Sep 20, 2004
DePaul University Ethics Institute Hosts Three-Day National Conference On Ethical Decision-Making In Business Oct 21-23
Executives From Abbott, Boeing, Blue Cross and Financial Relations Board Will Speak Oct. 22; Conference Also Features Sessions on Accounting Responsibilities and Entrepreneurial Ethics
Four prominent corporate leaders who have grappled with business ethics issues within their companies and industries will discuss “Leadership in Ethics in 21st Century Corporate America” from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 22. The session is part of the 11th annual International Conference Promoting Business Ethics Oct. 21-23 in the Grand Ballroom of the Standard Club, 320 S. Plymouth Court, sponsored by the DePaul University’s Institute for Business and Professional Ethics (IBPE).
“The theme of the session is corporate governance after the meltdown,” explained Patricia Werhane, the Wicklander Chair in Business Ethics at DePaul and IBPE director. “The speakers will explore the status of ethics and compliance in American business in the wake of Enron and in the face of new accounting and investor legislation, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.”
The session’s four speakers will be: Charles Brock, vice president, chief ethics and compliance officer at Abbott Laboratories; M. Martha Ries, vice president of ethics and business conduct at Boeing; Raymond F. McCaskey, chief executive officer of Health Care Service Corp., who oversees the Illinois, Texas and New Mexico Blue Cross Blue Shield plans; and Donni Case, president of the Financial Relations Board.
Following this session, a luncheon panel discussion of the “Responsibilities of Accountants and Auditors” will be held from 12:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Panelists include Edward G. Maier, CEO of Maier Consulting Group, who is an ex-Arthur Andersen executive, and Ronald Duska, the Charles Lamont Post Professor of Business Ethics at American College, who is author of a widely cited new book “Accounting Ethics.”
Other sessions of note during the three-day conference include:
The annual ethics conference rotates between America’s three Catholic Vincentian higher education institutions – DePaul, Niagara and St. John universities, which have long histories of promoting ethical decision-making in business and life. DePaul’s new president, the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., will welcome participants to this year’s event. Ethics scholars will present papers that explore “Ethics All the Way Through,” or how ethics can be incorporated throughout organizations, from mission statements to management thinking and organizational intent. The research is expected to provide examples of best ethics practices in business and corporate life.
The registration fee is $80 per person to attend the Oct. 22 morning speaking program, which includes breakfast. The fee for the entire Oct. 21-23 conference is $250 per person. For more information and registration, call 312/362-8786 or visit the IBHE Web site commerce.depaul.edu/ethics/.
Formed in 1985 and guided by a 26-member board drawn from Chicago’s corporate community, the IBPE fosters educational programs and public forums that explore and promote ethical practices in organizations.
Note to Editors: Journalists interested in covering the conference should make prior arrangements by contacting Robin Florzak, DePaul director of media relations, at 312/362-8592 or rflorzak@depaul.edu. Also, due to Standard Club rules, please do not mention the Standard Club by name in news coverage of the event (calendar items may mention the club).