Business as an instrument of peace

A new book by Rev. Oliver F.Williams, C.S.C, presents the case for business not only as a significant force
in raising living standards, but actually bringing about world peace.

Williams is an associate
professor of management at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of
Business, as well as the director of the College’s Centerfor Ethics and Religious Values in Business. His book, “Corporate SocialResponsibility: The Role of Business in Sustainable Development” (Routledge,
November 2013) is a comprehensive exploration of the themes surrounding what
has become known popularly as CSR, a reference to corporations’ efforts to
address societal and environmental needs as part of their core operations.

Williams presents a history of business ethics—which goes back at least to ancient
Mesopotamia—before exploring the state of CSR today. The book argues that a
wide-ranging understanding of the purpose of business is necessary to create
value for a community of stakeholders, which in turn can generate a sustainable
future.

The book also provides an examination of the
present and future work of the UN Global Compact. The Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses
that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with 10
universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor,
environment and anti-corruption.

“This well-written,
and easily accessible book on corporate social responsibility cuts through the
mountain of literature to tackle the big issues” said Malcom McIntosh, professor and director of the Asia Pacific Centre for Sustainable
Enterprise at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. “It is both intelligent and compassionate at the
same time, coming from a wise and experienced man.”

The book is
available through Routledge publishers at http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415824972/

Rev. Oliver Williams is the editor or author of 15 books as
well as numerous articles on business ethics in journals, such as the Harvard
Business Review, California Management Review, Business Ethics Quarterly,
the Journal of Business Ethics, Business Horizons and Theology Today.
Recent books include Economic Imperatives and Ethical Values in Global
Business: The South African Experience and Global Codes Today (co-authored
with S. Prakash Sethi) and Peace Through Commerce: Responsible Corporate
Citizenship and the UN Global Compact.

Williams
served as associate provost of the University of Notre Dame from 1987-94 and is
a past chair of the Social Issues Division of the Academy of Management. In
2006, he was appointed a member of the three-person Board of Directors at the
United Nations Global Compact Foundation. The United Nations Global Compact is
the world’s largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative with over 7,000
businesses around the world as members.

For
more information, contact Williams at (574) 631-5761 or Oliver.F.Williams.80@nd.edu.

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