The SEVEN DEADLY SINS AND BUSINESS ETHICS: FOUR PHILOSOPHERS TELL ALL
November 14, 2007 Panel Discussion
This panel featured the SBA's business ethicists, Al Gini, John Boatright, Robert Kolb, and Alexei Marcoux. They each discussed one of the seven deadly sins from both an ethical and business perspective.
Featured (bottom row) Al Gini, Alexei Marcoux, (top row) Robert Kolb, John Boatright
Fifty-five people attended this thought-provoking event moderated by Al Gini. Dr. Gini lead the discussion with an interesting ethical and business perspective on the Seven Deadly Sins and then focused specifically on "Pride". John Boatright followed with many insightful comments about the influence of "Greed" in the business and modern world. Alexei Marcoux continued the discussion of the sins by focusing on "Envy" and using some relatable examples of buyer's remorse. And, Robert Kolb wrapped up the panel portion with comments about "Sloth". The topic generated a meaningful discussion and was then followed by a reception where people continued to share their perspectives.
Moderator
Al Gini, Professor of Business Ethics, School of Business Administration, Loyola University Chicago
Dr. Gini is the co-founder and associate editor of Business Ethics Quarterly, the Journal of the Society of Business Ethics. Besides lecturing to community and to professional organizations he does consulting on corporate ethics and can be regularly heard on National Public Radio’s Chicago affiliate, WBEZ-FM. His books include: My Job My Self: Work and the Creation of the Modern Individual, (Routledge, 2000); The Importance of Being Lazy: In Praise of Play, Leisure and Vacations, (Routledge, 2003); and, he has written and produced two plays—Working Ourselves to Death and Letters of a Consumacholic. His most recent book is entitled, Why It’s Hard to Be Good (Routledge, 2006)
Panelists
John R. Boatright, Raymond C. Baumhart, S.J. Professor of Business Ethics, Graduate School of Business, Loyola University Chicago
Professor Boatright has served five years as the Executive Director of the Society for Business Ethics and is a past president of the society. He is the author of the books Ethics and the Conduct of Business and Ethics in Finance. Boatright has published widely in academic journals and has lectured widely to academic and practitioner audiences. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Chicago.
Robert Kolb, Professor of Finance, Frank W. Considine Chair of Applied Ethics, Loyola University Chicago
After earning two Ph.D.’s from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Philosophy 1974 and Finance 1978), Professor Kolb served as a professor of finance at the University of Florida, Emory University, the University of Miami, and the University of Colorado. During this time, he published more than 50 academic research articles and more than 20 books, most focusing on financial derivatives and their applications to risk management. In 1990, he founded Kolb Publishing Company to publish finance and economics university texts. In 1995 he sold the firm to Blackwell Publishers. While at the University of Miami, Kolb served as the chairman of the finance department and was the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Finance. From 2003-2006, Kolb served at the University of Colorado in Boulder as a Professor of Finance and as Assistant Dean for Business and Society, where he led the school’s program in business ethics.
Alexei Marcoux, Associate Professor of Business Ethics, Graduate School of Business, Loyola University Chicago
Professor Marcoux teaches courses in Business Ethics and Ethics in Finance. He also embraces research topics like reservation price deception, price discrimination, and pricing by way of novel mechanisms such as the second-price auctions employed on eBay. Currently, he is working on a book about the moral foundations of commercial transactions and the peculiar conception of business that informs academic business ethics. Marcoux has won many prestigious awards including the Graduate School of Business Faculty of the Year award in 2005.
Featured (from left to right): Al Gini, John Boatright, Alexei Marcoux, Robert Kolb