Spring Break
Expert talks about future of business
Trevor Simonton
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: News
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The topic of his discussion matched the topic of his recently released book, "Branded! How the Certification Revolution is Transforming Global Corporations".
Conway's visit was hosted by the College of Business' Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise program, in conjunction with the Center for Fair and Alternative Trade Studies.
GSSE director Carl Hammerdorfer said that CSU wanted to bring Conway to students because his topic, the "certification revolution," is an "interesting intersection between sociology, anthropology, and business."
Joseph Darnell, a CSU student participating in the GSSE program, helped set up Conway's visit.
"His speech represents part of the future in the reality of business," Darnell said. "Any business student not paying attention to this is foolish."
The certification revolution is Conway's reference to "the unparalleled changes in the accountability of global corporations in a social and environmental context."
He explained that the standards consumers hold to the ethical practices involved with business in global corporations are on a steady rise.
Internationally, people are becoming increasingly aware that global companies can dodge governmental restrictions on trade by simply setting up businesses in countries with less government involvement in business.
"The world needs governance of these global corporations," said Conway, who is referred to by colleagues as "the godfather of fair trade."
Conway is an advocate for independent "social responsibility" organizations that seek to set published standards for ethics in global business practices.
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