Business and Economy

Business and Economy Panel

Monday, October 11, 2010, 10.30–12.00, Goethe Institut

 

Moderator: Ján Kubiš 

Panelists: Martin Bursík, Radek Špicar, Ladislav Miko, Andrzej Błach, Tomáš Víšek

 

“Going green” is a topic which is being discussed in boardrooms around the globe. What exactly does it mean and why is it on every company’s list of CSR initiatives? What is it that motivates companies to support “green” projects? Are these initiatives actually profitable or simply a means of ensuring positive PR? Who is ultimately responsible for guaranteeing environmentally responsible behavior? Is it a task for governments, institutions, private companies, individuals? The panel will explore the challenges for companies of “going green” whilst still making a profit. What proven models can companies follow to ensure their “green” initiatives provide a guaranteed return on investment? What are the specific roles of government, companies and individuals? What is the role of the banking sector; how much influence does it have in initiating change? How do these initiatives affect consumers? What is their main motivation? Biofuels and other “green technologies“: a fix for one environmental problem whilst creating another?

Monday, October 11, 2010, 14.00–15.30, Academy of Sciences, Hall 1

Organized in cooperation with the Hnutí DUHA – Friends of the Earth, Czech Republic and the United Nations Information Centre Prague

 

Moderator: Jan Žižka

Panelists: Martin Bursík, Rut Bízková, Sanjeev Kumar, Vojtěch Kotecký

 

Cutting CO2 emissions can – by initiating investments into modern green solutions such as improved building insulation, clean energy production, comfortable public transport, local food and easier recycling – support the economy, but can also reduce domestic energy bills and ensure healthier lives for all. It can substantially reduce our contribution to climate change.

Monday, October 11, 2010, 15.00–16.30, Goethe Institut

 

Keynote Speech: James A. Rice 

Moderator: Pavel Hroboň 

Panelists: Rudolf Zajac, Jana M. Petrenko, Octavian Purcarea, Marek Vácha

 

Today’s developed countries face the issue of the financial sustainability of healthcare systems threatened by the economic slowdown and ageing populations, whilst developing countries seek to ensure access to healthcare for all their citizens. But there are common areas. Chronic diseases are responsible for the greatest proportion of diseases in most countries. The key to their effective management is greater empowerment of patients and personal responsibility for health and lifestyle. Healthcare delivery models can and will have to change profoundly to reflect patient expectations, changes in society and developments in information and communication technologies. What are the areas of responsibility for health? What should be the roles of governments, corporations, professionals and patients? How does broad universal healthcare coverage influence a responsible approach to one’s own health? Are medical innovations a threat or a hope for the financial sustainability of our healthcare systems? How can information and communication technologies engage patients in healthy behavior and help to change old models of healthcare delivery?

Panel

Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 9.15–10.45, Žofín Palace, Forum Hall

Keynote Speech: Tomáš Sedláček

Moderator: Hana Lešenarová 

Panelists: Peter Eigen, Mirek Topolánek, Peter Thum

The economy seems to behave like a fire: it is a good servant but a bad master, if not contained. Central Park in New York City could be a much more efficient place, and the city‘s GDP would rise, if banks and insurance companies´ headquarters could be built there. But the city’s inhabitants reject the idea. How do we know when the economy is a tool and when it becomes an objective? Should we grow just for growth’s sake? Should the economists draw the world as “we would like it to be“ or should we stick to describing the world “as it is”? Economics is supposed to be a value-free social science but the paradox is that in economics we deal with values almost constantly. Should economists advocate certain values and limitations of the market, or should other fields do this for us? If economy is not an objective but just a tool, then what is the objective?

Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 11.00–12.30, Goethe Institut

 

Moderator: Jan Macháček 

Panelists: Peter Eigen, William Echikson, Misha Glenny, Miroslav Zámečník

 

When is a company willing to make less profit or an individual willing to risk their bonus or even their job for the sake of doing the “right” thing? Business ethics is a hot topic, currently discussed at every level of the corporate world but what exactly does “ethics” mean? Who is responsible for ensuring that these “codes” are met? The panel will explore a wide range of ethical decisions which companies and/or individuals had to make and the price they had to pay to do so. What factors affect companies’ decisions to “do the right thing” even when they know the outcome will lower their profits? Are they the companies´ core values or simply a means of securing positive PR? What motivates CEOs, government officials or individuals to make tough ethical decisions which could cost them a proportion of profit or even their jobs? Who is or who should be held accountable for upholding ethical codes within large organizations? What factors influence individuals’ core values and where are they learned? What role do the media play in stopping or supporting corruption?

Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 17.15–18.45, Academy of Sciences, Hall 1

 

Moderator: Pepper de Callier 

Panelists: Zdeněk Bakala, James Cusumano

 

The recent economic crisis has uncovered numerous imperfections in the current world of business. As a consequence, governments are rushing to recreate the rules of how the economy and business function, their transparency and how they relate to other spheres of social activity. New regulations are being drafted, new institutions created. In the end, however, it will be the next generations of business leaders who will put these new rules and institutions into practice and who will define what kind of world – and not just the business world – we are going to live in. What are the pluses and minuses of today’s business world? Is there an intergenerational “values-clash”? How will success be defined by the next generations? What does the future generation of business leaders want the business world to look like?