CEIBS Hosts 3rd Annual Being Globally Responsible Conference: "New Horizon,
Better World"
June 6 -7 2008. Shanghai campus - “How receptive is China to the concept of CSR?”
“How can a company achieve socially responsible investing?” “Which types of
alternative energy are most promising now?”
These were among the timely and provocative questions raised during the 3rd Annual
Being Globally Responsible Conference (BGRC) hosted at CEIBS from June 6 to 7. The
conference featured 34 international CSR experts speaking from their backgrounds in
NGOs, government, business, or academia. Some 300 students, corporate executives and
media members turned out for the event. This year’s participants include 130 visiting
MBA students from 36 top business schools in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan,
Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, India,
Australia, Denmark, Spain and the United States.
Launched by CEIBS in 2006, the conference is the first and largest student-organized
CSR conference for future business leaders in the Asia-Pacific region. This year’s
conference includes a new “first” for CEIBS: the school’s debut international businessschool competition, innovateCHINA. The competition will conclude with an awards
ceremony on June 8.
The role of business schools in CSR
In his opening address on June 6, CEIBS Dean and Vice President Rolf D. Cremer
stressed the school’s commitment to social responsibility in education. He also
emphasized the importance of sustainable development practices for businesses in China
and around the world.
CEIBS Distinguished Professor of Global Responsible Leadership Prof. Henri-Claude de
Bettignies, who is also European Chair for Global Governance and Sino-European
Business Relations, next argued that business schools have a clear responsibility to
promote CSR. “Today’s graduates will become tomorrow’s business and economic
leaders. Thus, it is crucial to equip them with the knowledge and sense of responsibility
in order to create a healthy, ethical and sustainable economy that will lead to a better
environment and a better world,” said Prof. de Bettignies. “Given the current
sustainability challenge in Asia, and globally, it’s necessary to bring up a generation of
socially responsible leaders who will implement sustainable practices and empower
others to follow this path. This was the mission of the BGRC.”
The need for Chinese companies to reach international standards in CSR practices was
the topic addressed by Prof. Wang Zhile, Director of the Chinese Ministry of
Commerce’s Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. In his
speech, “Chinese Enterprises Facing the Challenges of Strengthening Overall
Responsibilities,” he argued that now is the time for domestic companies to upgrade in
such areas as worker safety, product safety, and environmental protection. “When
companies become global, they should improve their mindset on CSR,” he stated, adding
that the days when it was accepted that Chinese companies would use “barbaric” means
to beat competitors - with no concern for social consequences - are over.
"CSR and Economic Development: is CSR Really a Priority or Even Relevant?" was the
question addressed by Professor of Corporate Social Responsibility Dirk Matten of York
University’s Schulich School of Business. Despite still facing critics, CSR is becoming
increasingly relevant, Prof. Matten argued. Today, he said, the concept goes beyond the
"Bill Gates model of philanthropy," in which one makes money then gives some of it
away. Instead, the idea now refers to “how you make your money in the honest interest of
multiple stakeholders.”
Business Solutions to Social Issues
Kicking off a panel discussion with four China-savvy experts, Ms. Nancy Barry,
President of Nancy Barry Associates introduced her work for the organization Enterprise
Solutions to Poverty, which attacks the root causes of poverty through promoting the
concept of “doing well by doing good.” Fellow panellists Mr. Anthony Lin, Shanghai
Branch Manager of Standard Chartered Bank, and Mr. Yong Tao, President of Beijing
SDR, shared their work in two different projects supporting microfinance in rural China.
Ms. Ying Lu, COFCO Rice Business Unit Deputy General Manager, shared her
company’s work to improve business and environmental conditions for Chinese rice
farmers.
Continuing the theme of corporate strategy and CSR, Senior Advisor to the UN Global
Compact Fred Dubee opened the afternoon session by speaking on
"Strategy and Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and CSR." Three
senior corporate executives next took the stage to share real life experiences in
incorporating CSR into corporate operations and strategy. Evonik Senior Vice President
Dr. Matthias Kottenhahn addressed “Winning by Creation,” Atlas Copco Vice President
Magnus Gyllo discussed “Achieving Sustainable Profitable Growth,” and Gamesa
Energy China General Manager Alberto Mendez spoke on “CSR: Key Drivers and
Challenges at Gamesa.”
Day One of BGRC 2008 ended with a series of break-out workshops on the topics of
Socially Responsible Investment, Alternative Energy, Aligning CSR in Marketing &
Public Communication and Sustainable Building Standards Implementation. Workshop
experts featured: Fred Dubee; JPMorgan Chase Bank China Vice President Kitty Vorisek;
Climate Protection Senior Advisor Marcus Schwegler; Trina Solar Global Procurement
Director Alberto Di Gaetano; Siemens Building Technologies Energy & Environmental
Solutions BD Manager Gary Zeng; Senior Consultant APCO Worldwide Bernice Voets;
Bayer China Vice President of CSR William Valentino; University of Cambridge
Professor Wayne Vasser; Atlas Copco (Nanjing) Construction & Mining Equipment
General Manager David Luo and company Environmental Coordinator Andrew Grieve.
