The rights and responsibilities of business have prompted intense debate since the advent of modern capitalism. On Friday, Sept. 7, Minnesota business leaders and the authors of Corporate Responsibility: The American Experience will share insights from their exploration of 200 years of American business, economic, social and political history at a half-day conference on St. Thomas’ Minneapolis campus.
The conference, “The Evolution of Corporate Responsibility in American Business,” celebrates publication of the book and will ask: What is corporate responsibility? Where did this idea originate? How has it come to be a factor in business decision making?
The conference will be held from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. (registration opens at 1 p.m.), with a networking reception to follow, in the Schulze Hall auditorium and atrium. The conference is free and open to the public; as seating is limited, advance registration is required. Register here.
Commissioned by the Center for Ethical Business Cultures at the University of St. Thomas' Opus College of Business, Corporate Responsibility: The American Experience traces ideas and practices across nearly two centuries. It is a story with many threads: visionaries, rogues, social reformers, labor leaders, political activists (radicals and moderates) and a productive, innovative economy.
As Ken Powell, chairman and CEO of General Mill, notes in the book’s forward: “This book appears at a timely moment. Many business leaders are clearly rethinking what it means to be a truly socially responsible company, and this important work helps us understand not only the history of corporate responsibility but also its evolving future.”
For more information about the conference contact the Center for Ethical Business Cultures, (651)962-4120.
