15th World Forum of International Association of Jesuit Business Schools Held at XLRI Jamshedpur

15th World Forum of International Association of Jesuit Business Schools Held at XLRI Jamshedpur

The 15th World Forum of the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools came to a close in the second week of June 2009. The three-day international event witnessed a blend of speakers from both the academia as well as industry who shared their expertise and concerns on what needs immediate attention for sustainable development the world over.

Delegates including deans, directors and senior professors from business schools in USA, Europe, Asia Pacific and India delved on alleviating poverty through social ventures and global sustainability during the forum.

The Keynote Address, delivered by Mr. Y. C. Deveshwar, Chairman and CEO, ITC Ltd. emphasized the invaluable contribution that can be made by Jesuit B-Schools by spreading awareness and education in the area of sustainability, and the need to build sustainable societies for all its stakeholders. “The B-Schools could engage in meaningful research, in collaboration with business and industry, to find innovative solutions that address the sustainability challenges of economies like ours. The fruits of this research would not only help corporate recipients but also be valuable inputs for Government policy, including that for multilateral negotiations” he said.

Dr. Gregory Ulferts, Director, IAJBS (Detroit-Mercy) emphasized on the role to be played by Jesuit Business Schools to accomplish sustainable development. James Koch (Professor of Management and executive director, Global Social Benefit Incubator Center for Science, Technology and Society, Santa Clara) spoke on developing a network to address poverty through social entrepreneurship. He cited the examples of Gram Vikas and NUDIP in Sudan to prove his point. Prof. Madhukar Shukla from XLRI spoke on the initiatives taken by XLRI to promote social ventures. He cited the instances of students taking trips to rural parts as part of projects. He also informed the delegates about the Clothes Bank Project in association with Goonj (an NGO) through which used clothes are given to needy persons living in penurious conditions.

The forum discussed how social entrepreneurship could work to alleviate poverty and deal with environmental issues.

Senior professors J. Hollwitz and J. Stoner (Fordham University, USA) spoke on Jesuit B-schools commitment to global sustainability, their priorities, wish lists and dreams. The professors, who had done a survey in the US, also carried out a survey of the audience on how B-schools can help in improving sustainability and the need for upgrading their syllabi with changing times. Fr. Oswald Mascarenhas (Detroit-Mercy) spoke on “Re-thinking Jesuit B-Schools” while Thomas Bausch (Marquette University, USA) dealt with Corporate Decision Making and its implications for Jesuit B-Schools.

Warren Jaferian’s (Sodexo) presentation: “Sustainable Development at Sodexo” focussed on efforts made by Sodexo towards sustainable development by involving itself in a host of activities that reinforced the venture. “Only restructuring the existing work structure of business houses cannot bring the change alone. They must take the responsibility to undertake and support social issues like poverty, women empowerment, civic development and provision for livelihood. Jesuit B-schools can contribute by training young managers in a fashion that they are able to apply and contribute to sustainable development” said Rudalfo Ang of Ateno de Manila of Phillipines while chairing the session on how and where Jesuit B-schools could make their greatest contribution to global sustainability.

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