Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tim Fort on April 6, 2009 at 13:53

Over the past couple of weeks, we have had some postings and some private emails asking if there were available some conceptual frameworks that would help to analyze the issues of business and peace. This week begins several weeks of presenting just those kinds of frameworks and more overarching conceptions of what might be possible.

Our moderator this week is Zoe Cooprider. Zoe comes to us from the Global Peace Index, established by Week 1 speaker Steve Killelea. Zoe is in charge of partnerships for the GPI; an ideal position from which to bring together the various ideas that address this topic.

I hope we continue to have such good discussion!

Timothy L. Fort, PhD, JD
Exec. Director, Institute for Corporate Responsibility
Lindner-Gambal Professor of Business Ethics
George Washington University School of Business
Professorial Lecturer, George Washington Law School

Permalink Reply by Renee on April 6, 2009 at 19:33

Louis D'Amore mentioned that as tourism began to increase so did the terrorism directed at these tourists. I believe that several of the frameworks he mentioned in his video are and have been helpful. Many of the frameworks are conferences including the World Peace Tours of 2009 which demonstrates the priniciples of peace through tourism. These informational conferences are exactly what we need as the world becomes a smaller and more global place.

One reason I think terrorism occurs is because people tend to fear the unknown. Now that the world is more global people are becoming aware of different cultures and the threats they might pose to their own culture. It is important that we all gain knowledge and understanding of each other's cultures. The more aware we become the less we have to fear. Fear is one major factor that contributes to violence and terrorism. A solid understanding of foreign cultures will allow for business commerce to not only take place but to take place in a peaceful manner.

Permalink Reply by Andrea Gunning on April 8, 2009 at 20:57

From a personal perspective, I believe that a major catalyst of Peace, whether among individuals, states, or the world at large, comes from the natural ability to understand. I genuinely believe that Tourism is a critical vehicle for understanding and perspective. Louis D’Amore’s discussion of Peace through Tourism shines light on how tourism is a valuable medium. The Peace through Tourism initiative almost seems to bring the concept of Peace to its basic level. To formally and sustainably engage in the exploration other cultures and gain a better understanding of the way other people live and think I feel is a legitimate first step. Understanding is respect. To be able to connect with another individual and formulate a mutual understanding is ignites dignity in each respective party. I agree that understanding and knowledge can combat fear so that people can open their minds and enable a connection.

Permalink Reply by Bari Friedman on April 8, 2009 at 23:33

I too agree with both you and Louis D' Amore's discussion of Peace through Tourism. I believe the root of much conflict is simply ignorance. This ignorance results in the impossibility to adequately communicate with people from other cultures, and by adequately communicate I mean the ability to hear and be heard. When one is ignorant it is much easier to discredit foreign people; these individuals gain a sense of misguided superiority. This superiority is difficult to dismantle unless one engages with the unfamiliar. Tourism is a perfect way to expose people to other cultures, and through this exposure I am confident that people will learn that we are all very similar in many ways. Learning about other cultures will also help to reduce the fear that many have. Fear is a result of ignorance and this fear often leads to unethical, destructive behavior. Education through tourism will help to provoke a greater understanding and ultimate respect for others.

Permalink Reply by Lori Gera on April 13, 2009 at 0:05

I believe that Renee hit this spot on. I completely agree that the primary cause of violence in general, specifically terrorism is ignorance. Although the world is becoming more global, education about the spreading cultures is not growing. People tend to fear the unknown and this results in violent incidents. I agree with Louis D'Amore's suggestion of conferences such as the World Tours of 2009 to help resolve some of these issues. As the world becomes more global, it is important to realize that although cultures can spread easily, acceptance will only come with education. In order to hope for increased peace, we must take initiatives such as the World Peace Tours to help educate people.

Permalink Reply by Esteban Febres-Cordero on April 6, 2009 at 21:16

It is very important to launch world peace tours as Louis D'amore mentions. There needs to be promotion and demonstrations on how different cultures, food, traditions, religions, governments influence countries so that these tours can work as a way to sustaining peace through tourism. I have come to met people who don't even know that certain countries exist or how different cultures influence the lives of people all around the world, and it is not a technology problem because I am sure that the people that have given me those types of answers have internet access and other resources available to them to engage and learn about different parts of the planet. In order to promote peace through tourism, and subsequently peace through commerce travelers have to collaborate and be aware of how different people relate to one another in different parts of the world.
We have entered into a knowledge era which is a term used in business that refers to using what is known in order to maximize the firm's value. The same concept can be applied to manifest peace through commerce and tourism. We need to be more engaged with being informed and informing others about different parts of the world. By becoming more knowledgeable travelers can feel less worried about traveling. As Renee mentions, fear can be a major obstacle for business commerce to take place. Becoming more involved with what happens around the world will make travel much easier and therefore business commerce can occur peacefully and without conflict.

