Charlotte Karam (She/Her)

Full Professor

Ian Telfer Professorship in Inclusive HR Systems

B.A. (Hon.) (American University of Beirut), M.A. (University of Windsor), Ph.D. (University of Windsor)

Location: DMS 8160
Telephone: 613-562-5800 x 4920

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Biography

Professor Charlotte Karam is a tenured full professor at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, where she also holds the Ian Telfer Professorship in Inclusive HR Systems. Her work as a scholar-activist bridges the fields of inclusive HR systems, business ethics, responsible leadership, public policy and feminist praxis.

As a primary investigator, Professor Karam leads an interdisciplinary team that has secured over $11M in external grants from international agencies, including the US Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative, UN Women, UNDP, and several governments, including those of the EU, Canada, Sweden and Lebanon. The first phase of this work led to the development of the KIP and Lived Experience Indices — the first sector-based measures of women’s recruitment, retention and promotion in Middle Eastern and North African workplaces. In 2021, she led the second phase, the SAWI Project, which focused on mobilizing decision-makers and leaders across six sectors to engage in localized strategies for building more inclusive HR systems and workplace cultures. In 2022, this work was recognized by AACSB International’s Innovations that Inspire, and she was named among Apolitical’s list of 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy. Charlotte Karam also works on combatting gender-based violence in the workplace, with a focus on anti-sexual harassment practices and business responsibilities in the context of intimate partner violence. This work has garnered international recognition and media coverage, earning her acknowledgment by the US Department of State as a Global Gender Champion, and her research was highlighted by the Financial Times when she was chosen as one of the 2024 Problem Solvers for the Planet.

Her research has appeared in the International Journal of Management Reviews; Organizational Studies; the Journal of World Business; the Journal of Business Ethics; Business Ethics Quarterly; Business & Society; the Asia-Pacific Journal of Management; the Journal of Vocational Behavior; Career Development International; and Gender, Work and Organization, among others. She is the area editor of Feminism(s) and Business Ethics for the Journal of Business Ethics and a founding member of Khaddit Beirut, which was started in response to Beirut explosion of August 4, 2020.

Prior to joining the University of Ottawa, Professor Karam was a tenured professor at the Olayan School of Business, American University of Beirut where she spent over thirteen years and served as department chair, associate dean of programs, and founding director of the Center of Inclusive Business and Leadership (CIBL) for Women. Professor Karam is still affiliated at AUB as an adjunct professor and a senior fellow of the Asfari Institute.

Research Areas

Career patterns and opportunities for women and other marginalized groups Development-oriented CSR Gendered career ecosystems Inclusive human resource systems Multistakeholder mobilization for scholar-activism Responsible leadership and engagement of organizations

Teaching Areas

Business Ethics Gender, Work and Organization Inclusive Human Resource Systems Leadership Leadership and Management Development Organizational Behavior

