The Ateneo Internationalization for Mindanao Office with the School of Business and Governance conducted an international learning session in partnership with the University of Saint Joseph, Macau on 9 November 2022 (Wednesday) via Zoom teleconference. The international learning session was entitled: “Business Ethics: Doing Good Business with China” with Rev. Fr. Stephan Rothlin, SJ, as the lead discussant.
As an extension to the Ateneo de Davao University’s regularly hosted face-to-face pakighinabi (dialogue) sessions, the university now also caters to international learning sessions that engage esteemed scholars and guest lecturers from abroad who are coming from various fields of study and whose insights are valuable to enriching our understanding of the modern world.
At the helm of the dialogue session was Rev. Fr. Stephan Rothlin, SJ. He is an expert on Business Ethics, Catholic Social Teaching, and Cultural Exchange between China and the West. He also holds a doctorate in Moral Theology from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and is the Director of the Macau Ricci Institute. In 1998, he relocated to China where his research has been focused on international business ethics and Catholic Social Teaching with a focus on China. Fr. Rothlin is currently an Assistant Research Professor of the Faculty of Business and Law of the University of Saint Joseph, Macau. He also provides educational consulting services to encourage the practice of corporate social responsibility.
Fr. Rothlin was joined by the main reactor, Ms. Lady Margrett G. Cagape, DBA, CIS. Dr. Cagape has over 20 years of experience in the Financial Industry and over a decade’s worth of experience in the academe teaching in the area of Finance specializing in Personal Finance and Investments. She has a Professional Certificate in Financial Market Analysis and is currently a full-time teaching faculty member of the Ateneo de Davao School of Business and Governance.
The ILS also had two student reactors: Ms. Cristina Lu, PhD, from the University of Saint Joseph, Macau; and Ms. Dominique P. Milan, from the graduate school of the School of Business and Governance, Ateneo de Davao University, Philippines.
The learning session was able to help the participants in developing a better understanding of corporate and managerial behavior in China and beyond Asia. More specifically, it discussed the impact of ethics (whether in Asia or elsewhere in the world) and moral theories by citing real situations and specific dilemmas. It also posed an argument for the urgent need for a new economic paradigm focused on business practices in Asia, particularly in China. Fr. Rothlin discussed how values and culture affect negotiation and impact decision making in different Asian contexts. The participants were also presented with conceptual frameworks that exemplify the importance and the role of values in management—in one’s own or in a different cultural environment—as drawn from real case studies.
The international learning session on Business Ethics: Doing Good Business with China ultimately enhanced the participants’ awareness on the topic and called for them to contribute to the Common Good through a newfound appreciation of business ethics and doing good business with China.
