Business Ethics: Past, Present, and Future
A Conference in Celebration of the HCBE's 50th Anniversary
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Hoffman Center for Business Ethics (HCBE) at Bentley University is hosting a one-day conference on business ethics. The conference will take place on October 16, 2026, and will be preceded by a dinner on October 15.
Our keynote speakers are Kelly Richmond Pope (DePaul University) and Alan Strudler (The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania).
Business ethics is a multidisciplinary field. We welcome contributions from scholars in philosophy, law, management, computer science, and all other relevant disciplines. We want to hear from scholars working on normative questions (e.g., what actions are right?) as well as descriptive ones (e.g., what are the causes and effects of right action?, how do businesses address and manage ethical issues?). While we expect many submissions to focus on research in business ethics, we encourage submissions on the teaching and practice of business ethics.
The HCBE understands business ethics broadly to include topics such as AI ethics, conflicts of interest, corporate social responsibility, corporate political activity, corruption and bribery, data privacy and security, diversity, equity, and inclusion, divestment, ESG investing, the governance and control of firms, labor issues, marketing ethics, meaningful work, the moral limits of markets, the purpose of business and business activity, the responsible use of technology, sustainability, social entrepreneurship, whistleblowing, and much else.
Submissions to the conference can take any one of three forms:
Paper
A scholarly paper that presents original research in business ethics.
Panel
A thematically organized session featuring multiple participants. Panels are designed to foster substantive exchange among presenters while advancing our understanding of an issue.
Roundtable Discussion
A highly interactive session led by one or two facilitators. Roundtables should highlight a significant issue in business ethics and be open to all interested conference participants, with an emphasis on guided discussion rather than formal presentations.
Each conference session will be approximately one hour long. Each hour will contain two papers, a single panel, or a roundtable discussion.
To apply for the conference, please submit an abstract of between 500 – 750 words, excluding notes and references. This goes for all submission types (papers, panels, and roundtable discussions). Submissions should be sent to Gail Sands at gsands@bentley.edu by April 25th, 2026. Decisions will be communicated by May 31, 2026. Should you have any questions, email Jeff Moriarty at jmoriarty@bentley.edu.
Links to register for the gala dinner and conference are coming soon.