QSB Centre for Responsible Leadership

In collaboration with:

MaRS Social Impact Investing
and
The Zügunruhe Project

Will be hosting the first in a Series of Discovery Learning Workshops focused on Social Enterprise

Workshop #1: UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL ENTERPRISE: THE LANDSCAPE, OPPORTUNITIES, AND CHALLENGES

Wed. May 23rd 2012
9:15am-4:30pm
The Donald Gordon Centre
421 Union Street, Kingston, ON

Lunch provided.

Abstract:

The series will be relevant to individuals wanting to learn more about how we can, as a society, leverage the power of business to solve the world’s pressing problems. Throughout this Discovery Learning Workshop, you will learn about the emerging social enterprise “for profit” sector, the players, metrics, and options for financing for your venture.

This workshop will be of interest to current or aspiring entrepreneurs (in the for profit and not for profit spheres), small and medium sized business owners, and those serving the SME sector including accountants, consultants and lawyers, as well as economic development officers and local policy makers.

Click here for full information, including details on speakers and the agenda.

Please register online by May 18th 2012 (attendance capped at 80 participants):

• General registration: $149+HST (click here to register)
• Queen’s Alumni/Faculty: $119+HST (click here to register)
• Student rate: $69+HST(click here to register)

For more information contact:
QSB Centre for Responsible Leadership:
responsibleleadership@business.queensu.ca or 613.533.3331

On April 14^th, 68 members of the graduating MBA class of 2012 pledged to lead with integrity and to use the knowledge and skills they acquired at Queen’s to create value for society.

“The Queen’s MBA Oath was initiated by last year’s graduating class, and we wanted to be sure to continue the tradition” commented Kenneth Chow, a member of the Student Executive Council that organized this year’s MBA Oath Ceremony.  “We hope that the Oath will become a tradition with all future Queen’s MBA graduating classes”.   

The Queen’s MBA Oath was developed as an adaptation of the MBA Oath Project, a movement started in 2009 at Harvard Business School with the mission “to facilitate the widespread movement of MBAs who aim to lead in the interests of the greater good and who commit to living out the principles articulated in the oath”.  It is a voluntary pledge taken by graduating MBAs around the world.

The Queen’s MBA Oath ceremony took place prior to their graduating class dinner. The keynote address was delivered by Tania Carnegie, National Director of Community Leadership at KPMG, and a Visiting Executive at QSB’s Centre for Responsible Leadership.

Ms. Carnegie commended participants for taking the Oath, commenting that it is a grounding document which “signifies your recognition of the responsibility that comes with the privilege of leadership; that each one of us has an impact through our words and actions; and that our choices influence the behavior of others”.   

Carnegie encouraged students to think about their own personal definition of success and how they can make a positive difference either through their own entrepreneurial pursuits or by being a ‘social intrapreneur’ within their organizations. 

Participating students verbally pledged the Oath as a group and then signed a ledger which will be kept at Queen’s. Each also left with their own signed and framed copy of the Oath to serve as a visual reminder of the commitments they have made. 

Click here to view a copy of the Queen’s MBA Oath.

The Centre for Responsible Leadership
Speakers Series

Proudly Presents:

Mary Gordon
Founder and President, Roots of Empathy

Tues. March 13th 2012
12:00-1:00pm
Goodes Hall, 143 Union Street, Room 406

Lunch provided.

Please R.S.V.P by Fri. March 9th to responsibleleadership@business.queensu.ca

Presented in partnership with KPMG LLP.

Abstract: The mission of Roots of Empathy in the long term is to build the capacity of the next generation for responsible citizenship and responsive parenting. Roots of Empathy focuses on raising levels of empathy, resulting in more respectful and caring relationships and reduced levels of bullying and aggression.

Mary Gordon, founder and President of Roots of Empathy, is recognized internationally as an award-winning social entrepreneur, educator, author, and child advocate who has created programs informed by the power of empathy.  A Member of the Order of Canada and the first Canadian female Ashoka Fellow, she has presented on early childhood development to gatherings organized by the World Health Organization and the United Nations, among others.

The presentation will look at the development of citizenship in the early part of life and its relationship to leadership, civic participation, and ultimately a caring and peaceful and civil society.

About Roots of Empathy: http://www.rootsofempathy.org/

The Centre for Responsible Leadership Speakers Series

Proudly Presents:

Roxanne Joyal
CEO, Me to We Social Enterprises

“Empowering Women through Social Innovative Entrepreneurship”

Tues. March 6th, 2012
12:00 – 1:30 pm
Goodes Hall, 143 Union Street, Room 406

Talk from 12-1pm followed by a small reception and opportunity to view the Artisan display.

