April 14-16, 2013
This international conference, sponsored by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies and the Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, will focus on current challenges to international marketing ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Held at the Notre Dame London Centre near Trafalgar Square, the symposium will gather over thirty scholars from business schools across Europe to examine the status of business ethics and corporate social responsibility in Europe and then consider a range of emerging issues in the field such as bribery, privacy, obesity, sustainability, consumer ethics, and the responsibility of retailers. Key questions include:
- Has the project of European unification led to less bribery and corruption by marketing organizations?
- Are multinational companies and their marketing practices a force for positive developments in European economies?
- Is ‘marketing and corporate responsibility’ a topic that differs among countries within the European Union, or have companies moved to a single market model in addressing ethical issues (e.g., a single code of ethics for all EU members)? Does this approach extend to worldwide operations as well?
- How has the issue of privacy on the internet, especially as it pertains to marketing efforts, been enforced more strictly by the European Union than by national governments?
- How does the secularization of European society affect ethical marketing practices when traditional religions diminish and newer religious customs (e.g. Muslim) increase?
A doctoral consortium on marketing ethics and CSR will precede the conference and include Ph.D. candidates from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal.
Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, will deliver the keynote address to conference participants and accept the Hesburgh Award, given annually by the Mendoza College of Business to an ethical and socially responsible company.
The symposium was organized by Patrick E. Murphy, Professor of Business and Marketing at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.