Business and Social Media: Opportunities and Risks

Social media has become a pervasive communications tool for billions of people across the globe. Businesses, too, use a variety of social media platforms to engage with their stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, and consumers. But it is increasingly clear that social media has a "light" and a "dark" side. What are the ethical and strategic risks and opportunities businesses face as they seek to avail themselves of the great potential of social media, without becoming inadvertently ensnared in the growing web of problems undermining it? How should businesses engage with their stakeholders in a productive and responsible way?

In partnership with the State Street Foundation, the Hoffman Center for Business Ethics will bring together an international group of academicians, practitioners, and civil society leaders to discuss these and related issues.