Publications during the last 7 years

Papers in Refereed Journals

Terpstra-Tong, J., Ralston, D.A., Furrer, O., Karam, C.M., Egri, C.P., Richards, M., Dabic, M., Reynaud, E., Fu, P.P., Palmer, I., Srinivasan, N., de la Garza Carranza, M.T., Butt, A., Gutierrez, J.R., Lee, C., Moon, Y.L., Pla-Barber, José, Molteni, M., Kuo, M.H., Casado, T., Sidani, Y., Mockaitis, A., Milton, L., Zatorska, L., Ho, B.C., Gelbuda, M., Alas, R. and Danis, W. 2024. Attitudes of Millennials towards Corporate Responsibility: A Multilevel Analysis of 28 Societies. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, (Accepted).
Van Buren III, H.J., Karam, C.M., Newman, A. and Higgins, C. 2024. Conceptualizing, Theorizing, and Measuring the Contributions of Business to Refugee Crises. Business and Society, 63(1): 3-17.
Ralston, D.A., Terpstra-Tong, J., Ramburuth, P., Karam, C.M., Furrer, O., Naoumova, I., Richards, M., Srinivasan, N., León-Darder, F., Reynaud, E., de la Garza Carranza, M.T., Casado, T., Dabic, M., Kangasniemi, M., Palmer, I., Szabo, E., Ruiz Gutiérrez, J., von Wangenheim, F., Fu, P.P., Pekerti, A., Molteni, M., Starkus, A., Mockaitis, A., Butt, A., Potocan, V., Dharmasiri, A.S., Kuo, C., Dalgic, T., Lenartowicz, T., Vu Thanh, H., Moon, Y.L., Hallinger, P., Girson, I., Egri, C.P., Milton, L., Rossi, A.M., Weber, M., Ansari, M.A., Alas, R., Danis, W., Elenkov, D. and Brock, D.M. 2024. Is There a Global-business-subculture Effect on Gender Differences? A Multi-Society Analysis of Subordinate Influence Ethics Behaviors. Business Horizons, (Accepted).
Van Buren III, H.J., Karam, C.M. and Afiouni, F. 2024. Producing Actionable Knowledge about Marginalized Populations and Communities. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, (In Press).
Karam, C.M., DeJordy, R., Creed, D., Daouk-Öyry, L., Scott, S., Geha, C. and Daou, A. 2024. Resourcing Agency for Sustained Collective Action Amidst Creeping Crises. Organization Studies, (Accepted).
Karam, C.M., Greenwood, M., Kauzlarich, L., O'Leary Kelly, A. and Wilcox, R. 2023. Intimate partner violence and business: Exploring the boundaries of ethical enquiry. Journal of Business Ethics, (In Press).
Salamoun, R., Karam, C.M. and Abdullah. C. 2022. A feminist-affordance lens: examining the power outcomes of the actualization of smartphone affordances. Information Technology & People.
Hitti, E., Hadid, D., Khoury, S.J., Tamim, H., Makki, M. and Karam, C.M. 2022. Domestic Tethers: Gender Differences in Career Paths and Domestic Responsibilities of Top-Research Medical School Graduates. Frontiers in Education.
Böhm, S., Carrington, M., Cornelius, N., de Bruin, B., Greenwood, M., Hassan, L., Jain, T., Karam, C.M., Kourula, A., Romani, L., Riaz, S. and Shaw, D. 2022. Ethics at the Centre of Global and Local Challenges: Thoughts on the Future of Business Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 180: 835–861.
Creed, W.E.D., Gray, B., Hollerer, M.A., Karam, C.M. and Reay, T. 2022. Organizing for Social and Institutional Change in Response to Disruption, Division and Displacement: Introduction to the Special Issue. Organization Studies, (In Press).
Terpstra-Tong, J., Ralston, D.A., Trevino, L., Karam, C.M., Furrer, O., Froese, F., Tjemkes, B., Darder, F.L., Richards, M., Dabic, M., Li, Y., Fu, P.P., Molteni, M., Palmer, I., Tucková, Z., Szabo, E., Poeschl, G., Hemmert, M., Butt, A., de la Garza, T., Susniene, D., Suzuki, S., Srinivasan, N., Gutierrez, J.R., Ricard, A., Buzády, Z., Paparella, L.S., Morales, O., Naidoo, V., Kangasniemi-Haapala, M., Dalgic, T., Alas, R., Potocan, V., Dharmasiri, A.S., Fang, Y., Burns, C. and Crowley-Henry, M. 2022. The Impact of Gender Role Orientations on Subjective Career Success: A Multilevel Study of 36 Societies. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 138: 103773.
Karam, C.M. and Afiouni, F. 2021. Career Constructions and a Feminist Standpoint on the Meaning of Context. Gender, Work & Organization, 28(2): 672-700.
Karam, C.M. and Ghanem, M. 2021. Multilevel power dynamics shaping employer anti-sexual harassment efforts in Lebanon. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 40(4): 375-391.
Geha, C. and Karam, C.M. 2021. Whose Feminism? Gender-Inclusive Policymaking in the Arab Middle East and North Africa. SAIS Review of International Affairs, 41(1): 23-31.
Afiouni, F., Karam, C.M. and Makarem, Y. 2020. Contextual Embeddedness and the Relational Influences on Women’s Careers. Human Resource Management, 30(3): 343-364.
Richardson. J., Karam, C.M. and Afiouni, F. 2020. The global refugee crisis and the career ecosystem. Career Development International, 25(1): 1-13.
Afiouni, F. and Karam, C.M. 2019. The formative role of contextual hardships in women’s career calling. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 114(69): 87.
Ralston, D.A., Egri, C.P., Karam, C.M., Yongjuan, L. and Fu, P.P. 2018. Changes in Work Values: A Longitudinal Assessment across China. Asia-Pacific. Journal of Management, 5(1): 145-79.
Jamali, D. and Karam, C.M. 2018. Corporate Social Responsibility in Developing Countries as an Emerging Field of Study. International Journal of Management Reviews, 52(3): 343-59.
Karam, C.M., Afiouni, F. and Metcalfe, M. 2018. Gender and Governance in Developing Economies. Business Ethics: A European review, 27(4): 287-93.
Karam, C.M. and Jamali, D. 2017. A Cross-Cultural and Feminist Perspective on CSR in Developing Countries: Uncovering Latent Power Dynamics. Journal of Business Ethics, 142(3): 481-77.
Banalieva. E.R, Karam, C.M., Ralston, D.A., Naoumova, I., Dabic, M., Potocan, V., Thanh, H.V., Starkus, A., Elenkov, D., Danis, W. and Wallace, A. 2017. Communist Footprint and Subordinate Influence Behavior in Post-Communist Economies. Journal of World Business, 52(2): 209-29.
Jamali, D., Karam, C.M., Yin, J. and Soundararajan, V. 2017. CSR Logics in Developing Countries: Translation, Adaptation, and Stalled Development. Journal of World Business, 52(3): 343-59.
Karam, C.M. and Afiouni, F. 2017. Women and the legitimization of (not) engaging in paid work. Career Development International, 22(6): 628-58.

