Christa Wessel — Ethics: A view from the inside of a global company

“Ethics: A view from the inside of a global company”
Christa Wessel, Chief Human Resources and Legal Officer, McCain Foods Limited
April 3, 2013

Dominic Martin — Honouring the Poker Code of Ethics

“Honouring the Poker Code of Ethics Is Harder than You Think”
Dominic Martin, Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Toronto
March 19, 2013

Abstract:
A theory has been picking up momentum in business ethics which might be referred to as ‘the adversarial ethics for business.’ The theory builds on the idea that markets produce their beneficial outcomes when companies compete with each other. It follows that aggressively competitive behaviours in markets should generally be permitted, even though our common morality generally values cooperation. In this respect, the moral obligations of companies and executives share many similarities with the moral obligations of people other competitive spheres of life like sport, courts, politics or even games like poker. But an adversarial ethics for business is much more demanding that one might think on first sight. Just because competitive behaviours are permitted doesn’t mean that business ethics is permissive.

Matt Fullbrook: Executive Compensation in Canada

“Executive Compensation in Canada”
Matt Fullbrook, Manager, Clarkson Centre for Business Ethics and Board Effectiveness (Rotman School of Management)
March 7, 2013, 8am

Matt Fullbrook will discuss the latest research from the Clarkson Centre for Board Effectiveness, which shows that S&P/TSX 60 boards have successfully aligned CEO pay with share performance over the past 8 years.

Panel on Board Diversity: Where are the Women on Canada’s Corporate Boards?

“Board Diversity: Where are the Women on Canada’s Corporate Boards” (Panel Discussion)
Feb. 11, 2013, 7:45 a.m.
Moderator: Janet McFarland, Business Reporter, Globe and Mail
Panelists included:

• Eileen Mercier, Chair, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
• Patrice Merrin, Chairman of the Board, CML Healthcare
• Wendy Cukier, Founding Director, Ryerson Diversity Institute

Georges Dessaulles, “Insider Trading: Does it Really Pay?”

Georges Dessaulles, Chairman of the Canadian Centre for Ethics and Corporate Policy, and former Compliance Director, RBC Banking
“Insider Trading: Does it Really Pay?”
Jan. 31, 12 p.m.
(Offered in collaboration with Ryerson’s Capital Markets Group and TRSM’s Finance Department.)

Fiona Crean, “Accountability in Public Institutions: the Role of Ombudsman in Local Government”

“Accountability in Public Institutions: the Role of Ombudsman in Local Government”
Fiona Crean, Ombudsman, City of Toronto
Jan. 22, 5 p.m.
(In collaboration with the Ryerson Commerce and Government Association.)

Ryan Turnbull: “Social Enterprise: Why ‘Good’ is the New Currency?”

Ryan Turnbull, Director of Ethics and CSR, EcoEthonomics
“Social Enterprise: Why ‘Good’ is the New Currency?”
Wednesday, November 28, 2012

John Boatright, “The Ethics of Risk Management: A Post-Crisis Perspective”

Friday, November 9, 2012
12:00 to 1:15 pm

John Boatright is the author of Ethics in Finance and editor of Finance Ethics: Critical Issues in Theory and Practice.

Panel: Ethical and Legal Aspects of Workplace Social Media

Panel: “Ethical and Legal Aspects of Workplace Social Media”
(co-sponsored by the Ethics Practitioners’ Association of Canada)
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
8:00 to 10:00 a.m

Panelists:
Mark Crestohl, AVP, Global HR Regulatory Policies at TD Bank
Dan Michaluk, Partner, Hicks Morley
Avner Levin, Director, Privacy and Cyber Crime Institute, Ted Rogers School of Management

Dirk Matten: “Corporate Social Responsibility and institutional theory: new perspectives on private governance”

(co-sponsored by the Ryerson CSR Institute)
Friday, 19 October 2012

Abstract:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a pervasive topic in the business literature, but has largely neglected the role of institutions. This paper examines the potential contributions of institutional theory to understanding CSR as a mode of governance. This perspective suggests going beyond grounding CSR in the voluntary behaviour of companies, and understanding the larger historical and political determinants of whether and in what forms corporations take on social responsibilities. Historically, the prevailing notion of CSR emerged through the defeat of more institutionalized forms of social solidarity in liberal market economies. Meanwhile, CSR is more tightly linked to formal institutions of stakeholder participation or state intervention in other advanced economies. The tensions between business-driven and multi-stakeholder forms of CSR extend to the transnational level, where the form and meaning of CSR remain highly contested. CSR research and practice thus rest on a basic paradox between a liberal notion of voluntary engagement and a contrary implication of socially binding responsibilities. Institutional theory seems to be a promising avenue to explore how the boundaries between business and society are constructed in different ways, and improve our understanding of the effectiveness of CSR within the wider institutional field of economic governance.