Our events calendar is populated with a mixture of NIBE events or events from partner organisations and our wider network. All events profiled are connected to general business ethics or hone in on a contemporary ethical topic or concern. These events occur across the North East and are an opportunity to learn, reflect, debate, share best practice and most importantly, connect and network with others.
At NIBE, we guarantee a warm welcome and we look forward to meeting you at a future event.
AGENDA
8:30 | Welcome and introduction, Paul Lancaster, Caroline Theobald, Dawn Dunn and Phil Jackman
8:50 | Speakers, for and against the motion, for and against the motion.
9:15 | Interlude discussion, Caroline Theobald and Dawn Dunn
9:25 | Response, for and against the motion, for and against the motion
9:50 | Summary and audience questions to the panel, Paul Lancaster and Phil Jackman
10:20| Vote and close Caroline Theobald and Dawn Dunn
Business Responsibility for Human Rights – Dr Owen Boyle, Northumbria University
Join Dr Owen Boyle for the first in the academic year’s Responsible Business Seminars, this year taking
place entirely online.
About the Seminar
In 2011, the United Nations published the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights which outlined the State duty to protect human rights, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and the need for access to effective remedy. All business enterprises therefore have to ‘respect’ human rights throughout the course of their operations and help ensure access to effective remedy when negative impacts take place. But what does it mean to respect human rights and how can a business provide an effective remedy?
About the Speaker
Owen has been working on corporate social responsibility (CSR) for almost ten years. During this period, he completed his PhD at the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen and wrote on the subject of business responsibility for human rights. Owen focused on how business enterprises can respect human rights through the implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Following completion of his PhD, he worked as a consultant across Scandinavia and northern Europe. In this capacity, Owen has advised a number of large corporations on how to implement various aspects of the UNGPs across their organisations. He has written human rights policies for international organisations and worked on a project with the United Nations that aims to provide operational guidance for companies as to how they can create effective grievance mechanisms to help ensure access to remedy in a business and human rights context.”
North East Initiative on Business Ethics (NIBE) and Tees Valley Business Club invite you to our first ‘bite-sized business ethics’ event @home between 9am – 10am on Wednesday 30th September.
North Star Housing’s Ethical Journey will share best practice, provide useful takeaways to implement in your business and catalyse discussion that will contribute to the Tees Valley’s ethical business culture.
Hosted by Angela Lockwood, Chief Executive of North Star Housing Group, this bite-size session will compromise business networking, presentation and ideas-exchange. A fifteen minute presentation from Angela will focus on three important areas: Learning from COVID; People and Relationships and Measuring ethical investment. This will be followed by q&a.
North Star Housing’s Ethical Business Journey will be co-facilitated by Jane Reynolds, Chair of Tees Valley Busines Club and Caroline Theobald, founding director of NIBE and associate of Teesside University Business School.
We are currently working on plans to mark World Ethics Day
The perils of speed: how could the slow movement help us treat ourselves and others better – Di Gates, Stick Theory
About the seminar
The Slow Movement is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. It’s about seeking to do things at the right speed; doing things as well as possible, not as fast as possible. In this talk, I’ll outline the basics of The Slow Movement and invite the audience to consider how it could help us design our lives and businesses better, so that we focus more on our own human needs and those of people around us. I’ll share examples of the Slow Movement in practice, but the real focus will be on understanding the principles of slowing down, and how these could help us think differently and make more human-centred decisions about our own organisations.
About the speaker
Di has been running businesses and developing growth strategies for national and international clients for 20+years. From 2001 – 2009 she ran one of the North of England’s biggest creative agencies, growing the company to 20+ employees and £1.4 mil turnover, with a national reputation for social change campaigns. On exiting to an investor in 2009, she founded collaboration consultancy, Stick Theory, developing brand and commercial strategies for a range
of clients from ambitious investor-backed startups to global household consumer brands.
Women, Migration and Labour Markets – Prof Mary Silles, Northumbria University
About the Seminar
Women with more children tend to have lower labour supply and earnings. Why is this? There are two broad explanations. One is a selection story: women with more children would work less even in the absence of their children. Another story is one of causation: childcare will make you a different type of employee, and children will lead to lower labour supply and earnings. Distinguishing between these scenarios is the objective of this study. Using the birth of twins this research carefully examines the impact of children on women’s labour force participation and earnings. The birth of twins is an important innovation to tackle problems that arise because fertility is largely a matter of choice for women in the United Kingdom. This research is interesting because it provides deep insights into women’s labour market behaviour following the transition into parenthood.
About the Speaker
Mary Silles is Professor of Economics and Head of the Economics Subject Group at Northumbria University. Before moving to Northumbria in 2020, she held previous appointments at the University of Hull, University of Chicago, the University of Copenhagen, the National University of Ireland, and the International Monetary Fund. In 2002, she received a doctorate in economics from the University of Oxford. She is a labour economist with an ongoing research programme in the economics of education. Her work in this field features some of the most advanced research in economics and has generated many important insights into practical questions in education. Her study of adopted children in the United States is the largest evaluation of adopted children’s educational success in the world.
Professor Silles say: “My research is a deep source of personal satisfaction, the greatest pleasure of my academic life is teaching. Over the years I have benefited greatly from rigorous discussions on important economic issues with many of my students. I am very proud of all my students many of whom have gone on to have successful careers in economics, finance and academia.”
Non-Executives in the dock – Tom Harrison, International Centre for Connected Construction
About the seminar
Public confidence in companies and organisations has been rocked by a slew of failings in management and oversight – Northern Rock Building Society – Oxfam – Carillion Construction – Durham County Cricket Club – North Cumbria NHS Trust and more – There is a need to understand in simple common sense terms why organisations run into problems and fail. The value of trust has risen and many especially those of the quietest, least influential and most dispensable stake their lives, livelihoods and security on the basis of reputation, experience and expertise. But who is really safeguarding their interests – What is the difference between management, regulation and governance – What do non-executive directors, trustees and governors do – How are they judged?
What are the core issues – What impact have these failures had on individuals and communities – What does good practice look like and where can it be found – Is there still a place for a moral compass in all of this?
About the Speaker
Tom is the current Chair of IC3 – International Centre for Connected Construction. He provides strategic advice to businesses in the private and voluntary sectors both in the UK and overseas. Including overview, reviewing operational performance, planning for growth and enhancing profitability and sharing best practice regarding organizational development, business processes and considering areas for improvement following mergers and acquisitions. Tom
was formerly the Chief Operating Officer of Turner & Townsend Plc, Global Construction Consultants and was one of the influencing forces behind its growth into a global business.
AI and Ethics – Dr Marta Rocchi and Dr Angus Robson Dublin City University; Northumbria University
TBA
Lessons from 30 years of ethical banking Patricia Alexander or Kerrey Baker Shared Interest
Detail TBC