MBA Toolkit for CSR
The Second Day began with practical advice on how MBA students can use CSR to make
a difference to the business world and the wider society. In a presentation entitled “MBA
Toolkit for CSR”, Bayer’s Valentino drew the distinction between sustained CSR and
feel-good quick fixes. He urged the MBA students in the audience to get involved. “The
new paradigm is not about profits, it’s not about money, it’s about what value you create.
You need to be the guinea pigs that are going to go out, after your MBA, and think how
you can integrate these ideas into the companies where you work,” he said.
Mr. Valentino’s address was followed by a look at the government’s role in CSR. During
a speech entitled “The CSR Navigator” Associate Partner of Public One, Ms. Carolin
Welzel, emphasized the need for the public sector to play a role in actions often regarded
as corporate- or private sector initiatives. “In order to solve problems there has to be
cooperation between the three sectors. Cooperation is the key in this,” she said.
The next segment on the agenda for Day Two featured practical examples of CSR from
four MBA students from Mainland China, the United States, Korea and Hong Kong.
During a speech on “CSR in Poverty Alleviation” CEIBS’ Mr. Sebastian Zhang focused
on the issue of rural education by drawing examples from his involvement in the Red
Chalk programme. “The Sustainability Journey: CSR at Honest Tea and Beyond” was the
topic explored by Ms. Jennifer Blazejewski from The Tuck School of Business at
Dartmouth. KAIST student Ms. Hee-jung Nam, the next MBA student to take the podium,
spoke on “The Role of Environment Protection in CSR - 2007 Korea Oil Spill.” The final
MBA student was CUHK’s Mr. Gregory Lok whose speech cantered around the
“Challenges and Opportunities of Embedding CSR Principles and Curricula in MBA
Programmes.”
The afternoon session consisted of three simultaneous workshops that dealt, respectively,
with “The Role of HR in CSR”, “Corporate Governance” and “Developing an Ethical
Supply Chain.” Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Alibaba Group Mr. Porter
Erisman was the speaker for workshop one, which was moderated by CSR and
Government Relations Manager for AmCham Shanghai Mr. Oliver Yang. In his opening
remarks, Mr. Yang stressed the importance of hands-on, personal involvement in CSR.
“It’s all about people, it’s all about us,” he said.
Balancing Act
During a presentation that spanned the different stages of CSR across the globe, Alibaba’s
Erisman painted a picture of a worldwide attitudinal shift from simply donating money to
active participation in socially responsible behaviour. After giving numerous examples of
how Alibaba uses its various services to empower small businesses and entrepreneurs, he
had some advice for other companies looking for a way to get involved. “The first place
to start when doing CSR is to identify the core things your business does already, [and
build on those areas to find projects] that you can get involved with,” he said.
The panellists for the second workshop were Senior Manager of the Listing Department
of the Shanghai Stock Exchange Ms. Lin Li, and Columbia University Professor Sirkka
Korpela. The moderator was CEIBS’ Professor de Bettignies. Maersk executives made up
the panellists for the third workshop which was chaired by CEIBS Professor of
Operations Management Thomas Callarman. Speakers were Maersk Logistics North Asia
Region’s Head of Commercial Operations Kim Overman, and the company’s Head of
Supply Chain Development Mr. Stephen Lee.
Then, a panel discussion on “A Balanced Triangle of Economy, Environment and Society
- Roles of Various Social Citizens” offered insight into the challenges faced by big-name
corporations in their attempts to reduce their carbon footprints while actively pursuing
profits. The panel of experts included President of Evonik Greater China Region Dr.
Dahai Yu; President of Shanghai (Huayi) Group Mr. Xunfeng Liu; Executive Vice
President of Shanghai Xinzhuang Industry Park Mr. Jianping Chen; General Manager of
Evonik Sanzheng (Yingkou) Dr. Yutong Zhu; and Founder and General Manager of
SynTao Dr. Peiyuan Guo. The discussion cantered on being socially responsible within
the context of the different challenges faced by state- or privately owned companies -from a variety of industries -- as they try to balance the needs of their stakeholders.
After a lively question and answer session, CEIBS Vice President and Co-Dean Professor
Zhang Weijiong brought the conference to a close with a brief summary of the key points
covered during the two days of talks. He highlighted the need for both individuals and
corporations to get involved and added, “There must be an effective and efficient system
to ensure and to encourage globally responsible behaviour, especially for corporations. In
the long run, corporations should view globally responsible behaviour as a competitive
advantage, and combine it with corporate strategy and culture.” Prof. Zhang urged
attendees to share the lessons learned and emphasized the role that business school
students have to play. “B-school students, the future business leaders, should play a key
role in educating and promoting the ideas behind these messages to the world,” he said.
