HDS - Business Across Religious Traditions

Business Across Religious Traditions

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Throughout history, economics and religion have been inextricably linked.

Today, globalism and religious pluralism are facts of life. Enterprise, invention, and the complexities of faith create synergies. Around the world, religious traditions shape the perceptions of consumers and guide corporate decision making.

The Business Across Religious Traditions (BART) seminars—made possible through the generosity and vision of H. Bruce McEver, Harvard MBA '69—bring together professionals who share an interest in the relationships between religion and business, exploring the challenges and opportunities of globalism and pluralism in the twenty-first century.

Around the world is evident a renewed recognition of the important and complex relationships that exist between religious and economic practices. Whether in business education, religious studies, or the practice of the business professions, approaches to the relationship between religion and business are being actively reconsidered.

Drawing on Harvard Divinity School's distinguished tradition of comparative studies in religion and the resources of one of the world's leading research universities, the Business Across Religious Traditions seminars provide participants with information about specific religions and religious practices to help deepen their understanding about the opportunities and challenges of global capitalism in a variety of cultural and geopolitical contexts.

Each seminar begins with a general overview of a religious tradition. The overview is then supplemented by the presentation of a contemporary and detailed case study at the intersection of religion and business. This presentation by a leading academic expert in religious studies is followed by an opportunity for discussion, with an emphasis on issues of practical relevance and application for businesspeople.