Charlotte Karam (She/Her)
- Location
- DMS 8160
- Telephone
- 613-562-5800 x 4920
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Biography
Charlotte Karam, PhD 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. Charlotte’s work as a scholar-activist contributes to overlapping conversations in leadership, inclusive HR systems, business ethics, leadership development, public policy, and feminist praxis.
Her work has been funded through UN Women, UNDP, EU and other funders. Her current project, and as the project lead, Charlotte has secured over 11M in external funding from the U.S. Department of State Middle East Partnership Initiative. 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, focused on mobilizing decision makers and leaders across six sectors to engage in localized strategies for building more inclusive HR systems and workplace cultures. This work has been recognized twice (2018, 2022) as one of AACSB International’s Innovations that Inspire, and Charlotte was recognized as a Global Gender Champion by US Dept. of State, one of the 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy by Apolitical, and on the Bath University’s Thinklist 30.
Her research adopts a multilevel lens embedded largely within the context of patriarchy, cultural variations, and sociopolitical instability to broadly examine responsible engagement of organizations within the context of developing economies. Recent publications focus on development-oriented CSR, career patterns and opportunities for women and other marginalized groups, and the recruitment, retention and promotion policies and practices across the Middle East and North Africa. Her publications appear in the International Journal of Management Reviews, Organizational Studies, Journal of World Business, Journal of Business Ethics, Business Ethics Quarterly, Business & Society, Asia-Pacific Journal of Management, Career Development International, Gender, Work and Organization, and others. She is the area editor of Feminism(s) at the Journal of Business Ethics. She is a founding member of Khaddit Beirut, started in response to the August 4th, 2020 Beirut explosion.
Prior to joining the University of Ottawa, Charlotte was a tenured Professor at the Olayan School of Business (OSB), 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. She continues to be affiliated as an Adjunct Professor and primary investigator of The SAWI Project as the director of international partnership at this center.
Publications during the last 7 years
Papers in Refereed Journals
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, (In Press).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Jamali, D. and Karam, C.M. 2018. Corporate Social Responsibility in Developing Countries as an Emerging Field of Study. International Journal of Management, 52(3): 343-59.
- 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.
- 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.
- Dawkins, C., Jamali, D. and Karam, C.M. 2016. Corporate Social Responsibility and Job Choice Intentions: A Cross-Cultural Analysis. Business and Society, 55(6): 854-88.
- Karam, C.M. and Ralston, D.A. 2016. A Failure before Analysis: The soup to nuts of preparing for multi-country analyses. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, 23(4): 590-612.
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.
- Jamali, D. and Karam, C.M. CSR in Developed Versus Developing Countries: A Comparative Glimpse. In Örtenblad, A.. Handbook of Research on Corporate Social Responsibility. London: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2016.
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.
- (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
| 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:
*Purpose
C: Contract (R and D) | E: Equipment Grant | R: Research Grant | S: Support Award | P: Pedagogical Grant | O: Other, U: Unknown
**Type
C: Granting Councils | G: Government | F: Foundations | I: UO Internal Funding | O: Other | U: Unknown
Role
PI = Principal Investigator | Co-I = Co-Investigator | Co-PI = Co-Principal Investigator
