Keynote speakers explored the convention theme from different angles. Arthur DeFehr, CEO of Canada's largest furniture manufacturer, painted a grim view of a global financial system where decision-makers have become disconnected from the people whose lives their decisions impact. When owners and employees live in the same area, shop in the same stores and attend the same churches, the close proximity places some limits on arbitrary corporate behavior. But those limiting factors tend to evaporate when dealing across the globe, he said. Crossing the border from the Mennonite church to Madison Avenue was not hard, said Reinhard.
Advertising is about selling, and selling is good.
Nothing much happens in the world if nothing is sold. In a panel discussion later, Reinhard was upbeat about the impact of globalization on the moral climate of business. He predicted that companies' fortunes would be increasingly tied to their social and environmental behavior, especially now that the Internet can instantly spread news of misdeeds. Not everyone was so sure. Some felt that globalization could lead to new forms of colonization and oppression among Low Income Countries.