Marquette University has a new center for data, ethics, and society, directed by Michael Zimmer. It is designed to help foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among faculty at Marquette, and to help bring uniquely Jesuit and Catholic wisdom to bear on big data and technology issues of our day.

BFCGI Director Andy Gustafson provided an initial talk on “Ignatian Concerns Regarding Data Ethics and Society” on April 4th, followed by a panel of Marquette faculty from political science, theology, computer science, business, the law school, and the library. It was great for him to get to go back to the school who gave him his PhD. One of the philosophy professors Andy had back in grad school showed up for the talk, and that meant a lot.

Marquette’s center has a number of affiliated graduate and undergraduate students as well who provided posters for a session after the panel.

BFCGI director Andy Gustafson was fortunate to participate in a humanistic management brainstorming session hosted by Bob Chapman, of Barry-Wehmiller in Phillips Wisconsin March 30-April 1. Around 20 academics from across the US as well as Spain, Mexico and Columbia participated, as they worked to hammer out a Humanistic Management manifesto, to encourage other like minded teachers to help students capture the vision to manage for the betterment of their employees, not merely to make more money.

Bob Chapman is a remarkable manager, having taken the reigns of his fathers company suddenly at a fairly young age, and having grown the company by acquisitions into a 1.7 Billion dollar company today. More importantly, Bob has found that focusing on his employees is the most important thing, and he takes his responsibility as steward for them very seriously. His vision is infectious, and his commitment is unshakable. His journey and method is laid out clearly in his book, “Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family“.

Chapman provides many practical insights from his own experience turning around companies throughout his career. He has come to be absolutely convinced that “Everything we value in life and business begins and ends with people” and he has put the flourishing and well being of his people as top priority. Profit is the fuel for business, but the aim and end is to help people reach their full potential, and as an employer, Bob Chapman takes that stewardship responsibility very seriously.

our sessions

Lead colleague/Director of the Business Faith and Common Good Institute, Andy Gustafson, has been appointed as executive director of the Society of Business ethics for the 2022-2027 term, starting in August of 2022. Upon appointment he wrote, “I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the Society of Business Ethics, and I am so very grateful to those original founders who have come before us to build up such an outstanding international organization.   I am excited for the chance to serve all of you members, and I hope for very good things to come!” The society of business ethics is an international society which has been in existence since 1980 to promote the study and impact of ethics in business.   

This year we had a wide variety of presentations, ranging from the “Boxing and the Common Good” and Islamic perspectives on Business and Society, to how Accounting or Financial Services might benefit from thinking about faith and Catholic Social Thought

Adam Frost has done extensive research into the history of illicit entrepreneurship in socialist China, particularly in the Maoist era. Beginning in the 1950’s, with the enactment of systems of rationing and distribution, there emerged in China vast illicit networks operating in circumvention of the planned economy. Within these networks, a broad class of specialists, ranging from petty traders of ration coupons to large-scale arbitragers, sought opportunities to profit from inefficiencies in central planning. Referred to by communist officials as “speculators and profiteers,”  these individuals were branded the economic enemies of socialism and became the targets of recurring anti-capitalist campaigns. Yet, as this research will show, these “speculators” were actually the PRC’s first generation of entrepreneurs who not only facilitated the functioning of the socialist economy but also helped pave the way for China’s marketizing reforms.

After graduating from Baylor, Luke Carlson worked for Conoco Phillips for 9 years, holding many roles including global auditor, asset analyst, economist planner, and supervisor. He then worked for over 3 years helping structure deals for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. He presently works at Refined Technologies, where he oversees and develops various ventures. He shared what it means to run a business with expectations to create overflow and benefit for others.

Jim Anderson has spent the bulk of his career in middle management, dealing with the real and practical tensions which come while making management decisions as a Christian.  As an entrepreneur he has started a number of companies, and has developed many software solutions through his career, although he has mostly managed people.  He discussed the tensions one faces when considering stockholder and company interests, as well as other stakeholders and the common good.    He and his wife Cindy live in Virginia.

Professor Greenspoon, in addition to being widely published in areas regarding the Jewish Bible and texts of scripture,  has edited a number of interesting books including “Jews in the Gym: Judaism, Sports, and Atheletics” and “Jews and Humor”.  His knowledge of the Jewish wisdom tradition is extensive, and he spoke on a Jewish approach to business, providing insights into how the Jewish tradition has developed and how its scriptures are interpreted in contemporary culture.

Charlie Camosy is the author of Resisting Throwaway Culture: How a Consistent Life Ethic can Unify a Fractured People (2019), as well as 4 other books and numerous articles on ethics including popular outlets such as USA Today, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, Newark Star-Ledger, America and Commonweal. He spoke to the students about having a consistent life ethic, and how to avoid polarizing tendencies of contemporary political and social media discourse.