Chapters in Books

Karam, C.M. and Ghanem, M. Understanding Diversity in the Lebanese Workplace: Legal Protections in the Context of Protracted Crises and Occupation. In Klarsfeld, A. and et al.. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Under Researched Countries. London: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022.
Sharma, R.R., Chawla, S. and Karam, C.M. Global Gender Gap Index: World Economic Forum Perspective. In Ng, E. and et al.. Handbook on Diversity and Inclusion Indices: A Research Compendium. London: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2021, (In Press).
Afiouni, F. and Karam, C.M. Debunking myths surrounding women’s careers in the Arab Middle East: A critical reflexive approach. In Sultana, R.G.. Career Guidance and Livelihood Planning in the Mediterranean Region. Paris, France: Secretary General, OECD, 2017.

Other Scholarly Contributions

(Case) Daouk-Öyry, L., Karam, C.M. and Meouchi, A. 2021. "Zain: A Story of Diversity and Inclusion from a Leading Middle East Telecom Group", Ivey Business School Publications, London, Ontario, Canada. Featured by Ivey Publishing as one of the cases that Break the Bias (https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/news/business-cases-to-breakthebias-MCIOT3C2G65NAW7JBT6NFK6NPOTY)
(Case) Daouk-Öyry, L., Hassan, N. and Karam, C.M. 2017. "Lebanese Red Cross: A Pressing Need for a Structured Volunteering Selection Process", Sage. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781526404244

Funded Research during the last 7 years

Funded Research during the last 7 years
From-To	Source	Title	*	**	Role	Amount
2022-2025	U.S. Dept of State, Middle East Partnership Initiative Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Federal Assistance Award	Strengthening Women’s Contributions to the MENA Economy: Implementation of Inclusive HR Policies	R	G	PI	$ 4,545,158
2022	University of Ottawa	Knowledge Mobilization Award	R	I	PI	$ 7,000
2021-2022	European Commission (EU) Women as Actors in Peace Processes	SAWT: Supporting Arab Women at the Table (Leadership Fellowship program Libya, Yemen, Palestine, Syria, Iraq), with Arab Reform Initiative	R	G	Co-I	$ 289,370
2021-2022	U.S. Dept of State, Middle East Partnership Initiative Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Federal Assistance Award	Strengthening Women’s Contributions to the MENA Economy: Gender-lens Investing	R	G	PI	$ 644,440
2021	UN Development Programme (UNDP)	Employer consultations on Lebanon’s recent Anti-Sexual Harassment Law	R	O	PI	$ 38,667
2020-2021	UN Women Award	Mobilizing employers for the Anti-Sexual Harassment Law in Lebanon	R	O	PI	$ 54,068
2020-2021	University Research Board (URB), American University of Beirut	Critical feminist review of literature on entrepreneurship in developing countries	R	O	Co-I	$ 13,276
2019-2022	U.S. Dept of State, Middle East Partnership Initiative Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Federal Assistance Award	Strengthening Women’s Contributions to the MENA Economy: SAWI Project	R	G	PI	$ 3,867,000
2018-2021	U.S. Dept of State, Middle East Partnership Initiative Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Federal Assistance Award	Strengthening Women’s Contribution to the Economy in the MENA: KIP Index	R	G	PI	$ 1,933,687
2018-2020	Euro Erasmus+ CBHE Project	Female Academic Role Models - Institution U. Nacional De Educacion	R	G	Co-I	$ 133,149
2017-2018	University Research Board (URB), American University of Beirut	Arab Gender Gap in Political Participation	R	O	Co-I	$ 9,285
2016-2017	Lebanon’s Center of National Research Studies Grant	Gender differences in political attitudes and participation in the Arab world	R	F	Co-I	$ 16,760
2015-2017	U.S. Dept of State, Middle East Partnership Initiative Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Federal Assistance Award	Knowledge is Power Project on Gender and Sexuality in Lebanon	R	G	PI	$ 599,066
2015-2017	Lebanon’s Center of National Research Studies Grant	Workplace gendered communication patterns in Lebanon	R	F	PI	$ 10,313
2009-2019	University Research Board (URB), American University of Beirut	Internal Grants (Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, American University of Beirut)	R	O	PI	$ 110,200

LEGEND:

Role
PI = Principal Investigator | Co-I = Co-Investigator | Co-PI = Co-Principal Investigator

Pillars

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