Jamsedpur: XLRI- Xavier School of Management, one of India’s premier B-Schools, hosted the 25th Annual JRD Tata Oration on Business Ethics on 26 November 2016. Fr. (Dr.) Frank Brennan, S.J., Professor of Law, Australian Catholic University delivered the oration at XLRI Campus, Jamshedpur.
In his oration, Fr. Frank Brennan delved on the topic of – “The Placement of International Law in seeking Sustainable Development for India: Some Ethical Reflections”.
In the speech, he said, “There is a need to ensure that the national and ethnic cultures are sufficiently open to international influences and sufficiently grounded in the goodness and the daily concerns of the ordinary citizen. There is a need to create the right corporate ethos and an appropriate business environment, particularly in a country which is still ranked 138th in the global ratings for ease of business investment. Serving the needs and interests of our planet, in fact, just saving our planet, is the great contemporary challenge, while at the same time continuing to raise India’s poor out of poverty. Those who are privileged with wealth, power and honours need to see themselves as the primary custodians of the planet and as key contributors to the relief of dehumanising poverty.”
He observed, “International law does not provide the answers for sustainable development in India. But there are piecemeal international developments which should assist Indian citizens and Indian decision makers at the cabinet table and in board rooms to make better decisions informed by all that is best in your religious traditions, in your national cultures, in the corporate cultures, being true to the people’s noblest sense of themselves and faithful to the character each of us is called to be and develop.”
The session was also attended by Mr. T. V. Narendran, Chairman, Board of Governors, XLRI & MD, Tata Steel Limited), Fr. E Abraham, S. J. (Director, XLRI), Dr. Ashis K. Pani (Dean -Academics), XLRI) and Fr. Oswald Mascarenhas, S.J. (JRD Tata Chair Professor of Business Ethics at XLRI).
In his welcome address, Fr. E Abraham, S. J. Director of XLRI said, “Ethics in most socio-economic contexts runs parallel to law and shows due consideration to others’ rights and interests in a civilized society. The culture of an organisation is set by the tone at the top.”
“XLRI has always emphasized on the importance of adopting an ethical code of conduct within the corporate world. We believe that no management education curriculum is really complete, unless and until the students are instilled with a set of values that are necessary decision-making ingredients for the corporate manager today. It is for this reason that a core course on “Managerial Ethics” is offered to all our students at XLRI,” he further added.
XLRI- Xavier School of Management, in association with a few select Tata Group Companies, established in 1991 the XLRI – JRD Tata Foundation in Business Ethics, to mark their long-standing commitment and contribution to business ethics in India. The Foundation seeks to address itself by publicly affirming the urgent need for ethics in business and the need to bring about a conducive culture in which it can thrive.
XLRI is the first B-school in the country to introduce a core course on “Managerial Ethics” for both its HRM and BM programmes. Each year, XLRI confers a medal on the best student in Managerial Ethics at the institute’s annual convocation.
