Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - April M. Schmidt, a composition instructor of the humanities department at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, will deliver a presentation about her recent participation in a world business conference.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies and Carthage College's Clausen Center for World Business and Department of Political Science, the conference explored business human rights issues, locally to globally, from multiple disciplinary viewpoints.

Schmidt's presentation, "Business Human Rights: Vigilance and Activism for the 21st Century," will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 25, from 6:30-8 p.m. in Platteville West of the Pioneer Student Center. This event is open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.

Originally part of "The World and Business: Responsibilities, Obligations and Profit" conference held at Carthage College in Kenosha on Oct. 17 and 18, Schmidt's research from her 2007 UWP master's thesis addresses the effects of business rhetoric on the development and perpetuation of competitive and collaborative business practices. Schmidt's research emphasized the adoption of collaborative business models in which companies collaborate with multiple public and private organizations, sometimes including rivals, to increase corporate social responsibility, sustainability, transparency and competitive advantage.

Companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Toshiba and Sony utilize collaborative business models. Schmidt's thesis includes case studies from John Deere and the Turkish textile industry to illustrate the advantages of collaborative business models.

"Organizations are under increasing pressure to adopt socially responsible and accountable practices,"Schmidt wrote in her abstract. "My research argues that collaboration with its inherent emphases on fairness, equity and transparency are better vehicles through which to pursue social responsibility than competition."

The Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies is a statewide consortium of colleges and universities working together to bring academic and public discourse to the topics of peace, globalization and conflict.

"This was the first conference in which the Wisconsin Institute explored the topic of business human rights,"Schmidt said. "It was a monumental educational experience. I, along with other participants, left the conference with an overwhelming sense of hope and possibility, from hearing the progress we have made and the progress that will be made in the area of business human rights."

At the conference, Schmidt met several regional researchers working on world business issues and is exploring opportunities to partner with some of them. Conference presenters represented various disciplines: economics, women's studies, biology, philosophy, religious studies, business, marketing, political science, law, sociology, international studies, history, management, music, criminal justice, geography, modern languages, English/rhetoric and psychology.

In her presentation, Schmidt will address perspectives from the disciplines of government and political science, business and management, sociology, criminal justice, geography, economics, philosophy and English/rhetoric. Schmidt's presentation will provide world citizens with resources for vigilance and suggest directions for activism.

Funds from the UW-Platteville Humanities Department, College of Liberal Arts and Education Dean's Fund and Teaching Excellence Center made conference attendance and UWP presentation possible.

Anyone who would like more information should contact Schmidt at schmidap@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: April Schmidt, department of English, (608) 342-1826, schmidap@uwplatt.edu Written by: Russ Brickey, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, brickeyr@uwplatt.edu