Centers and Institutes

As of July 1, 2021, 130 countries have agreed to a proposed Global Minimum Corporate Tax (GMCT). Successful implementation of such a standard will close loopholes that have allowed large multinational companies to avoid paying taxes even in countries in which they do substantial business. According to some estimates, a GMCT would help governments recover between 100-240 billion dollars annually in taxes that companies have avoided paying through complicated tax avoidance schemes. While a final practical set of rules is still under negotiation, the framework of an agreement is in place.

Join the Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity virtually on September 2nd as we welcome a panel of experts who will discuss the recent progress that has been made toward a GMCT, the prospects for its success and the implications it will have on economies worldwide.

North American sports teams are rife with Native American themed nicknames, mascots and logos. Many Americans don’t think twice about this fact. For many others, these team names and associated imagery are an added insult in the cruel history and present struggles of our continent’s indigenous people. On September 16, 2016, The Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity hosted a group of experts for a program entitled “Native American Imagery in North American Sports: Fair or Foul?” to examine this very topic. Opinion was divided as to what – if any – changes should be made.

Fast forward nearly four years and there appears to be a strong sentiment toward a complete reexamining the use of Native American culture in sports. What accounts for the apparent shift in opinion in recent weeks? What changes are in the works for pro-sports? What work remains to be done? How can Native Americans impact the future use of their cultural heritage going forward?

On Wednesday, August 12, 2020, we will reconvene several members of our expert panel in a search for answers to these and other related questions. If you are interested civil rights, freedom of expression or the role of sports in current political activism, please consider joining us.

Using Influencers has become one of the hottest trends in marketing. In 2018, 81% of marketers reported that using influencers as part of their marketing plan was an effective strategy. But there are all sorts of ethical issues associated with this trend that must be understood and carefully addressed. For example, there is the issue of inauthentic partnerships and content, as influencers do not always use or even like the products they endorse on social media. Similarly, influencers do not always disclose if a certain recommendation is a sponsored endorsement or not (a 2018 survey of influencers done by Marketer demonstrated that less than half of the respondents labeled their endorsements with the FTC-mandated hashtags when they are specifically asked, and 7% never did so at all). This Ethics of Influencers event will cover these, as well as other issues, and include a general discussion on the ethical implication of digital marketing technologies.

Dr. Gentile will share a ground-breaking new approach to preparing business managers and leaders for values-driven decision making. Drawing on both the actual experience of business practitioners as well as cutting edge research, GIVING VOICE TO VALUES (GVV) fills a long-standing and critical gap in our understanding of how to enable ethical practice. Rather than a focus on ethical analysis, GVV focuses on ethical implementation and asks the question: “What if I were going to act on my values? What would I say and do? How could I be most effective?”

Mike Steib is the CEO of Artsy, the worlds leading online platform for discovering, buying and selling fine art.

On Friday October 16, 2009, Raj Rajaratnam was arrested by the FBI and accused of conspiring with others in insider trading in several publicly traded companies. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara put the total profits in the scheme at over $60 million, telling a news conference it was the largest hedge fund insider trading case in United States history. The Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity welcomes writer Anita Raghavan, author of “The Billionaire’s Apprentice: The Rise of the Indian-American Elite and the Fall of the Galleon Hedge Fund.” Fund founder Raj Rajaratnam and others were convicted for their role in one of the biggest insider-trading schemes in American history. Ms. Raghavan will discuss the book and the many issues it raises regarding business ethics, white collar crime and the dynamics of a successful immigrant community in the US financial world.

Businesses are enthusiastically capitalizing on the benefits of artificial intelligence [AI] technology. From streamlining processes and economizing on operation costs to developing smarter products and producing valuable insights – everybody wants a slice of the AI pie. Some businesses are applying the latest in artificial intelligence technologies to promote socially beneficial ends in areas such as environmental, agriculture, and health.

This event is dedicated to exploring the concept of AI-for-Good from practical and academic perspectives. On the practical front, the event features three AI-for-Good startups: EverCompliant, which deploys AI technology to detect money laundering, fraud and various cyber risks; TrialJectory, which has developed advanced AI algorithms of clinical trials to match cancer patients with suitable clinical trials; and OrCam, whose AI-based technology sees, reads, and identifies objects for blind and visually impaired individuals. An academic perspective complements these inspiring initiatives by pointing to some perils of the AI-for-Good movement as well as ways to mitigate them.

Regional food systems are a powerful lever for sustainable economic development, healthier lifestyles, and more environmentally sound systems of production and consumption – from field to fork and beyond. As in other parts of the country and world, in New York City and State there is growing interest and engagement in developing more robust urban-rural bonds through cooperative public, private and NGO-driven initiatives. A key question: How can such innovative collaborations be sustainable, resilient and advance climate adaptation efforts in urban and rural communities over the long run?

Developing conducive and supportive business and economic dynamics is a key dimension of such initiatives, which also can profoundly improve communication and collaboration among disparate parties, helping rural and urban populations better understand that each fundamentally depends on the other. By ‘following the money,’ from farm to table and back, we may better infer the working dynamics of building viable, resilient regional food and agriculture enterprises to support cohesive urban-rural relationships and advance human and environmental sustainability and well-being.

As New York City and State continue to put forward strategies in support of more robust linkages between upstate farmers and downstate consumers, including public institutions, this public forum will explore what economic aspects should be considered and how future initiatives and policies can reflect them. It will also explore the growing interest of companies, even those in sectors beyond food, in agricultural well-being.

On November 19, 2019 join the Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity (RZCCI), the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center and invited experts to explore these and other key questions for our local and regional food economy.

Mitsui Lunch-Time Forum No. CXLVI