Center completes strategic review, announces new mission.
At the September 20, 2005, Advisory Council meeting and two strategic planning session held on November 10 and 18, Advisory Council Members and Center Staff and Associates discussed the Center’s future strategy. The discussion centered on the need to streamline and focus the Center’s agenda and align the Center’s mission with the emerging strategy of Villanova and its College of Commerce and Finance. These sessions resulted in a clearer and more strategic focus for the Center, and a revised mission: Adding value to business decision-making through generation and dissemination of new knowledge, thought leadership, and best practice via basic and applied research, education, and outreach. For more information on the Center's strategy, read the CRLG strategic planning report.

Christine Poon, Vice Chairman of Johnson & Johnson, headlines Center Conference.
Christine Poon, Vice Chairman and Chairman of Worldwide Medicines and Nutritionals at Johnson & Johnson, was the keynote speaker for the Center's annual conference held Tuesday, September 20, 2005. The theme of this year's conference was Corporate Responsibility and Leadership: Bridging Global Pressures With Local Initiatives. Other speakers included Susan M. Stalnecker, Vice President of Risk Management at DuPont, John Doyle, Co-founder of Jubilee Chocolates, and Shari Berenbech, Executive Director of the Calvert Foundation. You can review the conference highlights with photos of all of the presenters.

Handbook on Responsible Leadership and Governance published by Edward Elgar.
The Handbook on Responsible Leadership and Governance in Global Business, co-edited by Jonathan Doh (the Center’s Director) and Steve Stumpf (the Springer Chair in Business Leadership) was published by Edward Elgar, effective July 1, 2005. This volume brings together and integrates varying perspectives on corporate responsibility, leadership, and governance and is designed for researchers, educators, and practicing managers. Contributors include leadings scholars such as Kim Cameron, Robert Fulmer, Mike Hitt, Robert House, Duane Ireland, Rakesh Khurana, Mike Useem and Sandra Waddock, including several Villanova faculty: Kevin Clark, Jonathan Doh, Shawn Howton, Shelly Howton, Victoria McWilliams, Narda Quigley, and Steve Stumpf. For more information, contact Edward Elgar or the Center.

Center Director to Join Michigan’s William Davidson Institute Advisory Group.
Jonathan Doh has been invited to join a core group of advisors assembled to guide the William Davidson Institute’s (WDI) new research initiative in the Globalization of Services. WDI is an independent think-tank affiliated with the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Jonathan will attend the kick-off for this initiative on September 15 and 16, along with 15 other scholars and executives from around the world.

Doh to co-author Book on Multinationals and Development.
Center Director Jonathan Doh has recently agreed to co-author a book on Multinationals and Development with Alan Rugman, the Leslie Waters Chair in International Business at Indiana University and currently the President of the Academy of International Business (the leading association of scholars and specialists in the field of international business with more than 3000 members in 65 different countries). The book, to be published by the prestigious Yale University Press in 2006, will draw from Doh and Rugman’s recent research in international business and multinational management, and focus on the mechanisms by which multinationals affect growth and development in the developing and emerging regions of the world.

Center releases annual report for 2004-2005.
The Center released a brief strategic planning report on its first full year of operation. Click here for a copy.

Center holds Spring Advisory Council meeting, plans fall conference.
The Center held its biannual advisory council meeting on May 6 and is planning its second annual conference for Tuesday, September 20 on the theme of "Corporate Responsibility and Leadership: Bridging Global Pressures With Local Initiatives." Click here for a copy of the presentations at the advisory council and check back for more information on the fall conference.

Center co-sponsors development of Initiative for Global Justice and Citizenship.
The Center is working with an interdisciplinary group of Villanova faculty, students, staff and other stakeholders committed to advancing global corporate responsibility, individual and organizational citizenship, and social justice through education, service, outreach and other mechanisms. The initiative is especially interested in supporting emerging innovations to advance social, economic and environmental progress in developing countries and disadvantaged communities through technical assistance and service experience in the areas of sustainable management practices, social entrepreneurship and innovation, micro-enterprise development, and other novel and experiential approaches. Check back for more information.

Center announces Research Excellence Awards; May 6 Seminar.
Eleven Villanova faculty who contributed to six research papers have been honored for research excellence in the area of responsible leadership and governance after a review of papers submitted to the Center's second annual research excellence working paper series. Six papers were submitted for review, three of which were chosen as outstanding examples of research in values-based leadership, ethical decision-making, and stakeholder relations. An additional three were acknowledged as "honorable mentions." Authors of the top three papers presented their findings at the Center's second annual research forum May 6, 2005. For additional information on the seminar, click here and to view summaries of the research papers, click here.

Center co-sponsors governance/microfinance/corporate responsibility speakers.
The Center is sponsoring two speakers the week of March 14. On March 15, Alex Counts and Bob Eichfeld of the Grameen Foundation will discuss Empowering the World's Poor Through Microfinance in Tolentine 215 from 6:30pm-7:30pm. For more information, contact Sarah Bauerle at bauerle@excite.com. On Wednesday, March 16, Ann Mule, Chief Governance Officer, Assistant General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at Sunoco Inc. will discuss Corporate Governance at Sunoco in Bartley 2010 from 5:00pm-6:00pm. For more information, contact jessica.bartel@villanova.edu. On Thursday, March 17, Dante Pesce, Founder and Executive Director of Vincular-CSR, a corporate social responsibility research and consulting firm at the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Valparaiso will speak on Corporate Social Responsibility in Latin America: Challenges and Opportunities in IMS Viewing Room 4 from 1:00pm-3:00pm. For more information, contact Ken Taylor at kenneth.taylor@villanova.edu.

Center supports student participation in ethics/social responsibility competitions.
For the second year, the Center is supporting Villanova student teams competing in national case competitions in business ethics and social responsibility. A team of MBA students competed in the Leeds/Net Impact case competition at the University of Colorado February 25-26 and an undergraduate team will compete in the "Business Ethics Fortnight" case competition to be held at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) April 14-16. The Net Impact team fared well in its competition with top schools at the Leeds competition, including Harvard, Wharton, and Michigan. (Last year at the Business Ethics Fortnight, the VU team tied with NYU and LMU for second place overall and with LMU for first place for "best business-like presentation" and is hoping for good success this year.) Both teams are supported by Villanova faculty who provide training and coaching, but are not directly involved in the case preparation. The Center is committed to supporting student-led initiatives at Villanova that advance the University, College, and Center goals of responsible business practices, ethical leadership and good corporate citizenship. For more information on Net Impact, contact Jessica Bartel at jessica.bartel@villanova.edu and for more information on the VU Business Ethics Fortnight team, contact Elliot Sloane ebsloane@villanova.edu.

Center co-sponsors microfinance speaker series.
The Center is co-sponsoring a series of speakers who will discuss the role of microfinance in helping to overcome poverty in developing countries through commercial opportunities. The first speakers are Alex Counts, CEO and Bob Eichfeld, Board member of the Grameen Foundation USA (GF-USA). GF-USA, a pioneer in microfinance, is a global organization that combines microfinance, new technologies, and innovative thinking to empower the world's poorest people to escape poverty. In just seven years, GF-USA has established a global network of 46 partners in 20 countries and has supported 2.5 million individuals in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East. The presentation will be held Tuesday, March 15 at 6:30pm in Tolentine 215 on the Villanova campus. For additional information, contact Sarah Bauerle at bauerle_s@excite.com.