Universal Business School organizes International Research Conference on Green Economy
Mumbai’s Universal Business School- the first management college to release its own ESG report, hosted the 2nd edition of ‘UBS International Research Conference on Green Economy: A necessity for Sustainable Future’ between 24th-26th March 2022.
The conference started with a workshop by Dr Ajay Kumar Chauhan, Director- FPM, Universal Business School on high quality research paper writing for participants. Dr Chauhan said, “When we start any research we should focus on the objectives and questions. The solution to that should be futuristic and unique. Reading only ‘A’ category research papers also helps to improve the quality of work. Although these are things all authors need to take into consideration, it is especially helpful for academic work since typically there is an already established format many students learn from past papers as well as books written on the subject.”
Dr Sapna A. Narula- President, Global Network for Sustainable Development, and Prof. & Dean of School of Management Studies, Nalanda University, spoke about the transition from carbon-heavy economies to net-zero ones that seek to balance supply with demand and brought focus to how businesses can contribute to a greener future. “The green economy is still the key to future growth but Covid-19 has made the road to sustainable development goals tougher. India ranks as the fourth largest country in carbon emissions globally and is expected to be the second-largest contributor to energy demand by 2035. To achieve net-zero emissions, it is important to work on green technology innovations, green finances, carbon sequestration, and climate adaptation. Corporates can invest and help bring those changes for a longer-term,” said Dr Narula.
Dr Denis Ushakov,, International Business Programme at the College of Hospitality Industry Management in Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand, presented a set of studies conducted in some major corporations in Thailand while analysing the impact of environmental management systems on corporate performance.
M.I. Subhani, Dean, Business School at Ilma University in Pakistan and Senior Ambassador of DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) presented his views on the role of DOAJ in scholarly communication for a sustainable future. Mr Subhani said, “DOAJ is widespread and covers open access scientific and scholarly journals and is not restricted to any specific language or subject area. It helps authors and researchers by providing enhanced visibility and increased impact of their work while ensuring open access policy. It has no suspected editorial misconduct by publishers, journals, and editors, and work gets more recognized.”
Dr. Marek Wosinski, Founder and Former President, GNSD, Affiliate Global Futures Scholar at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, USA spoke about the social drivers of sustainable development. Dr. Wosinski said that empowerment, participation and accountability are essential to ensure sustainable development. While highlighting the importance of community participation and empowerment he said, “When people from the community organise, plan, share tasks with professionals, contribute financially to projects or programs, and help make decisions about activities that affect their lives, programs are more likely to achieve their objectives.”
Dr. Faozi A. Almaqtari, Department of Accounting, Faculty of Business, Economics, and Social Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Terengganu, Malaysia spoke about the increasing relevance of green accounting and finance in sustainable future. “The aim of implementing green accounting is to increase the efficiency of environmental management by assessing environmental activities from the perspective of costs (environmental costs) and benefits or effects (economic benefits), as well as producing environmental protection effects.”
Dr Shalini Gupta, Vice Chancellor at Desh Bhagat University spoke about how entrepreneurship education can help meet the SDGs goals. During her speech she said that an entrepreneur not only takes care of the wellbeing and standard of living of people around him/her by creating employment opportunities, but in the process also fosters innovation mindset. “It is important to take care of the entrepreneurial mindset of the young students and that will bring about positive change.”
Dr Muhammad Azmat, Department of Engineering Systems & Supply Chain Management at Acton University UK talked about ‘sustainable logistics and supply chain in the smart cities of tomorrow.
Dr Asha Bhatia, Director- Research, Universal Business School and conference convener during her closing remarks said, “Our economies need to deliver sustainable, affordable, inclusive outcomes to prepare ourselves for a greener tomorrow. Universal Business School International Research Conference 2022 on ‘Green economy ‘is a futuristic topic and hence generated a lot of interest and saw participation from across the world. For the first time the organising committee introduced a special award category for students to encourage scholastic writing.”
Various research papers were presented by scholars and professors during the three-day conference. Some of the topics covered included ‘Awareness of Green Economy and its practices among B-Schools of India’, ‘CSR and Environmental Protection for Sustainability’, ‘Green Metaverse’, ‘Attitude of Consumers Towards Green Products’ and ‘Sustainable Practices through Spirituality’. The conference was conducted in a hybrid mode. All students and guests attending tested negative for COVID-19 and this ensured a safe environment for all.