Lunch provided.

Please R.S.V.P. by Fri. March 2nd to responsibleleadership@business.queensu.ca

Presented in partnership with KPMG LLP.

Me to We is a social enterprise with a mission. It aims to transform consumers into world changers, one transaction at a time. Me to We measures the bottom line, not by dollars earned, but by number of lives changed and the positive social and environmental impact made. Half of Me to We’s profit is donated to its charitable partner, Free The Children.

Founder Roxanne Joyal was inspired to found Me to We Artisans after witnessing talented Maasai beaders forced to travel daily to small tourist markets flooded with similar products, where they would sometimes sell their intricate beadwork at a loss. Me to We Artisans brings access to fair-trade markets and financial literacy training to more than 400 Maasai mamas in Free The Children communities. Working towards financial independence through this sustainable source of income, the women of Me to We Artisans are building a future for themselves and their families, one beautiful beaded item at a time. Today, the mamas are able to earn twice as much as before—without giving up their traditional way of life.

In helping empower these women Roxanne found her calling.

About Me to We: www.metowe.com

What does responsible leadership entail? The definition differs from person to person, but for Dr. Jacline Abray-Nyman, “it’s an approach to leadership where one looks not only at shareholder value but also stakeholder interest – where community interest and social interest are also taken into account.” 

Dr. Jacline Abray-Nyman

Dr. Jacline Abray-Nyman is Executive Director of QSB’s Development & Alumni Relations where she provides leadership for developing meaningful relationships with QSB’s alumni and donors as well as with community and corporate leaders. She is also an Assistant Professor in marketing, teaching courses in marketing, marketing ethics and social responsibility.  Abray-Nyman’s academic research interests and her professional work are well aligned, exploring issues in marketing, philanthropy and the social-mission sector. 

Her current research is focused on Canadian philanthropists who have made single donations of five million dollars or more.  Having worked as a development professional in fundraising for over 20 years, she has personally worked with a number of these individuals.  “The people whom I study in terms of philanthropic behavior are responsible leaders because of their philanthropy and most are leaders in the corporate sphere as well,” Abray-Nyman shares. Her recently concluded study, Transformational Philanthropy and Networks of Cocreated Value in Canada, explores the reasons behind Canadian philanthropists’ engagement at the “transformational” philanthropic level.

Philanthropists are capable of transforming organizations because their financial investments not only assist organizations in achieving their current missions and visions for the future, but they also add leveraged and shared value among a great number of beneficiaries.  While it might be widely assumed that donors give “to” organizations (a dyadic perspective), upon conclusion of this research, it is proposed that donors not only give “to” the organization, but also “through” the organization for the benefit of many beyond the donor-organization dyad.  The donor’s investment in the charitable organization aims to serve the communities to which each belongs.

“From an academic perspective, I wanted to understand better philanthropists’ behavior as well as to understand what it is about the organizations in which they invest, at this level, that makes them feel is a good investment” Abray-Nyman explains.   She suggests that one can look at the philanthropist as a consumer of the selected charitable organization in terms of what they can expect the organization to accomplish with their gift. “When donors give to a university, they are giving the money through the university to the community. That is, the value is transferred to the community through its interaction with the organization,” she explains. “These philanthropists want to create value for and with the organization and for the communities of interest. There is also a component of self-actualization, so they identify as responsible leaders and they want to give back to the community in order to feel like their success is shared.”  This shared-value perspective provides new avenues for exploring the relationship between the donor and the charitable organization.

Abray-Nyman concludes from her research, “Ultimately, what we realize is that these donors and their recipients become part of a constellation network and that there is a reciprocal exchange of value that is perpetuated through philanthropy and its effects.  In essence, we are a collection of human beings. And all of these organizations are constructs of human beings. As it relates to marketing, we have to ensure that students gain a deep understanding of what for-profit and not-for-profit business is ultimately about: serving people.”

In the future, Abray-Nyman will be continuing her research in this field and providing leadership in the area of fundraising.    To learn more about Jacline Abray-Nyman’s research and interests, visit her faculty profile on QSB’s website.

On Feb. 14th the Centre hosted a Discovery Learning Workshop on Aboriginal Issues for Professionals facilitated by Robert (Bob) Lovelace and Janice Hill.  Bob, a retired Chief of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and activist in anti-colonial struggles, currently hails as an adjunct lecturer at Queen’s Department of Global Development Studies. Janice, Director of the Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre at Queen’s, has worked in the field of Native Education for over 25 years.  

