The Lab delivers innovative and collaborative projects in the areas of corporate governance and business ethics.
With a focus on the ‘G’ of ESG, the Lab undertakes cutting-edge interdisciplinary and practitioner-oriented research, engagement, and innovation projects in collaboration with industry, policy-makers, and researchers.
The formal launch of the Lab took place on 4 December 2023, where Dr Stephen Davis, Senior Fellow at the Harvard Law School Program on Corporate Governance delivered a keynote address on “Global Trends in Corporate Governance”. An edited version of the address will be available soon on this web page.
The Lab is delighted to welcome our knowledge partners:
- FTI Consulting (inaugural knowledge partner). For more information visit www.fticonsulting.com
- Mason Hayes & Curran – for more information visit www.mhc.ie
For more information about how to get involved, please contact the Director of the Lab, Dr Daniel Malan.
Current and Planned Projects Include:
The early history of corporate governance in Ireland
Not many people know that Ireland was the first country in the world to have a national code of corporate governance. The Lab has launched a research project to document this important period in the early 1990s, and we invite any person with information to contact us. At the recent launch of the Lab at Trinity Business School, Dr Stephen Davis, Senior Fellow at the Harvard Law School Program on Corporate Governance mentioned the following:
"I am especially grateful to be in Dublin because, while it is little known, Ireland gave birth to the modern corporate governance movement when Ann Fitzgerald’s Irish Association of Investment Managers created the world’s first national code. Just months later it was overshadowed by the UK’s Cadbury Code. But make no mistake: the first-ever effort to develop market-wide standards of best practice happened just blocks from here. That makes the launch of Trinity Corporate Governance Lab in this city that much more significant. You here can point the way again, with insights, ideas, and innovation."
For more information, contact Dr Daniel Malan.
Trinity Business Ethics Speaker Series
Now in its fourth year, this series explores contemporary issues in the field of business ethics.
Governance of Frontier Technology
Currently in planning phase, this action research project in the field of responsible technology will potentially be conducted in partnership with the ADAPT Centre.
In December 2022, Trinity Business School and the World Economic Forum co-hosted a workshop at the International Anti-Corruption Conference in Washington DC. The topic was: “What’s Next for Tech for Integrity: Emerging Opportunities, Persisting Challenges and Potential Risks”. A recording of the workshop is available here.
For more information, contact Dr Daniel Malan.
Corporate Moral Progress
A research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) to establish the responsibility of firms, to explore the sources of their immorality, and to chart a path for their improvement.
For more information, contact Dr Kenneth Silver. A short video about this project and Dr Silver’s views on the value of philosophy for management is available here.
Deliberative Democracy for Corporate Sustainability
This project explores how firms can successfully manage the complexities and tensions associated with adopting sustainability as a strategic priority at the core of the organisation.
The Trinity Corporate Governance Lab was delighted to invite everyone to a special webinar celebrating the publication of the latest special issue of Business Ethics Quarterly (Vol. 33, Issue 1, 2023) “The Challenges and Prospects of Deliberative Democracy for Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility”. A recording of the online event can be found here.
For more information, contact Dr Maximilian Schormair. A short video about Dr Schormair’s research interests, the BEQ edition and his work in executive education is available here.
Socially Acceptable and Fair AI
Dr Ulrich Leicht-Deobald is an associate professor at Trinity Business School, and a participant in this project that is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The aim of this interdisciplinary project is the development of a methodology for the design of fair AI applications. The methodology will help guide stakeholders when considering the usage of AI in a socially responsible way, and will make it possible to train software developers in ethical topics.
For more information, contact Dr Ulrich Leicht-Deobald
Governance in Higher Education
Appropriate governance oversight frameworks are critical to support the effective governance of universities. This has been confirmed by the Irish Higher Education Authority (HEA) Act 2022. In collaboration with the Office of the Secretary of the College & Director of Governance of Trinity College Dublin, the Lab will investigate best practice in third level governance in Ireland and abroad.
For more information, contact secretar@tcd.ie