Business ethics & society

Growing up rich or poor has a tremendous impact on your life — studies show it affects health, prospects, confidence — what about the quality of your leadership? Darden Professor Sean Martin discusses the ripple effect that means childhood affluence may prove a liability in the workplace.

Diverse companies produce higher financial returns, yet the pay gap persists. Research from Professor Morela Hernandez examines the fact that racially biased hiring managers offer lower salaries to black candidates who negotiate. So what can organizations do to mitigate the impact of racial biases?

One of the biggest challenges for humanity: Artificial Intelligence and limited resources may lead to an existential race between smart machines and humans. Some elites may re-engineer themselves thanks to technology, but others will likely become economically irrelevant. How can we ensure humans have a fair share of resources?

What is socially responsible investing? Is its increasing momentum sustainable? And are international commitments to ESG practices making an impact? Darden Professors Mary Margaret Frank and Pedro Matos discuss issues related to this popular phenomenon.

Ideas discussed in Darden’s “Economic Inequality and Social Mobility” course taught by Professors Jim Freeland and Ed Freeman, as well as specific examples of what various businesses are doing to address income inequality.

Legislation on “opportunity zones” is intended to encourage investment in economically distressed communities by providing significant tax incentives to investors. Professor Mary Margaret Frank and alumnus Ben Cullop (MBA ’11) explain how this new program works and what its repercussions may be.

The rise of artificial intelligence is rapidly shaping what the future will look like. Darden Professor Anton Korinek discusses the implications of humans and machines sharing resources and contributing to the economy.

When we unconsciously want to justify self-interested choices, we may rationalize with “moral disengagement.” Darden Professors Jim Detert and Sean Martin have studied eight common verbal cues that may indicate we’re disengaging.

Why might the digital space be a better place to practice how we can be ready to voice our values? Darden Professor Mary Gentile and Debra Newcomer of Nomadic Learning offer insights on the importance of values-driven leadership development and leveraging online tools.

The sourcing, manufacturing and logistics within corporate supply chains can benefit from partnerships with governments and nonprofit organizations. These joint endeavors support a range of social and business objectives by employing the expertise and assets of multiple sectors.