Mr. M Damodaran observed that it is the first time that all the three topics…Business Ethics, Corporate Governance and CSR…have been addressed together. “This is without argument the first where I have seen Business Ethics specifically mentioned and more importantly placed in the batting order above Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility. The ends are important, the means are just as important. Legitimate means would take you to desired goals. You cannot legislate, as Alan Greenspan famously said, for honesty you cannot legislate for good conduct. That you (young Indians) must together ensure that this country which is today talking about inclusive growth, the point that we should carry have-nots along with us”, observed Mr. M.Damodaran.
The two day event focussed on Ethical challenges in areas of Finance, Marketing, CSR and CG, concluding with the valedictory address by Mr N Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu group of publications..
Father P Christie, Director – LIBA, observed that this is possibly the first time that such a conference involving very senior industry professionals is being organized by students of a business school. “As creators of the managers of tomorrow, we at LIBA believe that inculcation of ethics at a very early stage in individual professional life span is crucial. It will probably be the critical DNA that separates institutions from the rats. We are fortunate that several industry chieftains have come forward to share their beliefs with the future managers of India and do hope that the student community will benefit immensely from this interesting exposure”.
First day’s sessions included national and international experts and researchers focusing on the areas like Ethical Challenges in Financial Sector, Ethical Challenges in Marketing and Ethical Challenges in Business with a Global Perspective. The speakers included :
· Mr M S Sundara Rajan, Executive Director, Indian Bank
· Mr Arindam Banerrji, MD & COO, Deutsche Bank Operations International
· Mr D P Padmanabhan, M D, Eurocon Tiles,
· Mr Sridhar RamanujamCEO, Brand-Comm
· Mr Krishna Mohan, President, Ogilvy & Mather.
· Mr David Hopper,Consul General, U S Consulate, Chennai,
· Prof. Dr Liedekerke Luc Van President, European Business Ethics Network, Belgium
· Prof. Spillane James SJ, Sanata Dharma University, Indonesia
Second day’s session analyzed the scenario of CSR and CG in India with sessions on “Corporate Social Responsibility – A Competitive Tool for Corporate Excellence”, ‘Corporate Governance – Precepts and Practices and ‘Issues and Challenges of Corporate Governance in India’. Following were the speakers:
· Mr R Ramamurthy, Covenor, CSR Panel,
· FICCI – Tamil Nadu Chapter.
· Mr Yoshiaki Kodaki, Consul General, Japanese Consulate, Chennai
· Mr Venkat Changavalli, CEO, Emergency Management and Research Institute
· Mr J Mohapatra, Executive Director, National Thermal Power Corporation
· Mr R Ramaraj, formerly MD & CEO Sify Ltd
· Mr M A Alagappan, Executive Chairman, Murugappa Group
· Mr S B Mathur, Chairman, National Stock
· Mr G V RamakrishnaIAS (Retd), formerly Chairman of SEBI and Disinvestment Commission, Govt. of India
· Dr Madhav Mehra, President World Council for Corporate Governance, London
· Mr P Shankar IAS (Retd.), former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Govt. of India
As part of this initiative, LIBA has launched an international case study contest, wherein students have to contribute case studies based on Business Ethics in a Globalized World. The contest is sponsored by Indian Oil and carries a prize money of 1000USD as first prize and 500USD as second prize. More details at www.liba.edu