The University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management prides itself on its ethics courses and lectures. Now, thanks to funding by Australian entrepreneur Raymond Spencer, the Eller school of Public Administration and Policy is establishing the Raymond Spencer Program in Applied Ethics.

When Spencer founded Kanbay International Inc. in 1989, his vision was to create a company with a strong ethical framework. Now CEO of international consulting firm Capgemini’s Strategic Business Unit – Financial Services, Spencer continues to explore ways to embed an ethical philosophy into day-to-day corporate operations.

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Last year, Spencer invited Eller College senior lecturer Neil Vance to conduct seminars on the topic of ethics at Capgemini locations in India.

"I was interested in the applied nature of the work Neil was doing in ethics," Spencer said. "He presented several seminars for us which gave us a chance to see if the research could be applied on a practical level. Now, I’m interested to see how that research can be extended."

According to H. Brinton Milward, associate dean at the Eller College director of the School of Public Administration and Policy, the new program will have three points of emphasis: research, guest speakers, and seminars.

Research will focus on ethics at the organizational level, rather than from an individual perspective, and ways in which any organization — public, private, and nonprofit — can prevent misconduct and encourage ethical behavior. The guest speaker series will bring experts in applied ethics to campus. Professor James Svara of Arizona State University will be the inaugural speaker in April. Additionally, periodic seminars in applied ethics will be offered to public, private, and non-profit organizations in Arizona.

The new graduate program, led by Vance, will complement the existing undergraduate Honors and Ethics Program headed by Paul Melendez, which focuses on individual ethics.

"Broadly speaking, applied ethics attempts to apply concepts of moral philosophy to real world dilemmas," Vance said. "I’m interested in the ethics of the management of public and nonprofit organizations, and the distillation of that moral philosophy throughout the organization."

The Eller College of Management at the UA is internationally recognized for pioneering research, innovative curriculum, distinguished faculty, excellence in entrepreneurship, and social responsibility.

Contact Joe Pangburn at jpangburn@azbiz.com or at (520) 295-4259.