Business Ethics: Past, Present, and Future

The Hoffman Center for Business Ethics (HCBE) at Bentley University turns 50 in 2026! Founded in 1976 by Bentley Professor W. Michael Hoffman, the HCBE is one of the world's oldest academic centers dedicated to business ethics. For five decades, the HCBE has advanced its mission to make business better through pioneering research, innovative teaching, and collaboration with industry.

To celebrate, we are hosting a gala dinner on October 15th followed by an all-day conference on October 16th. Both events will be held on the Bentley campus. More information about them can be found on our website. Registration links will be available soon. We welcome your attendance at the dinner and participation in the conference. (These events are independent; you can attend both or just one.)

Our keynote speakers are:

Kelly Richmond Pope (DePaul University)
Alan Strudler (University of Pennsylvania)

The window for submissions to the conference is now open. 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. We welcome contributions from scholars in all relevant fields. We want to hear from those 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.

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). Details can be found on our website. Submissions should be sent to Gail Sands at [email protected] by May 2, 2026. Decisions will be communicated in early June.

Should you have any questions, email me at the address below.

Best,
Jeff Moriarty
Executive Director, Hoffman Center for Business Ethics
[email protected]