Center for Humanity in Business

Teaching students to lead with stakeholders in mind

The Center for Humanity in Business at Elon University’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business explores stakeholder capitalism, an approach to business that considers how decisions affect employees, customers, suppliers, communities and the environment alongside the interests of shareholders.

Through teaching, hands-on learning and faculty research, students examine who is affected by business decisions and how leaders weigh competing interests.

Teaching and experiential learning

• Classroom resources. Faculty in the Love School of Business and across Elon will have access to assignments, case studies and short video clips they can adapt to teach stakeholder capitalism in their courses.
• Field trips. Students across the Love School of Business will see stakeholder capitalism in practice through visits to organizations such as local B Corps, regenerative farms and mission-driven nonprofits. A trip focused on housing in Charlotte offers an example of how these visits connect business decisions to community needs.
• Guest speakers. Business and community leaders will share how they weigh competing interests and put their values into practice when making difficult decisions.
• Case competitions. Students will receive support with entry fees for competitions where they can apply what they learn in class to real business problems.

Faculty research

The center highlights Elon faculty research on how businesses and other organizations shape workplaces, economies and communities. Research areas include:

• Work and leadership. Ethical and unethical behavior at work, workforce participation, inclusive workplaces and leadership effectiveness.
• Business and communities. Social innovation, economic development and the role of schools in local economies.
• Governance and sustainability. Corporate governance, environmental economics and sustainable supply chains.