Plymouth Magazine, February 2008

Good for Business

Plymouth's Ron James developes ethical leaders

by Kelly Westhoff

Ron James is a soft-spoken man, yet he is also a man who is firm in his convictions. James believes that business leaders can, and should, act within ethical bounds. His steady tone and measured words have earned him space at the conference tables of many multinational corporations to discuss his ideals.

James is president and CEO of the Center for Ethical Business Cultures, a nonprofit organization that trains business professionals to develop and sustains ethical and profitable business cultures. In doing so, the center aims to create corporations that work toward the greater global good. “We’re working to help companies examine themselves more deeply so that they can create respectful, positive inner-company cultures,” James says. “We want to guide business behavior so that companies treat not only their employees, but their customers, suppliers, investors and their community responsibly.”

This year, the center celebrates its 30th anniversary. James has led the organization since 2000. Prior to that, he held a myriad of positions with what was formerly the Bell Systems. He also led an international division of Ceridian. James brings a history of experiences in executive, governance and academic settings that gives him a unique point of view into the struggles that leaders face as they address the conflicts that arise when facing ethical dilemmas, he says.

“In business school,” James says, “we teach students about marketing, finance, quality assurance, strategic planning, but we don’t teach them about business ethics and integrity.” In an attempt to remedy this, the Center for Ethical Business Cultures formed an affiliation with the University of St. Thomas in 1988. This created opportunities for the center to be in classrooms, teaching its core principles to undergraduate and graduate students alike. The center also works with students at the Carlson School of Management and other colleges around the region.

The remainder of this article can be found in the February 2008 issue of Plymouth Magazine.

To learn more about the Center for Ethical Business Cultures, visit www.cebcglobal.org.