3:17 p.m., March 9, 2011----Should a corporation have a conscience? To what extent should a corporation hold itself responsible to the public and to the environment? A panel of faculty from the University of Delaware's Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics will convene on Friday, March 11, to address these questions and to discuss corporate social responsibility.

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Many corporate charters prohibit actions that are not in the interest of shareholders, even if they are good for the environment. Additionally, it can be difficult to distinguish between good marketing and responsibility-driven actions. To many, these are ethical, governance and marketing issues that need to be addressed.

The formation of beneficial corporations, or B Corps -- in contrast with the traditional corporations, or C Corps -- has taken off to represent the beliefs of those who feel that corporations have such responsibilities.

B Corps have charters that require other stakeholders and issues be taken into consideration. For example, a financial firm might provide free classes to improve financial literacy among non-potential customers in the footprint of their office, while an outdoors company might donate to support the environment in which their product is used but not in a marketing-driven manner. There are currently 394 B Corps in the United States.

In an effort to air opinions on all sides of the issue, panelists will also discuss whether a corporation is essentially just a vehicle that exists to enrich its shareholders, or whether it exists within an environment and has responsibilities to non-shareholding stakeholders like the general public or the environment.

The roundtable will be moderated by Stephan Zweidler and includes the following faculty panelists: John Antil, associate professor of business administration and marketing; Stacie Beck, associate professor of economics; Fred Bereskin, assistant professor of finance; Roger Coffin, associate director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance and professor of practice in finance; Jay Coughenour, department chair and associate professor of finance; Paul Laux, professor of finance; Bob Schweitzer, Donald J. Puglisi Professor of Finance and Economics; and Kent St. Pierre, professor of accounting and MIS.

The roundtable will begin at 6 p.m. in 125 Alfred Lerner Hall. The public is encouraged to attend.

Article by Kathryn Marrone