collier (2007), have devoted themselves to making a difference in the lives of the global poor. Poverty is a dreadful and intolerable human condition, and not merely an issue confined to regions where it is prevalent. There are enormous spill-over effects from global poverty, including environmental degradation, urban slums, refugee movements, and violence toward innocents, all effects that are costly to the developed as well as the developing world. Yet, as William Easterly reminds us, the industrialized world neither has been remiss in trying to confront poverty nor has it been entirely unsuccessful. On the other hand, although international organizations and developed countries have contributed over $2.13 trillion dollars to poverty reduction since the end of the Second World War, significant alleviation of extreme poverty certainly remains well out of reach (Easterly, 2006). In the last decade, a number of observers have challenged multinational business enterprises (MNEs) to address the global poverty problem. Prahalad (2005), for example, has directed attention to the market potential of the global poor at the base of the pyramid (BoP) and has called upon multinational enterprises (MNEs) to look there as markets in the developed world over-saturate and stagnate. Such market entry necessitates new products, new distribution channels, and financing schemes; but Prahalad contends that selling to the global poor promises an enormous profit potential (Hammond & Prahalad, 2004). His approach has been termed, inclusive capitalism in Wikipedia. A contrasting perspective was advanced by Bill Gates in January, 2008 when he introduced the term creative capitalism into the lexicon of global poverty reduction. According to Gates, MNEs should enter BoP markets not just to earn a profit but also to create and to sustain a positive social reputation for the firm (Gates, 2008). Unlike inclusive capitalism, creative capitalism rests on the expectation that good deeds will be rewarded with enhanced brand recognition and an attractive corporate image. A third and much more theoretically tenable justification for MNE activity at the BoP is provided by Porter and Kramer (2006). They argue that MNE anti-poverty efforts are consistent with a type of corporate social responsibility they call Strategic CSR (corporate social responsibility). In their formulation, in order for an MNE to invest in commercial opportunities at the BoP, there must be a convergence of its business goals and capabilities with its social and, we might add, ethical responsibilities. Each of these conceptual rationales has its strengths and weaknesses, and it is not our intention to evaluate them in this paper. Rather, our central argument is that, whatever the reason, MNE entry into the BoP is prone to distorted mental models about poverty, about business, and about business' role in poverty alleviation. In this paper, we will describe six mental models of this kind, tracing their origins and demonstrating how existing profitable enterprises in poverty markets dispute their validity. While these mental models appear rather innocuous, they are both morally offensive and effectively problematic. When harbored, they lead to decisions concerning whether and how to enter poverty markets that are wrong-headed and hurt the poor. dennis moberg Global Poverty Alleviation http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/24 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/24 Fri, 22 May 2009 12:49:21 PDT In 2006, following St. Vincent of DePaul's commitment to serving the poor, the IBPE aligned its mission with that of DePaul University's: "serving first-generation and underserved student populations and addressing social issues." This initiative was further promoted by DePaul's new strategic plan, Vision Twenty12. As a result, IBPE enhanced its mission to include becoming a catalyst aimed to inspire companies to address the reduction of poverty both globally and locally through for-profit initiatives. There are many dimensions to the achievement of this mission, including teaching, research, and community outreach; and the Institute is just beginning this lifetime set of projects. As an academic institution, however, the Institute realized that, first, it needed to develop strong philosophical arguments justifying and supporting this goal. With that in mind we have developed a series of thought-provoking papers. This article summarizes some of this thinking. patricia werhane Global Poverty Alleviation http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/23 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/23 Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:43:13 PDT This chapter defends the following thesis: Poverty can be alleviated, if not eradicated, both locally and globally, but only if we change our narratives about global free enterprise and only if we rethink our mindsets regarding how poverty issues are is most effectively addressed. The chapter begins with an overview of the current state of the economic landscape with particular focus on - and criticism of -the failures of strategies employed since the middle of the last century. We then explore how a transfer of roles and responsibilities for global poverty from these traditional development practices to innovative, private, for-profit organizations will result in appropriate incentives, stakeholder interest maximization and the potential for the eradication of both poverty and the unfulfilled needs of the abject poor. We exemplify the power of the for-profit model through case studies based on both actual experiences and economic assumptions, as discussed in the chapter. scott kelley Global Poverty Alleviation http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/22 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/22 