Jamshedpur, November 7, 2025: XLRI – Xavier School of Management, India’s oldest
business school with a 76-year legacy of academic excellence and ethical leadership, hosted
the 33rd Annual JRD Tata Oration on Business Ethics at the Tata Auditorium, XLRI
Jamshedpur.
This year’s distinguished speaker was Dr. Sanjay Pradhan, President of the World Forum for
Ethics in Business (WFEB), who delivered an inspiring oration on the topic “Business and
Ethics: Contradictory or Complementary?” The event brought together corporate professionals,
academicians and members of the XLRI community to reflect on the vital role of ethics in shaping
the future of business.
The event commenced with the traditional lamp-lighting ceremony, followed by an
introduction to the XLRI J.R.D. Tata Foundation for Business Ethics by Dr. (Fr.) Joseph
Mathew, S.J., Chairperson of the Foundation. He emphasized that the Foundation, established
in 1991, continues to promote ethical practices inspired by Jesuit values and the exemplary
conduct of J.R.D. Tata, fostering research, leadership and global collaboration in ethical
business.
Delivering the oration, Dr. Pradhan underscored that ethics is not an impediment to business
success but its very foundation. Through historical examples like J.R.D. Tata’s corporate
stewardship, Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol recall, and Patagonia’s sustainability campaigns,
he illustrated how ethical conduct drives long-term value creation. In contrast, he cited corporate failures
such as the Volkswagen emissions scandal and the 2008 financial crisis as reminders of the cost of
moral compromise.
