International Ethics Summit sparks discussion of global responsibilities
Published Dec 19, 2016Texas A&M at Qatar and RasGas Company Limited host ethics experts for three-day discussion of contemporary theory, policy and practice
Texas A&M University at Qatar hosted its three-day International Ethics Summit at the Hamad bin Khalifa University student center at Education City.
The event was sponsored by RasGas and brought together leading ethics scholars from around the world to discuss professional and cultural ethics, globalization of higher education and Islamic approaches to modern ethics challenges. The intercultural and interdisciplinary discussions, roundtables and panels featured world-class theorists and practitioners who discussed professional ethics in a rapidly changing society and offered approaches and solutions to challenging dilemmas in practice.
Dr. Marwan Al Musleh, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, RasGas, said, “The commitment to internationally recognised business ethics stands at the foundation of corporate responsibility. A strong ethical commitment, compliance with corporate governance, competence, and effective business practices are strongly intertwined. An ethical organisational culture coupled with fit-for-purpose controls and appropriate levels of corporate governance brings significant benefits to organisation’s successful business decisions while safeguarding leaders and employees at large.”
Ethical practices are essential to the engineering profession and are the foundation of Texas A&M’s core values. Texas A&M at Qatar strives to develop ethical engineers and well-rounded leaders of character who serve the greater good. These Aggie engineers enrich Qatar’s industry and are already playing a key role in the country’s development and progress in achieving the goals put forward in Qatar’s National Vision 2030.
Dr. César O. Malavé, dean of Texas A&M at Qatar, said, “At Texas A&M at Qatar, we produce mindful, moral engineers and train our students to consider more than just the technical side of the challenges they will address in their careers. As Qatar continues its transition toward a technology- and knowledge-based economy, these ethical issues will take a larger role. We are proud to be part of this focus on the human side of engineering and to partner with industry leaders in Qatar so that we can grow into a national and international leader in ethics research and education.”
Topics discussed include ethical responsibility and risk in an age of globalization, ethics in research and development, modern humanitarianism, and how institutional structures can shape ethical cultures. Several presentations considered challenges unique to the Gulf and address the emergence of western education in the region and its effects on society and institutions.
Keynote addresses feature discussions of moral responsibilities in a global era, 21st century ethical challenges to the humanities, and the role humility in politics and literature considering western and eastern traditions recommending humility in leadership. Dr. Hassan Bashir, Texas A&M at Qatar associate professor in political science, was the event organizing committee chair.