Public Views of Business and Corporate Responsibility (Law & Social Science)

尽管在当代社会，企业和公司的责任越来越大，但人们对公众如何理解和判断企业的不法行为知之甚少。在之前的工作中，汉斯博士使用了三种不同的方法来提供关于企业和公司的道德和法律责任的外行观点的趋同证据，包括陪审员访谈、实验和民意调查。在这个项目中，她将承担额外的工作，更充分地阐述和整合研究成果，并将其置于法律与商业关系的更广泛的学术框架中。由此产生的专著将为公众如何看待企业的道德和法律责任提供独特而重要的写照。在主办机构的互动活动包括：共同教授一门名为“企业责任与道德”的本科课程；为本科生和研究生提供其他法律研究课程的客座讲座；并为女学生举办关于科学事业的特别会议。该项目进一步推进了VPW计划的目标，即(1)为女性提供在工程和NSF支持的科学学科中发展职业的机会；(2)通过为在工业、政府和学术机构工作的女性科学家和工程师提供更大的知名度，鼓励女性在科学和工程领域追求职业。通过鼓励妇女参与科学，这是对国家未来科学活力的宝贵投资。

Despite increasing liability for businesses and corporations in contemporary society, very little is known about how the public conceptualizes and judges corporate wrongdoing. In prior work, Dr. Hans used three different methodological approaches to provide converging evidence about lay views of the moral and legal responsibility of businesses and corporations, including juror interviews, experiments, and a public opinion survey. In this project, she will undertake additional work to elaborate and integrate the research findings more fully and to place them within a broader framework of scholarship on the relationship between law and business. A resulting monograph will provide a unique and important portrayal of how the public views the ethical and legal responsibilities of business. Interactive activities at the host institution include: co-teaching an undergraduate course entitled "Corporate Responsibility and Ethics;" providing guest lectures to both undergraduate and graduate students in other Legal Studies courses; and holding special sessions for women students on careers in science. This project furthers VPW program objectives which are (1) to provide opportunities for women to advance their careers in engineering and in the disciplines of science supported by NSF and (2) to encourage women to pursue careers in science and engineering by providing greater visibility for women scientists and engineers employed in industry, government, and academic institutions. By encouraging the participation of women in science, it is valuable investment in the Nation's future scientific vitality.