Ethics Forum 2019

Host and Moderator:

Daniel W. Pullin, Dean and Fred E. Brown Chair of the Michael F. Price College of Business

Dean Pullin will offer introductory comments and also serve as moderator for a 90-minute panel discussion involving each of the forum’s speakers. The panel discussion will rely on and be prompted by audience questions.

Social Entrepreneurship:

Tom Lumpkin, Director, Tom Love Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development & C. S. Trosper Chair in Entrepreneurship, Price College of Business

Professor Lumpkin will draw a distinction between social entrepreneurship and related activities such as social innovation and CSR. He will argue that, relative to other approaches to creating positive societal impact, the stakeholder interactions underlying many social entrepreneurship efforts create both ethical opportunities and potential perils.

Finance:

Chitru S. Fernando, Director of the Division of Finance & Rainbolt Chair in Finance, Price College of Business

Drawing on his published research, Professor Fernando will explain that an embrace of social responsibilities often enhances shareholder value by mitigating the firm’s risk exposure, thereby reducing its cost of capital (a win-win for shareholders and society). His results also show that investors are able to differentiate between socially responsible corporate actions that benefit shareholders and those who do not.

Cyber-Ethics & Online Conflict Disclosures:

Matthew Jensen, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems, Price College of Business

Drawing on his published research, Professor Jensen will discuss online, word-of-mouth advertising and will examine the effects mandatory conflict-of-interest (COI) disclosures can have on its interpretation. His results demonstrate the most effective way that firms can respect both the letter and the spirit of COI disclosure requirements while simultaneously enhancing organizational advertising goals.

Law and Global Trade:

Benedict Sheehy, Head of School, Canberra Law School, University of Canberra

Professor Sheehy will discuss various types of “mandatory” CSR emerging in the European Union, India and Indonesia, where CSR is less a matter of strategy than of compliance. These economies total more than two billion people and have a combined GDP greater than the United States. Global trade increasingly requires U.S.-based firms to account for this shift.

Accounting:

Anita L. Holloway, Audit Partner and Office Managing Partner of Ernst & Young, Tulsa Office

Gary Burke, Ernst & Young Partner, Dallas Office, Forensics Group

Ms. Holloway has served clients ranging from international corporations to emerging businesses, primarily in the energy sector. Her experience includes three IPOs. She will discuss social responsibility, independence and the need for ethics/transparency from a financial reporting standpoint. Mr. Burke will address ethical issues associated with forensic accounting.

Luncheon Address: “Beyond Compliance”

O. Homer Erekson, John V. Roach Dean, Neeley School of Business, Texas Christian University

Dean Erekson will discuss the rationale for companies going beyond compliance when facing environmental challenges. Building on his research in what has come to be known as the “Triple Bottom-Line,” he will focus on the necessity of considering ecological, economic and social dimensions when framing sustainability.

International Business

Margaret Shaffer, Michael F. Price Chair in International Business & Professor of Management

Professor Shaffer will discuss some of the ethical challenges that confront expatriate managers. Unethical behavior takes many forms, including bribery and corruption. In this context, she will discuss the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it illegal for U.S. firms to offer bribes to foreign parties to obtain business.

Health Care

Maggie Wolff, former System Director of Marketing and Communications for INTEGRIS and current Chief of Staff for Tim Pehrson, CEO

Ms. Wolff will discuss the importance and impact of the corporate voice with both employees and consumers. Marketing and branding often focus externally; however, Wolff will consider the value of the most influential group of brand ambassadors: employees. Specifically, Wolff will focus on health care brand and social strategy, and the importance of aligning internal and external messaging.

Management:

Linda Klebe Treviño, Distinguished Professor of Organizational Behavior and Ethics, Smeal College of Business, Penn State University

Professor Treviño will focus inside the organization, explaining how we should think about ethical culture, how building and sustaining an ethical culture can pay dividends, and how failing to do so can be very costly to the organization. She will use the Wells Fargo case as an example of what happens when an ethical culture goes terribly wrong.