People, Planet, Profit – Business Today, Tomorrow – What Next?

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

9:40am – 11:10am: Ahmanson Auditorium
Welcome: Remarks by Dean Robbin Crabtree. Lawrence Kalbers (Professor, Accounting), to introduce Symposium. Followed by a 5 minute video: students, faculty, and alums share their passions, concerns, and challenges with doing business in the marketplace.

Interfaith Panel: Professors engage the audience in a discussion about the intersection of faith and values in the world of business.

Arthur Gross-Schaefer, Professor, Marketing and Business Law; Amir Hussain, Professor, Theological Studies; Jonathan Rothchild, Associate Professor, Theological Studies; and Christopher Chapple, Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology, Theological Studies

2:40pm – 4:10pm: Von der Ahe
Is American Capitalism Broken? Comments on the Causes of Inequality of Income and Wealth

Stephen Young will discuss the inequality of income and wealth in the United States from historical, economic, and moral perspectives. He will propose that many mutually supporting causes have issued forth from excessive financialization of the post-industrial economy and the rise of a new class of rent seekers. He will address how government and business can work together within a capitalist framework to restore the power of the real economy.

4:30pm – 5:45pm: Von der Ahe
Profit, Purpose and People: A Path to Sustainable Success

Is it possible to build and sustain a for-profit organization that exists primarily for the good of its people? Kathy Mazzarella, Chairman, President and CEO of Graybar, will discuss how an employee ownership model gives employees a stake in the success of an organization, and how that ownership influences the company’s strategy, culture, decision-making, core values and commitment to sustainability. The session will also provide insight on how companies owned by employees can drive innovation and competitiveness, while remaining true to their values and preserving their cultural strenghts.

Followed by Reception in Von der Ahe

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

9:40am – 11:10am: Hilton 100
Business and Socially Responsible and Just Practices: The LMU Case

This session will discuss how organizations can create more sustainable and socially responsible supply chains by implementing responsible and just practices such as responsible sourcing and fair trade. Raymond Dennis, Associate VP for Auxiliary Management and Business Services at LMU, and Richard Rosen from Sodexo will cover the LMU case and present some of the socially just business policies including responsible sourcing, doing business with companies that have socially just practices as well as organizations whose values are mission driven toward people, planet and profit, and fair trade practices.

Moderator: Ivan Montiel, Associate Professor of Corporate Sustainability, LMU

Discussant: Jensena Kaplan, MBA Candidate, LMU

Presenters: Raymond Dennis, Associate VP, Auxiliary Management and Business Services, LMU and Richard Rosen, Senior Director of Supply Management – Proteins, Sodexo

12:40pm – 2:10pm: Hilton 100
Sustainable Practices: Examples from Business and Higher Education

Sustainable practices are being more widely adopted by business, government, and not-for-profit organizations. LivingHomes aspires to ‘wed profit and purpose’ by developing homes that make great design, functionality, and sustainable design practical and affordable. Loyola Marymount University, in tune with its mission, is committed to sustainable practices on campus. What can we learn from these organizations that can be applied to the behavior of other organizations and individuals?

Moderator: Lawrence Kalbers, Ph.D, Professor of Accounting, College of Business Administration

Steve Glenn, Founder and CEO, LivingHomes

Ian McKeown, Sustainability Coordinator, Loyola Marymount University

4:30pm – 7:00pm: Hilton 100
Dirty Hands: Questioning Investment and Divestment in Fossil Fuels

A panel discussion followed by Q&A, focusing on issues related to ethical management of investments, particularly fossil fuels. Are universities – particularly universities with strong, explicit values-based missions – responsible for overseeing their investments in a manner aligned with their mission and values? Specifically, what should universities do with respect to the recent push by activists to have universities, corporations, and municipalities divest funds from fossil fuels contributing to runaway anthropogenic climate change?

Moderator: Brian Treanor, Professor, Philosophy and Director of the Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination

Lisa Laird, VP Investments and Cash Management at St. Joseph Health

Susan Smith Makos, Vice President of Social Responsibility, Mercy Investment Services

Carlos Davidson, Professor and Environmental Studies Program Coordinator, San Francisco State University

Followed by Reception in Von der Ahe

Thursday, October 22, 2015

9:40am – 11:10am: Ahmanson Auditorium
Just Employment at LMU and Beyond

Do we have an obligation to create just workplaces? What is “just employment”? What are the economics of just employment? Is a just employment policy compatible with a viable business model? What strategies can we follow in respecting the dignity of work? Do we have an obligation to ensure LMU provides a just workplace to its employees? There are the sorts of questions that student, faculty, and others are raising at institutes of higher education throughout the United States. In this panel, we bring the conversation home to LMU – and beyond.

Moderator: Anna Harrison, Associate Professor, Theological Studies

Panelists: Alex Taliadoros of Georgetown University’s Kalmanovitz Initiative; Matthew Petrusek, Assistant Professor, Theological Studies; Cathleen McGrath, Associate Professor, Management; Sean D’Evelyn, Assistant Professor, Economics; and Armani Gates

11:20am – 12:50pm: Ahmanson Auditorium
Screening of La Ciudad

Discussion with film director David Riker

Moderated by Kennedy Wheatley, Assistant Professor, Production, Film and Television

Followed by reception in Atrium

2:40pm – 4:00pm: Ahmanson Auditorium
Gentrification and the Community

Discussion with representatives from East LA Community Corporation (ELACC)

Moderator: Jessica Viramontes, Program Coordinator, Center for Service and Action

Panelist: Christopher Franco