The objective of the workshop was to provide participants with an introductory and realistic picture of working with Aboriginal people and an understanding of the link between business and Aboriginal communities.  The workshop was designed to provide attendees with tools to begin working with and thinking about Aboriginal groups and the issues they face.

Workshop participants came from a variety of backgrounds and included undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff from several departments, and private sector representatives.   “This workshop was both refreshing and thought-provoking. It is rare in university life that one gets to participate in a workshop with people from such a variety of vibrant disciplines. It is helpful not only in building connections for future research but in understanding how many people view things from very different perspectives” commented Erik Knutsen, Associate Professor from the Faculty of Law, about the diversity of participants.

The day commenced with a challenging simulation exercise in which attendees played the roles of Aboriginal communities attempting to negotiate with the Federal and Provincial Governments to achieve their community development goals. The exercise was highly effective in illustrating the complexity and frustrations endemic to the ‘current system’, and provided participants with an understanding of the obstacles Aboriginal people face in retaining culture and pursuing economic development and partnerships with business.

The afternoon session included a discussion on the use of vocabulary surrounding Aboriginal peoples and culture in everyday life and academic writing. Participants were also given the opportunity, in the open and safe environment created by the workshop, to ask direct questions on relevant and sensitive issues that are often shied away from. 

 “The day was certainly thought provoking, and as we continue to toss around some of the ideas in our heads over the next week or so, it will no doubt continue to be thought provoking” commented Tammy Brown, from KPMG. 

The Workshop was a great success and launched an on-going dialogue which the Centre intends to build upon in the future through the Aboriginal Working Group it has formed, which brings together interested individuals from across Queen’s campus.

This workshop was the first in a series of Discovery Learning Workshops which the Centre will be offering.  The next workshop to be held will be on Social Entrepreneurship in mid-April.  Please watch the Centre’s website for details in the coming weeks.

Tania Carnegie

The Centre is delighted to announce the appointment of its’ first Visiting Executive at QSB Centre for Responsible Leadership.

Tania Carnegie, National Director of Community Leadership at KPMG, has taken on the role for the 2011/12 academic year, and will also serve as the Co-Academic Director of an upcoming Social Innovation Program to be offered by the Centre in 2012/13.

Tania established and leads KPMG’s corporate citizenship and sustainability strategy.  One of the four pillars of the firm’s business strategy, it encompasses the firm’s relationship with the community and focuses the firm’s resources and knowledge to drive social change.

As the Centre’s Visiting Executive, Tania will share her expertise in developing and executing an innovative business strategy through lectures, mentoring, and participating in student-led forums. A key focus of her time at the Centre will be developing thought leadership and a new curriculum to help advance social innovation in Canada. 

Tania is a Chartered Accountant, holds a BSc. from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from the University of Toronto. Tania is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Corporate Social Responsibility Executive Education Program, and is a member of the Centre’s External Advisory Board.

Tania is an active volunteer at the local, national, and global levels.  She is a Member of the Emerging Leaders Network (an initiative of the Toronto City Summit Alliance), a Global Ambassador for the international development organization Free The Children, and for six years served as a Member of the Board of Directors & Executive Committee of Habitat for Humanity Toronto. 

Tania also holds a unique appointment as a Canadian in The Queen’s Household as Lady in Waiting to Her Royal Highness The Princess Edward, Countess of Wessex, responsible for her Canadian communications and visits in support of charitable and community organizations.

One of the exciting new initiatives under development at the Centre for Responsible Leadership is a social innovation educational program.   Supporting a core focus areas of the Centre, this initiative will provide individuals from business, the not-for-profit and public sectors with a deeper understanding of the opportunities provided through new ways of addressing social and environmental challenges. 

One of the key objectives of this program is to enable participants to learn about areas including social finance, and new operating models including B Corps, from local examples of social innovation in action.  “This experience will provide the opportunity to learn from Canadian social entrepreneurs and innovators from the not for profit and for profit sectors” commented Tania Carnegie, Faculty Co-Director of the Social Innovation Program.  

This cross-sector, multi-day program will provide a unique and hands-on learning experience.  As part of the program, participants will be supported to apply what they have learned to identify opportunities within their own organization (or organizations they volunteer with), and how to build the business case to launch a new venture.

Stay tuned for more information about the Centre’s Social Innovation Program and how you can participate or contact ResponsibleLeadership@business.queensu.ca with any questions or suggestions.

