Fostering constructive conversations about the role of business in society, politics, and economics.
2020-2021
Business and Society 2020-2021 is dedicated to issues regarding race and business, as a part of the Ross Commitment to Action. Events focus on topics ranging from the role of business in tackling systematic oppression to solving problems related to racial injustice.
Upcoming Event
Follow The Leader: DEI Through C-Suite Activism
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Time: 4:00 - 5:15 pm ET
Format: Zoom webinar
Explore how executives at the highest levels are taking the lead in shifting attitudes, behaviors, and policies surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organizations.
Brett J. Hart, President, United Airlines
Nichole Jordan, Chief Operating Officer, Remix
Mark Kennedy, President, University of Colorado
Brenda Pak, Co-Founder, BackPac Social Activism
Moderator: Jerry Davis, Professor, Michigan Ross
October 13 | Race and Business Education: Deans Panel
A power panel of deans from leading business schools discuss the challenges and opportunities they face in preparing their graduates to be inclusive leaders of a racially diverse workforce.
Bill Boulding, Duke Fuqua
Kerwin Charles, Yale SOM
Francesca Cornelli, Northwestern Kellogg
Scott DeRue, Michigan Ross
Nicole Thorne Jenkins, Virginia McIntire
Jon Levin, Stanford’s GSB
Raghu Sundaram, NYU’s Stern
Moderator: David Wooten, Michigan Ross
November 11 | A Discussion with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi: author of Stamped from the Beginning
Co-sponsored with the School of Education, the Rackham Graduate School, and the Ford School of Public Policy, Dr. Kendi leads a conversation about the deeply entrenched history of anti-Black racist ideas upon which our nation was founded and continues to function.
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Boston University
Moderator: Elisabeth Birr Moje, University of Michigan School of Education
December 4 | Toward A Racially Just Workplace
What does it mean to be black in corporate America today? How do we balance changing racial dynamics and build inclusive organizations? Laura Morgan Roberts and Tony Mayo, authors of Race, Work and Leadership, discuss how race matters in people’s experience of work and leadership.
Laura Morgan Roberts, University of Virginia Darden
Tony Mayo, Harvard Business School
Moderator: Michael Gardner, BBA '12
February 2021 | Follow The Leader: DEI Through C-Suite Activism
Explore how executives at the highest levels are taking the lead in shifting attitudes, behaviors, and policies surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organizations.
March 2021 | Helping Minority-owned Businesses Thrive
Given historical and persistent barriers to minority-owned entrepreneurship, how do such businesses get started, secure funding, and succeed in a competitive marketplace? Hear from the investors and entrepreneurs who are hustling to succeed despite the barriers.
Previous Business & Society Events
The Purpose of Business — Robin Washington
Business Won’t Save the World — Anand Giridharadas
Building Trust in Crisis — Tim Sloan
The Purpose of Business: Shareholders and Stakeholders — Francine Lafontaine, Elizabeth Anderson, Jerry Davis, Paul Clyde, and Jagadeesh Sivadasan
The Intersection of Business, Politics, and Marketing — A. Yesim Orhun
Creating Change: A Leadership Diversity Dialogue — David Wooten, Bo Young Lee, and Brian Johnson