Development Summary
CBERN has promoted research and activity around the theme of Socially Responsible Investment since 2007. Currently CBERN hosts an email list of over 400 individual researchers and users of research with an active interest in the topic. Over 90 profiles are posted on C-BED, the Canadian Business Ethics Directory, which also includes profiles of organizations actively engaged in the theme.
CBERN participants and the Project Director, Wes Cragg, have championed a number of initiatives on this theme (see Events, Projects and Partnerships below), mostly hosted in the Ontario and Pacific Regions. These events have dovetailed with the work of the Cluster co-leaders, Tessa Hebb and Benjamin Richardson.
In 2009 Tessa Hebb hosted the UN PRI Academic Network Conference at Carleton University. This coincided with the CBERN Annual Conference theme, also hosted at Carleton, on SRI. The event involved over 70 participants from across sectors.
In September 2011, Ben Richardson at University of British Columbia hosted the SRI in the Canadian Extractives Industry, which featured presentations and extensive discussion among researchers, lawyers and practitioners. Selected papers will be published in a special issue of the Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment in 2012.
Since 2007, CBERN has hosted online resources and engagement activities through the CBERN website. In 2011, CBERN developed microsites around five main themes in business and economic ethics, one of which is SRI. The themed microsites are designed to support three core areas of activity: Research, Capacity Building and Public Dialogue, and are integrated with CBERN’s developing social media program.
Human Resources
Since 2010 the Research and Outreach Coordinator has worked with the Project Director Wes Cragg to explore ways to support research and discussion on this theme. Current resources allocated to develop the SRI Cluster in 2012 include two research assistants responsible for conducting outreach to individuals and organizations doing work in this area. A PhD Research Assistant has been hired for summer 2012 to help develop a knowledge mobilization program. This program is being designed to support the engagement of practitioners with existing academic research on SRI, and to identify with the input of practitioners potential new research. Two MBA research assistants are writing summaries of research to support this program, in cooperation with key Canadian researchers in the field, in advance of the UN PRI conference to be co-hosted by CBERN at York University in the October 2012.
Cluster Champions
Cluster Champions are being sought to support current initiatives, to identify and promote cross-sectoral engagement, and to bring new ideas to the table as the Cluster develops over the next two years. This will include strategic partnership development and identifying potential funding opportunities for new and existing programs, which may include local, national and international workshops, with a particular focus on online program development. Champions are encouraged to develop ideas for enhancing cross-sectoral and, particularly, industry participation in the network regarding the cluster theme. See Connect for details.
Past Events
| 2012 |
- (upcoming) PRI-CBERN Academic Network Conference (October 1-3), York University, Toronto
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| 2011 |
- SRI and Canadian Extractives Symposium (September 11-12, University of British Columbia, Vancouver) – 55 participants
- Coalition of Universities for Responsible Investment (CURI) Symposium at Social Investment Organization (SIO) Conference –31 livechat participants
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| 2010 |
- Responsible Investment Initiative (RII) – Community-University Research Alliance SSHRC grant 2011-2016 (CBERN is one of 32 partners)
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| 2009 |
- Workshop Series, Ethics and the Financial Crisis: The Financial Crisis: Its Implications (April 14, Schulich School of Business, Toronto)
- Workshop Series, Ethics and the Financial Crisis: Understanding and Analysing the Causes of the Financial Meltdown (April 15, Schulich School of Business, Toronto)
- Workshop Series, Ethics and the Financial Crisis: Ethics and the Financial Crisis - with special Guest John Boatright, co-sponsored with the Ethics Centre, University of Toronto (April 22, University of Toronto, Toronto)
- 2nd Annual CBERN Conference - Research Theme Day: Responsible Investment, Ethics and the Financial Crisis (May 29, Ottawa)
- UN PRI Academic Network Conference hosted by Tessa Hebb and 3ci at Carleton University – CBERN sponsors international networking dinner (October 2, Carleton University, Ottawa)
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| 2008 |
- Workshop: Socially Responsible Investing in Canada (April 11, York University, Toronto)
- Canada-Russia Dialogue on Socially Responsible Investment with the Department of Indian and Northern Development (DIAND) and Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA) (October 22, Toronto)
- CBERN SRI Cluster session at SRI in the Rockies Conference (SIO Annual Conference) (October 26-29, Whistler)
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| 2007 |
- Roundtable on Sustainable Enterprise convened by the Applied Research Centre in Human Security at Coventry University and chaired by Malcolm McIntosh (September 27, Toronto)
- AccountAbility Consultation Workshops on AA1000 Assurance Standard Development organized by AccountAbility, with InterPraxis in Toronto and Solstice Sustainability Works in Vancouver, featuring simultaneous cross-Canada video conferencing (Toronto; Vancouver)
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