Dr. Jay Handelman

This is an article in our “Faculty Profile” series, where we highlight the research of Queen’s School of Business faculty who are engaged in the space of Responsible Leadership. In this article, we explore some of the interests of marketing Professor Jay Handelman, who is engaged in some interesting research looking at how companies are integrating CSR into their brand identity.

Dr. Jay Handelman is an Associate Professor of Marketing, and the Associate Dean of Research and PhD/MSc Programs at Queen’s School of Business.  His expertise is in marketing and branding, and his research and teaching interests centre on ways in which marketers integrate emotional, social, and cultural dimensions into their product or service and corporate marketing strategies.  His research has led to some interesting work into how companies integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their brand identity. 

“Companies today must make a case for their place in society” states Handelman.  “Originally marketing and branding were all about the product.  The major trend today is marketers recognizing that people have passions and interests and they are beginning to incorporate the human, dynamic element into their campaigns.  They are still selling a product, but companies now must stand for more than just the physical product” he says citing Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign as an example. “Companies must be able to answer the question ‘why support us?’”.

Handelman’s research is focused in two main areas: consumer activism and stakeholder engagement.  “Consumer activism looks at all the ways activists attack companies and how companies manage in that space and responsibly manage activists” explains Handelman.  “Stakeholder engagement asks what are different strategies to engage your stakeholders (mainly societal stakeholders and activist stakeholders) and make business more responsible in the community?”

Handelman is currently working on a project looking at the issue of stakeholder engagement and why companies engage in CSR. “Companies are realizing that they have to do CSR, and are spending tons of money to do CSR”, he explains, adding “but many companies don’t know why they do it, or, when they are being honest, feel they can’t do CSR. However, no one wants to be the one company that isn’t doing anything”.  Handelman is exploring this issue by looking at the strategic reasons why companies engage in CSR, and how companies that do a lot of CSR initiatives integrate CSR initiatives with their corporate purpose.

When asked what ‘Responsible Leadership’ meant to him, Professor Handelman responded by saying “It’s leadership that takes into account all the stakeholders around you. It’s about making decisions, seeing how they affect these other stakeholders, the impact on people, culture, and the environment as well as operating the corporation accordingly. Our traditional business models treat organizations as separate from the rest of the world, whereas integration is a different model saying that we cannot exist without the environmental support by all stakeholders. It’s about having a sustainable model.”

Handelman certainly practices this definition of responsible leadership himself!  In 2004, Handelman played a key role in the creation of the QSB Centre for Responsible Leadership (formerly called the Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility) and acted as the Centre’s founding Director from 2004 to 2007.  When asked about how the Centre came to be, Handelman responded “It started because of Commerce students in 2004. There was all this activity happening from Commerce students around responsible leadership and really nothing officially from the School regarding social responsibility.  It was a topic I was really interested in, so the idea for the Centre came together as an idea that could consolidate all of these activities”, explains Handelman. “When creating the Centre for CSR, two things were the focus: the Commerce students with the Certificate program – giving students the ability to take informal activity and formalize it and be recognized for it; and the School’s commitments as a founding member of the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) – which brings together business schools and companies with the purpose of evolving business education to be more in tune with responsible leadership issues.”

Handelman is still actively involved with the Centre for Responsible Leadership, serving as a member of its Internal Advisory Board.  He is pleased to see that the Certificate program has now expanded to the MBA programs.

When asked if he had any general advice to students about responsible leadership, it was appropriate that Handelman responded with advice from a marketing perspective.  “Whether you’re in the Certificate program or not, be aware and make yourself knowledgeable about the field of responsible leadership. As a business student going into the job market, show awareness of a company’s place in society. On the practical side, volunteering is an important aspect of responsible leadership. Volunteering demonstrates that you didn’t just learn about it, but you are really embracing the idea of integration.”

To learn more about Jay Handelman’s research, visit his faculty profile on QSB’s website.

The Centre is pleased to host the following speakers as part of its Responsible Leadership Speakers Series:

Roxanne Joyal, Founding member of Free The Children & Me to We
Tues. March 6th, 12-1 pm, Goodes Hall, Room 406

Mary Gordon, Founder & President of Roots of Empathy
Tues. March 13th, 12 – 1 pm, Goodes Hall, Room 406

The Responsible Leadership Speakers Series is presented in partnership with KPMG LLP.

Details on upcoming talks will be posted to the  ”Upcoming Events” section of our website.

If you are interested in attending any of these events, please RSVP via email to ResponsibleLeadership@business.queensu.ca