Notre Dame Ethics Week 2015 focuses on ethics through a global lens

Notre Dame Ethics Week 2015, sponsored by the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, will focus on ”Ethics Through a Global Lens” during a series of talks Feb. 9–12. 

Ethics Week takes place annually in February, and brings in experts from a diverse array of industries to explore current ethics issues.

This year, the event will feature keynote speaker Joan Dubinsky, chief ethics officer of the United Nations Ethics Office. Dubinsky is an expert in the field of organizational ethics and compliance in the private and non-profit sectors, as well as with international institutions. 

“We’re honored to be hosting Joan Dubinsky as part of Notre Dame Ethics Week,” said Jessica McManus Warnell, associate teaching professor of management at Mendoza. “She has had an impressive career in advising and managing ethics initiatives on a global basis, including as a chief ethics officer of the International Monetary Fund. She brings an important and timely perspective to our discussion of ethics.”

Other talks in the series will address areas as diverse as international pricing and tax practices, the University’s global mission and faculty perspectives on key challenges in several regions of the world.

The talks, which are free and open to the public, will be held in the Giovanini Commons located in the Mendoza College’s lower level unless otherwise noted.

The schedule of events is as follows:
• Monday, Feb. 9, 12:30-1:30 p.m.: Jerry Carter, vice president, Tax and International Finance, IDEX Corporation; “Transfer pricing: Is it tax avoidance or tax evasion?”
• Tuesday, Feb. 10, 12:30-1:30 p.m.: Tom Guinan, associate vice president for Administrative Operations, Notre Dame International; “Notre Dame International: Advancing the University’s Mission Around the Globe”
• Wednesday, Feb. 11, 4:30-5:30 p.m.: Mendoza Faculty Panel featuring Georges Enderle, Pat Murphy, Fr. Ollie Williams; “Ethical Challenges Around the World: China, North Korea & Europe”
• Thursday, Feb. 12, 4:30- 5:30 p.m.: Joan Dubinsky, chief ethics officer, United Nations Ethics Office; “Doing Ethics in an Imperfect World:  The U.N. Experience;”  Jordan Auditorium, Mendoza College of Business

Ethics Week was established to encourage the discussion of ethical matters in undergraduate and graduate business classes at Notre Dame and to secure a foundation for future discussions inside and outside the classroom.

“Our Mendoza College of Business’s commitment to “Ask More of Business” involves the critical component of interaction with executives who face ethical issues in their professional lives every day,” said Warnell. “Ethics Week is an opportunity for our community to hear from and engage with business leaders whose commitments to ethical leadership inform and inspire.”  

Ethics Week is funded in part by the Garry Family Ethics Initiative. The event continues the legacy of John Houck, a Notre Dame management professor who authored numerous works on business ethics, including “Is the Good Corporation Dead?” Houck died in 1996.

For more information about Notre Dame Ethics Week, contact Brian Levey, teaching professor, at (574) 631-3560 or blevey@nd.edu.