Corporate Counsel – While it is recognized that corporate counsel can play an integral role in a company’s long term success, the processes through which corporate legal departments provide competitive advantages remain poorly understood. The prevailing wisdom recognizes that companies need to incorporate legal considerations into top-level decision-making, but are most companies doing this?
Robert Bird
Up Next: Compliance
‘Building a Culture of Compliance’ Continues Executive Education Breakfast Series
The Chief Operating Officer of a nuclear utility in Washington state noticed an employee trip on the stairs after catching her heel on some loose carpeting. The executive, laden with a full schedule of meetings and decisions, “stood guard” in the stairway until a repair person could arrive, ensuring that no one else got hurt.
That is one example of what a ‘culture of compliance’ looks like, where everyone, including key executives, takes individual responsibility for the values of the organization, said Robert Bird, a UConn professor of business law and the keynote speaker at an upcoming UConn School of Business Executive Education breakfast program titled, “Building a Culture of Compliance.”Continue Reading
Time to Flex
Giving Workers More Control of Their Time May Be Good for All
Rep-Am.com – When she first began working there 15 years ago, Beekley Corp. in Bristol was a fairly traditional company. “We were of the mind that everybody needed to be here, 9 to 5,” said Maureen O. Gallo, vice president of human assets and operational excellence at the medical supply company. But when the company began asking its employees what it could do to make them perform at their highest level, one fact was clear: They wanted flexibility.
Creating a Better World
Mission-Focused Businesses Subject of Recent Conference
Business partners Spencer Curry and Kieran Foran go to work at their FRESH Farm Aquaponics business in South Glastonbury every day, believing they’re one step closer to solving world hunger.
When Justin Nash was a Captain in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, his soldiers looked to him for guidance. Now a civilian, he’s using those leadership traits at Til Duty is Done, an organization he created which seeks to provide housing, employment training and career opportunities for returning veterans. Til Duty is Done, Nash said, gives him a renewed sense of purpose.Continue Reading
Social Enterprise Conference
School of Business’ Social Enterprise Conference Attracting Leading Scholars, Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
“We don’t hire people to bake brownies, we bake brownies to hire people,” boasts the website of Greyston Bakery of Yonkers, N.Y.
Recognized as one of the best social enterprise companies in the world, Greyston Bakery’s mission is to provide individuals with employment, skills and resources to lift them out of poverty.Continue Reading
Work-Life Balance
Flexible Work Time Could be Salvation for Families–and an Advantage for Employers–So Why Do Companies, Employees Resist?
The typical two-income American family is stretched to the breaking point with responsibilities, and, for many, flexible work time would be helpful in finding a work-life balance, said Robert Bird, professor of Business Law.
“There are millions of people in our country under intense pressure,” said Bird, who is also the Northeast Utilities Chair in Business Ethics. “They are two-parent, working families taking care of children and/or elderly parents. Inflexible work schedules are making the stress even worse.”Continue Reading
Business, Law Students Collaborate During UConn’s First Joint Negotiation Competition
The University of Connecticut School of Law hosted the first UConn Law School-UConn Business School Joint Negotiation Competition last month.
The event fostered professional achievement and collaboration among the students, with four MBA students continuing on to a regional competition at Villanova University in April.Continue Reading
HELP WANTED: Only Those With Social Conscience Need Apply
A challenging job with great rewards is probably on the wish-list of most soon-to-be college graduates.
But for UConn seniors Greg Doyle and Kelly McLaughlin, and other members of UConn’s Net Impact organization, the perfect job would have another twist. These students are hoping to merge their career goals with their passion for social change. Continue Reading
Is it Time to Hire a Chief Legal Strategist?
MIT Sloan Management Review – Could your company use its legal environment to look for strategic opportunities? Consider bringing in a chief legal strategist, recommend Robert C. Bird, associate professor of business law and Northeast Utilities Chair in Business Ethics at the UConn School of Business and David Orozco, an associate professor of legal studies and MBA program director at the Florida State University College of Business.
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability in Business
The UConn Chapter of Net Impact and the Honors in Business Association are co-sponsoring an informational program titled, “Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability in Business,” at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Dodd Center’s Konover Auditorium.
The panel discussion will be of great interest to students who envision merging their careers with their passion for social improvement. Continue Reading