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TABEC 2025: Transatlantic Business Ethics Conference

This invitation-only event will discuss the role of business in protecting or opposing universal rights, freedom, and democracy.

  • 4 Jun 2025, 6.00pm to 6 Jun 2025, 5.00pm BST (GMT +01:00)
  • 10 East, University of Bath
  • This event is free
This event is invitation-only
Photo of the Royal Crescent in bath on a sunny day
Bath's beautiful architecture is steeped in a history of slavery.

TABEC is a small, invitation-only, biennial conference that brings together leading scholars from Europe and North America to share their ideas on the most pressing business ethics issues of our times.

TABEC 2025 is hosted by the Centre for Business, Organisations and Society (CBOS) in the School of Management at the University of Bath. The conference marks the 20 year anniversary of the Centre since its founding in 2005.

Conference theme

The theme for this event is 'The role of business in protecting or opposing universal rights, freedom, and democracy'.

Universal rights, freedom, and democracy have long been highly valorised as the foundations of a just and flourishing society. However, their realisation and desirability has varied across time and place. Evidence suggests that, at present, global freedoms are declining, universal rights are under growing threats, and improvements in democracy are uneven at best.

A range of interlocking factors contribute to this including the prevalence of authoritarian governments, growth in populist movements, advent of major conflicts, shifts in media and social media freedoms, and a host of other factors.

The role of business in relation to rights, freedom, and democracy bears particular scrutiny. While one position is that business should remain resolutely outside any such considerations and simply operate within the law in whatever context it faces, it is clear that companies can, and have, elected to both protect and oppose such values through their operations.

This might include the support or censure of authoritarian regimes, the protection or violation of human rights in the supply chain, the suppression or enabling of freedom of expression on social media, or the direct involvement of business in politics through lobbying, rule-making, or corporate 'activism'.

TABEC 2025 participants will present their latest research on these issues and engage in intensive discussions to build a research agenda to better inform our thinking and practice about the role of business in protecting or opposing universal rights, freedom, and democracy.

Conference hotel

The conference hotel is Hotel Indigo. This can be found at 2-8 South Parade, Bath BA2 4AB.

Bed and breakfast accommodation in a standard room is provided for the nights of Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 June. Additional nights and room upgrades can be booked direct with the hotel quoting 'TABEC 2025'.

Getting to the venue

A coach will bring participants from just behind Hotel Indigo on North Parade to the University of Bath on the mornings of Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 June, returning at the end of the scheduled sessions.

Participants can also use the local bus system using the U1, U2, Service 20 or Service 22. Taxis and Uber also operate in the city.

The local taxi service, Veezu, can be called on 01225 464646 to book a taxi.

For more information on travelling to Bath you can access our School of Management welcome pack.

List of participants

Conference Co-chairs

Andrew Crane, University of Bath School of Management, UK
Annie Snelson-Powell, University of Bath School of Management, UK

Speakers

Zena Al-Esia, University of Bath, UK
Thomas Beschorner, University of St Gallen, Switzerland
Stephen Brammer, University of Bath, UK
Joanne Cuilla, Rutgers University, US
Cedric Dawkins, York University, Canada
Thomas Donaldson, University of Pennsylvania, US
Marianna Fotaki, University of Warwick, UK
Sarah Glozer, University of Bath School, UK
Elisa Guiliani, University of Pisa, Italy
Kostas Iatridis, University of Bath, UK
Jukka Mäkinen, Estonian Business School, Estonia
Kristin Martin, University of Notre Dame, US
Dirk Matten, York University, Canada
Jeremy Moon, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Rita Mota, Ramon Llull University, Spain
Tricia Olsen, University of Minnesota, US
Mollie Painter, Nottingham Trent University, UK
Markus Scholz, Technical University Dresden, Germany
Judith Schrempf-Stirling, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Abraham Singer, Loyola University Chicago, US
Jeffery Smith, Seattle University, US
Laura Spence, King's College, London, UK
Patricia Werhane, University of Virginia, US
Timothy Werner, University of Texas at Austin, US

Location

This event will be held in 10 East.


10 East University of Bath Claverton Down Bath BA2 7AY United Kingdom

Contact us

Please get in touch if you have any questions.