In today's ever-changing global market, the relevance of building responsible and sustainable global cultures has never been more apparent. International business and civil society leaders and faculty will gather at Bentley University on Monday, May 17, 2010 for the sixth annual Global Business Ethics Symposium, sponsored by the State Street Foundation, Inc., the charitable grantmaking arm of State Street Corporation. The program will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Bentley in the LaCava Conference Center in Waltham, Mass with morning keynote speaker Tracy Atkinson, executive vice president and chief compliance officer at State Street Corporation and luncheon keynote speaker Hazel Henderson, founder of Ethical Markets Media, LLC (live via satellite). The theme - What is Sustainability: Differing Perspectives on Sustainable Business Practice in the Global Context - encompasses a topic that remains at the forefront of business, politics and media and has a daily impact on our global society.
"The focus of this year's symposium is an essential component of global business development," notes Tony Buono, professor of management and director of the Bentley Alliance for Ethics and Social Responsibility. "As our global economy and environment become more and more interconnected, it is critical that we examine, discuss, and execute sustainable business practices."
Buono continues, "For this year's program, we've attracted speakers with considerable experience and expertise on the complexities, challenges and dynamics associated with sustainability, organizational ethics, and corporate social responsibility who will provide us with invaluable insight."
The day-long series of panels and discussion will directly confront daunting challenges faced by top industry professionals and experts such as defining sustainability, strategies and critical challenges for sustainable global business practice, the business of peace, building sustainable organizations, and managing the sustainable enterprise. In conjunction with the symposium on Monday, May 17, from Tuesday, May 18 through Friday, May 21, Bentley will host four days of global business ethics teaching workshops where participants will learn and discuss what some believe is impossible - how to teach ethics, sustainability and corporate social responsibility in the classroom.
Academic panelists at the May 17 Symposium represent Bentley University; University of Waterloo; Baruch College, CUNY; Euromed Management, Marseille; Hebron University, Palestinian Territories; Clark University; Entrepreneurial College - Israel; Ruppin Academic Center, Israel; AlQuds University, Jerusalem; George Washington University; Green Mountain College; and Universidad de Valencia. Business panelists hail from State Street Corporation; Mohawk Industries; PricewaterhouseCoopers; The Tellus Institute; Tata Sons, India; GESC, Brazil; Environmental Resources Management; YES Campaign; and the United Nations Global Compact in Turkey.
The cost to attend the symposium is $100.00 USD, including a continental breakfast, lunch and closing reception. For more information on registration and the leading experts at each panel, please go to www.bentley.edu/symposium.
Established in Memory of Timothy B. Harbert '76, Chairman and CEO of State Street Global Advisors and Trustee and Alumnus of Bentley University, the partnership unites business and higher education to build a strong ethical foundation from which to serve our many constituencies and communities.
STATE STREET CORPORATION (NYSE: STT) is one of the world's leading providers of financial services to institutional investors including investment servicing, investment management and investment research and trading. With $19 trillion in assets under custody and administration and $1.9 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2010, State Street operates in 25 countries and more than 100 geographic markets worldwide. For more information, visit State Street's website at www.statestreet.com.
THE STATE STREET FOUNDATION offers grant support to initiatives that bring long-term solutions to important community issues such as workforce development and education among others. Founded in 1977, the Foundation has since given $165 million in grants to charitable organizations in communities where State Street has a business presence. The State Street Foundation is funded by State Street Corporation, which provides a portion of its pre-tax profits every year to the Foundation.