Robinson's call to business students

Globalisation: Mary Robinson has called for the business and academic communities "to take the lead to share their expertise and skills with the poorest countries of the world", writes Harry Browne.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was speaking about "ethical globalisation" at the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business in UCD. "I believe this is the first time I have had the opportunity during four-and-a-half years in the post ... to interact with students and faculty from a school of business," she told the audience, which included chief executives of Irish and foreign multinationals as well as faculty and students from the school.

"What could all of you as students and faculty do to advance our knowledge of how business can ensure value for shareholders and for society?" Robinson asked. Human rights, she said, "contribute to a healthy environment for investment and economic growth".

The international movement that has been characterised as "anti-globalisation" has put the spotlight on corporate behaviour in the developing world. "Many business leaders contend that if they were to act responsibly in countries with weak labor and environmental rules they would no longer be competitive," Robinson said. "But times are changing," she added, thanks to consumer and shareholder pressure.

She said that "several hundred companies" were taking part in the UN's voluntary "Global Compact" initiative in this area. "There are, I must note, no Irish companies to date involved, and obviously I would like to see that changed."

Business schools, she suggested, have been lax as well. A recent international survey, "Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2001", found that "very little is being done to integrate social and environmental concerns into required MBA course work or to undertake rigorous research around these areas", she said.

Business schools, she said, could contribute to a "new globalisation" in a number of ways, including helping the UN monitor implementation of the Global Compact principles. She also suggested "a conference of students and faculty from European business schools ... around corporate citizenship issues". Finally, she said, schools should examine how the private sector could help close the global " technology gap".