Haniel Seminar on Decency

The financial crisis and the problems it has triggered in the real economy, as well as the public debates about the crisis (the term “bonuses” comes to mind), have transformed the question of morality in the economy into a key issue again.

The rules of a society
“Decency” is a term with which a society designates actions that are humanely correct and widely acceptable – and this applies to many areas from interpersonal relations to political behaviour and the hard currency of financial markets. Above and beyond appeals to ethics, a shared understanding of “decent” behaviour demonstrates the invisible rules that enable a complex society to function.

“Decency” as seen from different perspectives
As usual, the Haniel faculty will shed light on this topic from several perspectives and also debate it with interested members of the general public.

On 2 November 2010 at 8 p.m. in the PALACE, the Austrian writer Kathrin Röggla and the German sociologist Wolfgang Engler will read from their latest publications, Die Alarmbereiten and Kultur der Lüge: Aufrichtigkeit im Kapitalismus, respectively, which are both concerned with changes in coexistence in a globalised economy.

Haniel Panel Discussion
On 3 November 2010, the HSG’s traditional Haniel Panel Discussion will take place at 6.30 p.m. in the Great Senate Hall (Room 09-011). A panel consisting of Prof. Gertrud Höhler (bestseller author, prominent management consultant), Prof. Jürgen Kluge (formerly CEO of McKinsey Germany, today CEO of the Haniel Group), Prof. Peter Gomez (HSG professor, Chairman of the Swiss Stock Exchange) and Prof. Nils Ole Oermann (expert in business ethics) will discuss “Decency in the economy”. The welcoming address at this event will be given by President Ernst Mohr (followed by an aperitif).

Film by Christoph Hochhäusler
On 4 November 2010 at 6.30 p.m., the KinoK cinema in the Lokremise will show Unter dir die Stadt, a film about the banking scene in Frankfurt. This highly praised film by Christoph Hochhäusler had its premiere in Cannes in May 2010. After the film, the screenwriter Ulrich Peltzer and the Berlin film journalist Simon Rothöhler (editor of CARGO, www.cargo-film.de) will discuss mass-media images of decency.

Sustainable entrepreneurship
On 9 November at 6.30 p.m., a cooperative venture will be launched between the HSG, the Haniel Foundation and the Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics: a panel made up of Prof. Andreas Suchanek (Halle/Leipzig), Roger Amhof (Ernst & Young Zurich, Sustainability Management) and Prof. Dieter Puchta (former Chairman of Investitionsbank Berlin, today sustainability entrepreneur) will discuss “Sustainable entrepreneurship”. The panel will be chaired by Timo Meynhardt from the Center for Leadership and Values in Society, and the welcoming address will be given by the future President of the University of St.Gallen, Prof. Thomas Bieger.

photo: Grammbo/photocase