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 6406

Email: 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.

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

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.
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).
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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., Karam, C.M. and Makarem, Y. 2020. Contextual Embeddedness and the Relational Influences on Women’s Careers. Human Resource Management, 30(3): 343-364.
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.

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

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