In Pursuit of Sustainability through Ethical Leadership - New Phases in Learning, Teaching, Service, and Writing.
Welcome to my blog: MariposaPaulette*
*Mariposa means "butterfly" in Spanish. See my blog posts #2 and #29 to learn about butterflies and their importance in the ecosystem.
I started this blog in 2010 with a focus on trade and sustainability. Since then, I have deepened my work on the Grassroots Tools of Sustainability; B-Corporations; the Triple Bottom Line of Social, Environmental, and Economic Equity; and ethical leadership. Recently, I have studied and done public speaking on climate change. Quite simply, we must address climate change if we are to help the humans and all other living beings on Earth live sustainably.
As of May 2020, I transitioned to my role as Professor Emerita of International Business Law and Sustainability at Michigan State University. Yet, I have not left MSU. I am continuing professional assignments including coordinating the Broad College's Ethical Leadership program, advising Spartan Global Development Fund (our microfinance program), and teaching International Business Law and Sustainability.
We learn through stories. This blog includes stories about the people in the U.S. and across the world with whom I have learned about the need for sustainable ways of living and ethical leadership. It also includes stories about my work with MSU students. The stories help me think more deeply.
My activities as Professor Emerita and how my pursuits relate to this blog:
Within this blog, I am continuing to write about sustainability, and I will add more on ethical leadership. Additionally, I am adding short essays about my methods and experiences in teaching. I am a teacher in my heart and soul, and, in this time of transition, I will devote more time to conversation with others who share my passions for learning and teaching.
How can we identify ethical behavior and ethical leadership? I ask that my students begin by defining ethics as "values or moral principles." The next step is to ask, "Which values or moral principles are at stake?" My future blog posts will include words about how my students and I study and pursue ethical leadership.
How can we identify sustainable actions? We can examine any personal or business practice or decision through the lens of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). The TBL looks at the economic, environmental, and social effects of our actions and practices.
How can we promote sustainability in trade and our everyday lives? Grassroots tools that promote sustainable trade include Fair Trade, direct trade, cooperatives, organics, and micro-finance as well as local production and purchasing. As an extension of that, I teach about B-Corporations, that is, those certified by B-Lab. This blog introduces you to some of those tools and the people who use them.
Each of us can make a difference. Sometimes the difference is a harm. A consumer who chooses the least expensive goods available without considering how they were produced ignores the fact that "someone pays" for the consequences of low wages for workers and abuse of the Earth's resources. Business managers promote unsustainable development when they focus on short-term profits and ignore effects of their operations on the environment, employees, community members, and our economy. Ethical leadership demands that we work to make a positive difference, and that ethical leadership requires transparency, holistic analysis, long-term perspectives, and thoughtful choices.
To learn more about the tools of sustainability: Please explore my website at www.tradeandsustainability.com. It lists my public presentations and provides links to many of my publications. Some are short and in plain language. Others are law review articles, providing in-depth exploration of sustainability-related topics. The law review articles are written in an accessible style for readers from various backgrounds.
In closing, I hope you will learn from the blogs I have posted and return to enjoy new ones.
In pursuit of peace and a more sustainable world for all,
Paulette L. Stenzel
Professor Emerita of International Business Law and Sustainability
Department of Finance, Broad College of Business
Coordinator for Ethical Leadership in the Business Law Group, Broad College of Business
Advisor to Spartan Global Development Fund, Registered Student Organization
Board Member of the Spartan Global Development Fund 501(c)(3)
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48824
email: [email protected]
.
Photo of Paulette Stenzel: Copyright © 2017 by Valerie Shaff and used with her permission.
Photos above: Copyright © 2016-2020 by Paulette L. Stenzel.
Welcome to my blog: MariposaPaulette*
*Mariposa means "butterfly" in Spanish. See my blog posts #2 and #29 to learn about butterflies and their importance in the ecosystem.
I started this blog in 2010 with a focus on trade and sustainability. Since then, I have deepened my work on the Grassroots Tools of Sustainability; B-Corporations; the Triple Bottom Line of Social, Environmental, and Economic Equity; and ethical leadership. Recently, I have studied and done public speaking on climate change. Quite simply, we must address climate change if we are to help the humans and all other living beings on Earth live sustainably.
As of May 2020, I transitioned to my role as Professor Emerita of International Business Law and Sustainability at Michigan State University. Yet, I have not left MSU. I am continuing professional assignments including coordinating the Broad College's Ethical Leadership program, advising Spartan Global Development Fund (our microfinance program), and teaching International Business Law and Sustainability.
We learn through stories. This blog includes stories about the people in the U.S. and across the world with whom I have learned about the need for sustainable ways of living and ethical leadership. It also includes stories about my work with MSU students. The stories help me think more deeply.
My activities as Professor Emerita and how my pursuits relate to this blog:
Within this blog, I am continuing to write about sustainability, and I will add more on ethical leadership. Additionally, I am adding short essays about my methods and experiences in teaching. I am a teacher in my heart and soul, and, in this time of transition, I will devote more time to conversation with others who share my passions for learning and teaching.
How can we identify ethical behavior and ethical leadership? I ask that my students begin by defining ethics as "values or moral principles." The next step is to ask, "Which values or moral principles are at stake?" My future blog posts will include words about how my students and I study and pursue ethical leadership.
How can we identify sustainable actions? We can examine any personal or business practice or decision through the lens of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). The TBL looks at the economic, environmental, and social effects of our actions and practices.
How can we promote sustainability in trade and our everyday lives? Grassroots tools that promote sustainable trade include Fair Trade, direct trade, cooperatives, organics, and micro-finance as well as local production and purchasing. As an extension of that, I teach about B-Corporations, that is, those certified by B-Lab. This blog introduces you to some of those tools and the people who use them.
Each of us can make a difference. Sometimes the difference is a harm. A consumer who chooses the least expensive goods available without considering how they were produced ignores the fact that "someone pays" for the consequences of low wages for workers and abuse of the Earth's resources. Business managers promote unsustainable development when they focus on short-term profits and ignore effects of their operations on the environment, employees, community members, and our economy. Ethical leadership demands that we work to make a positive difference, and that ethical leadership requires transparency, holistic analysis, long-term perspectives, and thoughtful choices.
To learn more about the tools of sustainability: Please explore my website at www.tradeandsustainability.com. It lists my public presentations and provides links to many of my publications. Some are short and in plain language. Others are law review articles, providing in-depth exploration of sustainability-related topics. The law review articles are written in an accessible style for readers from various backgrounds.
In closing, I hope you will learn from the blogs I have posted and return to enjoy new ones.
In pursuit of peace and a more sustainable world for all,
Paulette L. Stenzel
Professor Emerita of International Business Law and Sustainability
Department of Finance, Broad College of Business
Coordinator for Ethical Leadership in the Business Law Group, Broad College of Business
Advisor to Spartan Global Development Fund, Registered Student Organization
Board Member of the Spartan Global Development Fund 501(c)(3)
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48824
email: [email protected]
.
Photo of Paulette Stenzel: Copyright © 2017 by Valerie Shaff and used with her permission.
Photos above: Copyright © 2016-2020 by Paulette L. Stenzel.