海角社区

We are proud to announce that our event has been awarded听a听Platinum听Sustainable Event certification by the听海角社区 Sustainable Events听program run by the听.

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Premise

This conference will look at these and related issues through the broad lens of ethics in the industry with special focus on three areas:

1. ethics, equity, and accessibility;
2. profit and social responsibility; and
3. sustainability.

Montreal is the global headquarters of several important players in aviation, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airport Council International (ACI), and Bombardier. Bringing together members of Montreal鈥檚 professional and academic communities, as well as contributors from the UK and the United States, the Laidley Centre for Business Ethics and Equity will focus its second annual conference on the airline industry, placing special emphasis on the ethical dimensions of its current challenges, and articulate equitable solutions that will sustain the industry in the long term.

Agenda

8:45-9:15 | Check-in/Refreshments/Light Breakfast

9:15 - 9:25 | Opening Remarks

9:30 鈥� 11:00 | Panel 1

11:00 鈥� 11:15 | Break

11:15 - 12:45 | Panel 2

12:45 鈥� 13:45 | Lunch

13:45 鈥� 15:15 | Panel 3

15:15鈥�15:25 | Closing Remarks

15:25 鈥� 16:25 | Networking

Panel 1 鈥� Ethics, Employment Equity, and Accessibility in the Aviation Industry

Words such as equity and inclusion frequently appear in organizational mission and value statements, yet some question their authenticity. In February 2024, for instance, the CBC reported on a popular Canadian airline鈥檚 CEO facing the House Senate Committee after a series of complaints by airline passengers who had experienced numerous accessibility issues. And in the United States, workers in air traffic control have dealt with untenable working conditions that threaten not only their own wellbeing, but that of travellers, as well. This panel will focus on the industry鈥檚 ethical obligations to the safety of employees and passengers; workplace conditions in manufacturing centres, airports, and air traffic control centres; and passenger accessibility. Panelists will discuss how we can keep organizations accountable to their passengers and employees, and comment on whether the current oversight mechanisms are working. How do those in the industry manage these challenges financially while ensuring that ethical obligations to consumer and worker safety, as well as quality of service, are maintained?

• Vincent Correia, Co-Director Institute of Air and Space Law, 海角社区 Faculty of Law
• John Gradek, Aviation Management Expert, 海角社区 School of Continuing Studies
• HJ Jung, Director of EDI, Desautels Faculty of Management
• , Director, Air Passenger Rights

Moderator: Paola Perez-Aleman, Associate Professor, Strategy & Organization, 海角社区 Desautels; Director of the Center for Strategy Studies in Organizations

Panel 2 鈥� Sustainability

Sustainability in all its forms is increasingly assuming a central place in the maintenance and development of all facets of the aviation industry. From source materials to manufacturing practices, and from carbon offsets to employee welfare, sustainability concerns seem to be paramount. However, in light of UN Sustainable Development Goals such as 鈥淕ood Health and Wellbeing,鈥� 鈥淒ecent Work,鈥� and 鈥淩esponsible Consumption and Production,鈥� practices such as ghost flights during the pandemic, production waste, dirty energy sources, and untenable working conditions suggest that the industry still has a long way to go. Additionally, low-cost carriers appear to be, on balance, unsustainable in Canada, leading to higher ticket prices. Finally, the environmental footprint of flying renders the aviation industry as a whole one that requires leadership in researching and developing clean energy alternatives in the context of air travel. How can scholars, researchers, and industry leaders continue to expand sustainability efforts to respond to the array of related needs? What are the ethics that underlie these obligations?

• Nathalie Herbelles, Vice-President Industry Affairs and Sustainability, Airports Council International (ACI World)
• Pascal Hubert, Professor, Mechanical Engineering; Werner Graupe Chair on Sustainable Composites Manufacturing; Associate Director (Academic), 海角社区 Institute for Aerospace Engineering
• Valerie Myers, Senior Director, Global Supply Chains & Sustainability, CAE

Moderator: Sanjith Gopalakrishnan, Assistant Professor, Operations Management, 海角社区 Desautels; Director, Sustainable Growth Initiative

Panel 3 鈥� Profit and Social Responsibility in Aviation Manufacturing, Operations, and Maintenance

According to some, the privileging of profit over safety has been largely responsible for ongoing safety issues, as well as general consumer and regulatory concern, in the aviation industry. As Jeff Wise observes, for instance, 鈥淭hanks to a string of unforced errors and botched responses, Boeing, like other corporate giants from the 20th century, has devolved from the epitome of world-beating quality to a symbol of managerial fecklessness, focused on short-term profits at the expense of the company鈥檚 long-term sustainability鈥� (New York Magazine, April 2024). Further, corporations such as Air Canada are working to roll back consumer compensation related to delays and complaints. Finally, the Air Traffic Control crisis in the United States, which contributes to a significant number of 鈥渘ear misses,鈥� has gained increasing public attention. At the same time, the airline industry continues to weather the losses of the pandemic and the lagging workforce of the post-COVID era while trying to remain stable and even profitable. If the apparent privileging of profit over the basic ethical obligations of sound, humane business practices is the problem, what measures can we take to solve it? How can an ethics-driven approach to these challenges enhance the long-term sustainability of corporations such as Boeing and Air Canada, as well as that of the industry overall?

• Angela Gittens, Program Ambassador, ACI-ICAO Airport Management Professional Accreditation Programme (AMPAP); Director General, Airports Council International (ACI) World: 2008-2020
• Charles 鈥淒uff鈥� Sullivan, Managing Director and President, Boeing Canada: 2020- 2024
• C. Scott McElvaine, Vice President Business Development & Commercial Services, Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.

Moderator: Sebastian Betermier, Associate Professor of Finance, 海角社区 Desautels; Executive Director of the International Centre for Pension Management