Category: News

I ask you to consider supporting the work of the Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism with a donation to our operating budget.

I attach our 2020 Year in Review (annual report) to document our contributions and successes during last year.

We seem to have a unique role to play – in a free space to expand and have influence in between business, academia, foundations and governments, drawing on all, but dependent on none, to fashion with our round tables sound, new departures for action and vision.

At a time of pandemic, when so much in our lives is uncertain, uneasy and stressful, reliable, but most importantly, determined leadership, is more necessary than ever. Leadership, as always, depends on ideas and moral conviction. We, therefore, seek to support all with both, so that their leadership will rise to the demanding challenges of our time. My father used to say “Never show the white feather,” especially when others on the team look to us for reassurance and steady stewardship.

For 2021, our priority will be to launch online certificate educational programs on the theory and practice of moral capitalism and moral government. These web-based modules will be accessible globally. Through education, we plan to inspire and stimulate individuals to make their respective contributions to better outcomes in business and civic justice.

Secondly, we will propose more collaboration and coordination among the now many efforts promoting sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and alignment of enterprise with care for the environment, society and governance.

Thirdly, we will continue to provide thought leadership through round tables, our newsletter Pegasus and workshops on modernizing valuation.

Given the difficulties caused by the pandemic for traditional means of outreach in solicitation of support and personally engaging with donors and supporters, we hope you can be especially generous with your contribution this year.

You can donate via PayPal.

If you would like to mail a check, our address is 75 West Fifth Street, Suite 219, St. Paul, MN 55102.

If you would like to contribute via wire transfer, please reply to this message.

Anything you can give would be most appreciated.

Of what use is an effort like the Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism (CRT) during a time of pandemic?

What is the case for financial support of our mission and the many thoughtful contributions of members of our network?

As 2020 comes to an end, in this holiday season for many of us, I have been reflecting on this.

For the past months, key phrases and words pushed upon us by the pandemic have been “follow the science,” “lockdowns” and “what should the government do?,” among others.

But does science have a moral compass?  Does government?  Do politicians and regulators?

The moral compass of science is in the minds of the scientists.  Data, as we know, must be interpreted.  Data can be manipulated to fit narratives.  Who controls making the narratives to which data is subordinated?  Which narratives are sound, reliable?  Which ones should be taken as truth?

Scientists have power and power always needs moral guidance to seek what is good, right and fair.

Ordering lockdowns is another use of power.  All government is the use of power over others. What moral standards set limits on the use of public power?

One lesson taught to us by the pandemic is the foundational importance of work in morals and ethics, in finding principles which can be applied in action to affect the outcomes of our lives.

It’s an old point actually, but technology, tools, instruments and expertise without more is unguided and, therefore, can be shaped by human purposes for good, bad or indifference and irrelevance.  Human purposes, of course, have many sources, venture out on many roads seeking disparate goals and objectives and justify themselves with many rationalizations.  The pandemic has taught us to consider ethics, as well as expertise.

The perspective of moral capitalism would have enterprise respond to a pandemic by quickly developing new technologies for detection of the virus, care of those taken ill and creation of vaccines to protect against infection.  In addition, the well-being of stakeholders, especially customers and employees, must be factored into the search for profit.

Lockdowns also demonstrated the ethical need for businesses to remain profitable under such conditions, to provide needed goods and services and to fund families through employment of workers.

Though they can create liquidity, it seems self-evident that public agencies cannot fund economies indefinitely.  At some point, real wealth must be created to sustain community well-being.

With respect to governments, the CRT application of morality to public office prioritizes the role of trust as a requirement for good government.  Government has an obligation to earn public trust.

Secondly, the moral imperative of earning trust leads to a second standard for good government – the use of discourse, full and free discourse, tolerant and comprehensive, where data and arguments are scrutinized and not taken for granted as a priori truth.

One example of our work, which is both unique and bears within it the seeds of greater harmony between Christians and Muslims, is our study of the moral standards contained in certain covenants made with Christian communities by the Prophet Muhammad.  No one else has undertaken such a study, which grew out of our explorations of ethical teachings across our global communities.

With the start of the pandemic, we made special efforts to reach out to our fellows and others to gather their insights and wisdom about finding meaning and purpose in these unexpected and unnerving times.  We framed this work as reaching out to the moral sense as an active force for good in our world.

If this perspective on the importance of moral reflection makes sense to you, we would be grateful for your assistance, both financially and with ideas, on how best to strengthen the quality of CRT round tables and publications.

Please also consider who you might interest in the work of the CRT and introduce them to us.

You may contribute to us one of three ways:

-by credit card via PayPal

-by mailing us a check: 75 West Fifth Street, Suite 219, St. Paul, MN 55102

-or via wire transfer (please respond to this message for instructions).

Thank you again for your past interest in our work and for your continued support.