University Research Council
November 19, 2009
Meeting Summary
Business of Humanity
John Camillus, Professor in the Katz Graduate
School of Business, reported on the status of his multidisciplinary grant,
which is entitled The Business of Humanity.
Faculty members from Katz, the Graduate School of Public and
International Affairs, and the School
of Engineering
participate in the project. They analyze
case studies drawn from firms in Brazil,
China, the Czech Republic, India,
Russia and the U.S. The project explores the following proposition:
Strategic decision making that employs criteria falling under the rubric of
"humanity" – in its two dimensions of "humaneness" and
"humankind" – leads to superior economic performance.
There are three bases and motivations for the project:
- The short- and long-term
economic and strategic advantages of "humaneness" in managerial
decision making, which focuses on criteria and programs related to safety,
quality, diversity, environmental sustainability, gender equality, social
sustainability, integrity, ergonomics, and good design.
- The imperative of recognizing
"humankind" in innovating strategy, which recognizes the global
context of decision making and draws attention to the needs and potential
of markets – at the "bottom of the pyramid" – with low per
capita incomes.
- The inadequacy and potential dysfunctionality of accounting profits as a guide for
managerial decision making, especially when facing crises, innovating
strategy, and confronting wicked problems.
Report from the
Office of Research
Allen DiPalma, Director of the Office of Research, focused
on two topics related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
- The University received
almost 250 awards, and funding summed to approximately $125 million. The first round of stimulus funding
ended with the federal fiscal year.
- The federal government will
provide improved guidelines on reporting stimulus-related job
creation. The Government
Accountability Office uncovered numerous circumstances in which the data were
not accurately reported.
Miscellaneous
Council members also discussed:
- Brainstorming for
multidisciplinary projects
- The Conflict of Interest
policy
- Government Affairs’ expertise
listings
- The federal agency funding
trip