Permalink Reply by Solomon Brayant Mpapale on April 7, 2009 at 20:51

Dear E-Conference Participants,

I have had the opportunity to review some of the videos on site and although i cannot respond to all of them,please allow me to react to the first posting by Louis D’Amore.This video to me more or less summarizes the whole content and idea of peacebuilding through business with a particular focus on Tourism.

in terms of question 2 and 3, D'Amore dicusses a number of possibilities and initiatives These include:Travel tourism,Sustainable tourism,The possibility of International terrorists targeting the industry which is all the more distinct in the post 9/11 world,the aftermath of the Rio conference on Sustainable Development,The role of certain world leaders who are regarded as having a Global moral voice with the specifiic mention of The Late Pope John Paul II and also Former US president the late Ronald Reagan among others.

My sense of his presentation is that the Global sustainable tourism campaign is largely in the hands of global factors many beyond its control which is true.The implication therefore is that it cannot survive in a conflict world which again would be true.

For purposes of my contribution, i would however wish to zero in on two aspects:The Global threat of terrorismm which is the point of intersection between conflict and sustianable tourism and the concept of sustainable tourism itself.Sustainable tourism, by its very nature would mean that some resources like say marine resources are exploited but responsibly with regard to the survival of future generations.If this does not happen, then the possiblities of conflict are increased and those of peace concomitantly diminish.Why?Beacuse people are bound to fight over limited resources when they become scarce and the reports by reputable organizations like the International Crisis Group(ICG) and also the IPPCC,the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change have repeatdely warned that climate change and irresponsibile tourism all portend to a world of conflict a very good living example being the intractable Darfur conflict in western Sudan.

On its part, terrorism is the actual manifestation of the conflict and it affects tourism aspects, mostly negatively good examples being in the Egyptian, Indonesian,Thailand,Kenyan,Moroccan,Tunisian,Algerian and Saudi resorts which have suffered attacks in the recent past.Many others also remain vulnerable to such attacks including a number european and Asian destinations.

To foster collaboration therefore, what is needed is a strong cross sectoral patnerships with governments and private sectors and also strong Corporate Social Responsibility regimes that would ensure that the people have confidence and benefit from businesses as a way of guarenteeing their basic survival.For example what is going on in the Niger Delta is the direct opposite and can be avioded if there is more responsibility.If The oil MNCs mining oil there could respect the Human Rights of the locals, then the ethnic conflicts witnessed and the insurgency could well be avoided.

Solomon Mpapale.

Permalink Reply by Renee on April 7, 2009 at 22:27

My question is in regards to Professor Fort's video. You mention that businesses should use specific
microlevel activities in order to implement trade. Can you give us an example of what those activities might consist of?

Permalink Reply by Tim Fort on April 8, 2009 at 1:55

Sure Renee,

Thanks for the question. The thust of my research has been that the attributes of relatively non-violent societies (as determined by anthropologists and political economists) map pretty well onto consensus-based ethical business practices. Thus, when businesses practice ethical activity, they make a contribution - sometimes large, sometimes small - to the creation of a peaceful environment. For example, Cindy Schipani and I have shown that there is a clear correlation between corruption and violence, so while a company may be forced to engaged in bribery in a given country, to the extent they can lessen that bribery or eliminate it, that action will contribute to a more sustainably peaceful enviroment. That's a concrete, micro-action companies can take.

Similarly, because poverty is linked to violence, job creation companies create are helpful. That's particularly true if it can be outside of the extractive industries. That too, is a concrete, micro-activity cmpanies can do. Same is true with following to (or lobbying for) other rule of law concepts such as protection of contract and property rights.

Maybe the most intriguing one to me is that fostering voice of the oppressed or unheard is nearly always helpful. It's a reason why democracies tend not to war with each other, why famine tends not to occur in democratic countries. Contemorary management practices require rank-and-file workers to speak up if there is a product defect. That's an aspect of voice that contributes to a well-run company and I suspect (although I am still nudging some empirical scholars to try to chase this idea down) there could be spillover effects to the peaceful, democratic environment of the society. Again, a very practical, concrete, micro action.

