Marvin Brown has more than twenty-five years experience as a teacher and consultant in business and organizational ethics.  He currently teaches in the Philosophy Department, and the College of Professional Studies, University of San Francisco and in the organizational systems program at Saybrook Graduate School.

Formative experiences in developing orientation toward ethics at work:

• A 1967-68 intern year at the lay academy in Bad Boll, Germany: learned that in a safe and purposeful context, managers and workers will work together on their disagreements and conflicts.

• Doctoral studies in theology and rhetoric (1972-1978): learned the effectiveness of exploring how communication practices can either shutdown or open-up possibilities for meaningful conversations.

• Teaching adults at the College of Professional Studies and in other adult degree programs (1979 to present), increased skills in facilitating group and individual learning.

• Writing "The Organizational Ethics Newsletter" from 1983 to 1988; laid much of the groundwork for Working Ethics (1990).

• Writing The Ethical Process (1993); offered a step-by-step method for making ethical decisions. This workbook became the source for designing various corporate ethics training programs.

• Participating in the design and delivery of the Ethics and Diversity training program at Levi Strauss and Company (1994-1997), increased expertise in ethics consultation, coaching, and training.

• Lectures and workshops outside of United States (Germany, Venezuela, Argentina, and Poland), contributed to an international perspective on business ethics.

Clients include the California State Automobile Association, San Mateo Human Services, and Charleston Pathology, South Carolina.

Exploring the connections among the ideas of corporate integrity, relational awareness, civic identity, and communication practices, which resulted in Corporate Integrity: Rethinking Organizational Ethics and Leadership (2005).

Return to Management Forum Series 2005-2006