Over the last decade, many private firms have begun to consciously engage in what has been come to be called "Corporate Social Responsibility" (CSR), the effort to achieve societal goals while still enhancing corporate profitability (to do good and do well). In turn, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international institutions alike have increasingly attempted to harness market forces to the public good. These firms and organizations have sought to further a variety of environmental, health, labor, and social goals, both at home and abroad. Over the course of the 2008-09 academic year, a series of lectures and discussions will be offered by academics, businesspeople, NGO leaders, and UN representatives on this wide-ranging movement and the private sector's untapped potential for confronting socioeconomic and environmental challenges.
This series is co-sponsored by the Program in Environmental Studies, Office of Environmental Affairs, Career Services Office, and the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs.
List of speakers:
October 2, 2008
David Blittersdorf, President & CEO, Earth Turbines, Inc.
Our Energy Future – A Major Change
View video
November 11, 2008
JD Bergeron, Senior Manager, Kiva Fellows Program
Microfinance’s Role in International Development and the Kiva Story
(additional co-sponsor - the Henry Luce Foundation)
View video
February 19, 2009
Randy Kritkausky, President, Ecologia
Corporate Social Responsibility, From Vermont to China
(part of ES Program’s Howard E. Woodin Colloquium Series)
The Orchard, Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest
View video
April 2, 2009
David Vogel, Haas School of Business, UC – Berkeley
The Market for Virtue: A Critical Appraisal of the Potential and Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility
Robert A. Jones ’59 House conference room
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April 14, 2009
Cheyenna Weber, Organizing Director, Responsible Endowments Coalition
Socially Responsible Investing 101
The Orchard, Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest
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April 20, 2009
Christian Thommessen, Chairman, Constantia a.s. - Sollund a.s. - Hovedstaden Eiendomsselskab a.s.
Founder of UNDP's Growing Inclusive Markets initiative
Creating Value for All – Strategies for doing Business with the Poor
Robert A. Jones ’59 House conference room
View video