How business students learn to make ethical decisions by studying a soup kitchen in one of America’s toughest neighborhoods

For the past decade I have volunteered at St. Francis Inna soup kitchen in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Kensington, for those not from Philadelphia, has long had a reputation as solid but affordable Street drugs. Interstate 95 and the Market-Frankford elevated commuter rail line provide easy access for buyers and sellers to the neighborhood, and abandoned buildings provide havens for drug use and other illicit activity.

St. Francis Inn Ministrieswhich was It was founded by two Franciscan friars in 1979It serves breakfast and dinner to thousands of people every year, many of whom experience poverty and homelessness Substance abuse disorder. It works too Mary’s closetIt is a charity that provides free used clothes and household items.

These ministries are run by a core team of nine full-time members, hundreds of volunteers from local high schools and colleges, and a dedicated team of people from many walks of life.

In my years as a volunteer at St. Francis, important changes have occurred in Kensington, including Optimization, Housing prices rise and Increased police activity. Such changes can make it difficult for people experiencing poverty and homelessness to stay in the neighborhood.

Around 2018, the number of guests visiting St. Francis Inn is noticeably diminished. I heard volunteers speculating about whether St. Paul’s should move. Francis Inn to the north in Philadelphia where there are more people in need. Others wondered whether St. Francis Inn should create a mobile unit that would travel to those in need wherever they were.

As I listened, I realized this was a business decision. your Professor of Management At Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, I decided to present this resolution to students at the Capstone Management Honors Symposium. In January 2026 I Published business case study Titled “Dealing with Change in Kensington, Philadelphia: The Case of St. Francis Inn.”

Interesting business case

The capstone seminar I teach is the second of two strategic management courses offered to business students in their final year. using Harvard case study methodStudents identify critical issues involved in a variety of situations and find the information needed to evaluate those issues using basic theories in strategic management.

Students then propose a solution—a hypothesis that they believe best addresses the situation. They are testing whether this solution works through construction Business plan – called “evidence” – which provides the logic and evidence that the solution they have come up with will work.

Part of what I think makes this case study interesting is that it includes some of the most vulnerable people in Philadelphia. I felt it was important to give students the opportunity to consider important issues related to social justice when applying their business decision-making skills.

Ethically sound recommendations

Among other material, the course covers two different perspectives that students can use to make informed decisions and propose solutions for St. Francis Inn.

The first is Resource-based view. Using this framework, students identify the unique resources and capabilities that a company—in this case, St. Francis Inn—has built over the years. They then determine how to best use those resources and capabilities to carry out the company’s mission.

The mission of St. Francis Inn is to live among and serve the poor, following their example Saint Francis of Assisi. The organization has built long-term relationships with food companies – which share leftover meat, vegetables and other produce with the lodge – as well as with community members in Kensington. In addition, they have developed a network of hundreds of well-trained and motivated volunteer workers throughout Philadelphia and, in fact, across the country.

The second framework that students are expected to use is “Formal moral theory“, which offers a set of different theories for determining moral rules. It enables us to make organized, rational and logical moral decisions.

For example, using “expediency“Students weigh all the costs and benefits of a decision and choose the option that provides the greatest benefit – or benefit – to society.”Theory of rights“It requires students to make decisions that respect the intrinsic dignity of all people. Students can use these theories to make ethically sound recommendations about how St. Francis Inn can best serve stakeholders in its community.”

Perhaps the most obvious people affected by St. Francis Inn are people who live in the neighborhood who are experiencing homelessness and substance use disorder and receive food and other assistance there. Other groups of concern include longtime neighbors who have homes nearby but are still living in poverty, new residents moving into the neighborhood, local real estate developers who generally want to see fewer homeless people in the neighborhood, and city officials responsible for various government functions. These include the police, emergency medical services, city council members, and social service organizations.

Students must answer a two-pronged question: Given what St. Francis Inn, how can it best meet the needs of its most important stakeholders?

Because they are business professionals, many are quickly drawn to the logical business decisions that St. Louis can make. Francis Inn, such as continuing his business where he is, relocating, or establishing mobile phone service. To be sure, there are students in every classroom who argue that no matter what is “best” for St. Francis Inn, the interests of the various people involved in the neighborhood must be respected. To be honest, I enjoy watching them handle this issue with sincerity and care.

Here, students must balance the organization’s core competencies with the ethical impact of its decisions, prioritizing the rights and needs of diverse, non-traditional groups who have a stake in that decision. This is a valuable skill for any future – or current – ​​business manager, for that matter.

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