These are all actions any business can take anywhere and I think even if the company does these things around the world from a conflict, it still makes a difference because of the way communications travel these days. It is even more important - and much harder - to do them in a conflict-sensitive zone. And in either one, it may be that a company can't do all of these things at once, but I'm willing to nudge companies to take baby steps even if they can't take giant steps.

Hope that helps. Happy to follow up too.

Tim

Permalink Reply by Justin Hunter on April 8, 2009 at 16:52

I have a question in regards to Professor Fort's Video as well.

Through your research you said that you have found that there is a perfect correlation between corruption and violence, and I would have to agree with your findings from personal observation. Since corruption is an element of culture, especially in many African countries, it seems that it is ingrained within society influencing those associated.

Your example of the group of baboons was a perfect example of this influence, but I seek a little clarity as far as the time frame needed for businesses to have the ability to create the cultural changes needed to promote peace. You mention micro-actions and small steps, but how long would it take for a company go about this on such a small scale, especially given potential societal resistance? My guess would be that this is an on-going process rather than a specific end goal, but I just wanted to hear your ideas on this matter.


Thanks,

Justin

Permalink Reply by Tim Fort on April 8, 2009 at 19:58

It's a good point and a good question Justin. One of the hardest things, I think, about the Peace Through Commmerce approach is measurement. We're focusing on micro actions of business and any one business, no matter how big, is not going to create peace all by itself. In fact, if a business was so large and powerful that it could have that impact, I'd be kind of worried about the power that businesses has anyway. So, we're talking about an incremental contribution to a societal issue that requires others to also participate in order create change. That can be discouraging, but I offer three thoughts. First, Margaret Mead once wrote that we should not be discouraged that a small group of committed people could create change in the world. In fact, she said, it's the only thing that ever has changed the world. Second, my argument is that practicing regularly accepted business principles can contribute to peace, so by aiming for peace, one is more likely to practice ethics, knowing its potential impact. Being ethical itself could serve as an intermediate goal and a good one at that. Finally, I've always liked Camus' interpretation of Sisyphus, who was condemned by the gods to pushing a rock up the side of a hill, knowing it would never reach the top. The Greeks thought this was punishment, but Camus thought that there was some value in Sisyphus knowing what his task was. And from my experience, those who commit to these ideals and ideas find the practice of them rewarding in their own right once they become part of your identity, regardless of the consequence.

I do want to get to your first comment too for a second. A colleague of mine at Wharton, Phil Nichols, did a study several years ago showing that bribery is outlawed in every country in the world and condemned by every major religion. So even where corruption does exist, it's pretty likely that people in that country wish it weren't the case. And that provides a lever to try to change the culture so that it accords more with their own values rather than the ones imposed upon them by those who do not respect the values of their own people.

Hope that helps.

Tim

Permalink Reply by Andrea Gunning on May 9, 2009 at 18:37

Your comment Justin, that corruption is an element of culture, reminds me of Michelle Westermann-Behaylo working article, “Institutionalizing Peace Through Commerce: South African and Sudan Divestments,” that Professor Fort provided us on blackboard. She specifically discussed the influence and implications of divestment in South Africa and the necessity of divestment in Darfur. She noted the impact of how corporations who became socially responsible during apartheid greatly influenced The Anti- Apartheid Movement. For example, London lobbied the British government to enact sanctions against providing the South African government with arms, which were used against native Africans. The success of this effort created a world-wide movement. The importance of understanding how the anti-apartheid divestment effort positively impacted the South African economy and peoples is not only crucial to the current Divest for Darfur movement but it genuinely sets a clear example of ethical practices in the corporate world can be a vehicle of peace. It has been proven that divestment in conflict areas can certainly make an impact because it puts pressure on local governments.

In relation to the "microactivities," Polaroid while in South Africa recognized how their operations where fueling the apartheid movement and proceeded to engage in these micro-activities by simply acknowledging the injustice of pay between the black and white Africans, eliminating profitability in South Africa as a justification to operate in South Africa, and listening to the citizens in the United States and their request for divestment. I truly agree that making these micro institutional changes from within eventually led peace because they promote a call to action and recognition of what is happening in the environment. In relation to Camus' theory, I believe if people just recognize their task as being a person of the word more people would recognize their duty to act as a citizen in the world and adopt it in their everyday practices and ideologies. Understanding that adopting ethical behavior and respecting the rights of human beings should be engrained as an ideals for all mankind. Certainly if baboons can recognize a call to change, human beings certainly can too.

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