Pathways to Responsible Business Symposium Takes Place Friday on UNM Campus
December 8, 2022 - Anna Dykeman
As part of the Beyond Profit workshop series raising awareness about the UNM Center for Responsible Entrepreneurship, the Anderson School of Management’s New Mexico for Good Program is hosting its third symposium, “Pathways to Responsible Business,” Friday, Dec. 9, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the UNM main campus. This symposium will discuss how to leverage a business as a force for good, tools businesses can apply to responsible business leadership to create a positive, sustainable impact, and practical insights from local businesses navigating the road to becoming Certified B Corporations.
Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
Symposium topics will include the current market landscape and Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) funding, the business case for becoming a Benefit Corporation and a Certified B Corporation, and as well as the case studies of the two local businesses that participated in Anderson School’s Business for Good Clinic. Keynote speaker Kristy O’Leary from Decade Impact will talk about what it means to have an impact business. Anderson professors Reilly White, Wellington Spetic, Natalia Vidal and Karen Patterson will discuss recent research and market findings. In addition, students from the Business for Good Clinic will discuss how they helped clients on their path to applying to become a Certified B Corporation.
The Beyond Profit series is co-hosted by the Anderson School’s UNM Center for Responsible Entrepreneurship, Santa Fe Innovates and Creative Santa Fe.
Following the symposium will be a one-hour discussion about the potential for forming a B Local chapter, a group of business leaders engaged in responsible business to support the growth of Certified B Corporations in New Mexico.
“We’re listening to the shift in expectations of values that need to be reflected in today’s economy,” said Spetic. “Younger generations are expecting businesses to do more, including making their primary purpose improving society. The Business Roundtable, an organization of the largest U.S. corporations, agreed when they announced a shift from maximizing shareholder value as the purpose of business to boosting stakeholder value.”
The symposium, lunch and parking are free, but reservations are required to attend. Reserve a seat at: https://bit.ly/3AEjWRe
For more information on the UNM Anderson Center for Responsible Entrepreneurship, visit: https://www.mgt.unm.edu/responsible