Paula Alexander: The Contribution of Emmanuel Levinas to Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics in the Post-Modern Era

Professor Paula Alexander from Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University (U.S.) gave the speech:“The Contribution of Emmanuel Levinas to Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics in the Post-Modern Era” at Panel 1.

First Professor Alexander made a brief introduction on Emmanuel Levinas, a Jewish philosopher and his contributionsto CSR. Emmanuel Levinas was born in theSoviet Union and moved later to France. His philosophy focuses on responsibility and the experience of loving and being loved. In his view, everyone should be a listener at first so that he can know the true need of others and clarify his own responsibility.

According to Professor Alexander, Emmanuel Levina’s philosophy can be applied in corporate social responsibility, which can be analyzed from the perspective of three kinds of stakeholders: 1. Shareholders: Business operators must be faithful and shoulder responsibility for them. 2. Customers: Corporate research, development and sales must conform to their needs. 3. The third kind of stakeholders includes employees, suppliers, environment and relevant teams.

Besides accounting, Professor Alexander emphasized personal experience. He mentionedas an examplethatthe experiential learning activities for employees in China Southwest Airlines not only bridge the gap between companies and customers, but also strengthen the cohesiveness of employees, forming a distinctive corporate culture. Therefore, listening to others and experiencing others’ life is of great significance for both individuals and corporate.

Intern reporter: Zhang Mengsha