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 13:29:36 PDT Other Publication-Related Activities, including Media Interviews, Citations, References, Quotes and Minor Publications (signified where "Hartman" noted as author) laura hartman Additional Subjects in Ethics http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/21 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/21 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:29:04 PDT Disputes concerning global labor practices are at the core of contemporary debates regarding globalization. Critics have charged multinational enterprises with the unjust exploitation of workers in the developing world. In response, some economists and "classical liberals" have argued that these criticisms are grounded in a naïve understanding of global economics. They contend instead that sweatshops constitute an inevitable and essential feature of economic development. To the contrary, we argue that there are persuasive theoretical and empirical reasons for rejecting the arguments of these defenders of sweatshops. In particular, we argue that respecting workers entail an obligation to adhere to local labor laws, and we demonstrate that it is feasible for multinational corporations (MNCs) to provide decent working conditions, and to provide a fair wage to workers. We go on to argue that MNCs have good strategic reasons for embracing voluntary codes of conduct. The main conclusions of this essay are that there are compelling ethical and strategic reasons for MNCs to voluntarily improve working conditions in their global sweatshops. denis arnold Ethics and the Employment Relationship Global Labor Conditions http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/20 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/20 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:27:44 PDT The purpose of this paper is to extend the concept of positive ethical deviancy and moral imagination to the entrepreneurial environment. We specifically explore the connection between moral imagination and positive ethical deviance in firms that, from their inception, display positive deviance from established ethical industry norms. Our analysis identifies firms that do not deviate positively under pressure, or for other externally imposed reasons, but instead those that make a conscious and deliberate choice to adopt new and often radical approaches to ethical issues from the ground up, distinguishing them from standard entrepreneurs in the same industry. This exploration uncovers two elements present in these entrepreneurial firms that support the positive ethical deviance: visionary leadership and resulting structures or activities that sustain that vision. This examination of positive deviancy and moral imagination in an entrepreneurial context is vital because of the potential role that entrepreneurial firms can play in changing the rules of the game and the institutions that govern them, thereby creating a new, higher norm, and raising the industry standard overall. laura hartman Global Labor Conditions Culture and Responsibility, Governance http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/19 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/19 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:20:50 PDT This paper investigates how deans and directors at the top 50 global MBA programs (as rated by the Financial Times in their 2006 Global MBA rankings) respond to questions about the inclusion and coverage of the topics of ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability at their respective institutions. This work purposely investigates each of the three topics separately. Our findings reveal that 1) a majority of the schools require that one or more of these topics be covered in their MBA curriculum and one-third of the schools require coverage of all three topics as part of the MBA curriculum, 2) there is a trend toward the inclusion of sustainability-related courses, 3) there is a higher percentage of student interest in these topics (as measured by the presence of a Net Impact club) in the top 10 schools, and 4) several schools are teaching these topics using experiential learning and immersion techniques. We note an almost five-fold increase in the number of stand-alone ethics courses since a 1988 investigation on ethics, and we include other findings about institutional support of centers or special programs; as well as a discussion of integration, teaching techniques, and best practices in relation to all three topics. lisa jones christenson Pedagogy and Professional Development Additional Subjects in Ethics http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/18 http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman/18 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:17:10 PDT The paper is aimed at analyzing the contribution that the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) makes to the field of sustainability reporting. It provides an overview of the multitude of initiatives aimed at standardizing corporate social responsibility efforts on a global scale and highlights the ways in which the GRI can be distinguished from other international initiatives. By evaluating GRI's goals and its claims, the paper provides an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of this critical initiative. It includes a discussion of changes and new strategies that the GRI proposes as part of its recently introduced G3 Guidelines. The authors contend that, despite certain remaining challenges, GRI has much to offer a stakeholder community that has for many decades been starved of quality, measurable and accountable corporate social information presented in an accessible and understandable format. laura hartman Culture and Responsibility, Governance Additional Subjects in Ethics