Wealth of Ideas at CEIBS innovateCHINA Global Innovation Challenge 2008
July 8, 2008. CEIBS innovateCHINA Global Innovation Challenge 2008, the first ever
international business competition hosted by CEIBS MBA students ended on June 8th,
2008 with UCLA taking the top prize. The team came up with the best plan for how
EVOC Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd, could spend 100 million RMB on an innovative
and sustainable CSR project that reflects the company’s values and capitalizes on its core
competencies. They had 48 hours to do the job.
The competition was completely organized and executed by CEIBS MBA students with
the help of generous sponsors and the support of the CEIBS administration. Participants
included 82 b-schools, from four continents, including Harvard, London Business School,
MIT Sloan, and INSEAD -- as well as Top Asian schools such as Tsinghua SEM, Fudan
IMBA, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University MBA.
Nine teams made it to the second round and, with two unable to attend, seven participated
in the Grand Challenge that ended today. More than 200 members of the business
community, students and media representatives attended the event, which was filmed in
its entirety by ICS TV. The challenge was, “How might EVOC's Charity Foundation
create a sustainable and measurable impact in China?”
The complete list of participants and the order in which they appeared in the Grand
Challenge Round included: China Europe International Business School: Andres Martin
Buldu and Rohan Menon; Australian School of Management, University of New South
Wales: Bowie Cheng, Regan Crooks, and Don Johnston; UCLA: Christopher Bishop,
Julia Zhe Zhu, and Alexander Nouel; Oxford: Jenny Hui and Pawel Madon; IESE:
Ignacio Norambuena, Weivin Yang and Carmen Balacianu; National University of
Singapore: Hadi Christian, Zhang Dongliang, and Shweta Vaidva; York University:
Sandra Li, T.J. Park, and Jony Yuwono.
Two other teams that made it to the first round -- Manchester Business School and
University of Illinois - were unable to attend. However they were still eligible for one of
the three first-round cash prizes of RMB15,000. In fact, Illinois won the Global Links
Initiative Company Prize, and Manchester took the Juststyle Company Prize, while
UCLA also took the Fersa Energias Renovables S.A. Company Prize.
In a grueling contest that lasted for more than three hours, the teams pitched their ideas
then faced tough questions from the panel of judges and experts which included EVOC’s
CEO Sun Wei; McKinsey & Company Asia Pacific Chairman Dominic Barton who
served as the competition’s chief judge; President of NBA Enterprise Solutions to
Poverty and former President of Women’s World Banking Nancy Barry; Bayer China’s
Vice President and Head of Communications William Valentino; Founder and CEO of
CSR International Wayne Visser; Deputy Secretary-General of Shanghai University
Student Entrepreneurship Fund Mr. David Zhang.
Both McKinsey’s Mr. Barton and CSR International’s Dr. Visser agreed that the
overriding factor that gave UCLA’s team of Alexander Nouel, Julia Zhu and Christopher
Bishop the edge was the sheer impact their proposal would have. The team’s plan
focused on alleviating the shortcomings in China’s underdeveloped non-profit
organisation (NPO) sector by developing a mechanism to multiply the effect of the 100
million RMB EVOC Foundation fund for maximum social, economic and environmental
benefit. They proposed the development of the EVOC Institute to train managers of
NPOs, complemented by the EVOC Grant that would provide support to EVOC alumni
after they completed the one- to two-week course. McKinsey’s Barton also had high
praise for the other proposals, adding that it was likely that EVOC would examine the
feasibility of implementing suggestions from different aspects of the plans presented.
"There’s nothing like being in a room full of young people with great ideas,” said Mr.
Barton. “There were very practical, wide ranging ideas that worked. I think EVOC has
got lots of things to work with.”
At the end of the competition, CEIBS President Zhu Xiaoming congratulated UCLA and
all the other teams on the excellent job they had done, and also expressed his thanks to
the CEIBS MBA organising committee and event sponsors. EVOC’s Sun Wei, who
stressed the increasing importance of social responsibility in China’s fast growing
economy, gave a commitment that his firm would give a lot of thought to the proposals
put forward by the competing teams. “Through this competition, EVOC has provided you
with an opportunity to think more about CSR,” he told the audience. “It has also given us
a challenge as well. I hope the members of the audience here today will work with EVOC
to create a harmonious society and help those in need.”
About innovateCHINA Global Innovation Challenge
The CEIBS "innovateCHINA Global Innovation Challenge" is designed to create unique
and innovative solutions to real challenges faced by corporations operating in China, by
providing a platform for interaction with the top business minds in the world. As the first
and only International MBA Competition to be hosted by a Chinese MBA school,
innovateCHINA is uniquely positioned to tap into the best business minds in the top
MBA programmes in the world to create innovation solutions and economically viable
proposals for China and the Chinese market.
About EVOC
Founded in 1993, EVOC Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd. is one of China’s top
manufacturers of Embedded Intelligent Platform (EIP). EVOC has been publicly traded
in Hong Kong since 2003, and has the Chinese Mainland’s largest base for production
and R&D.
EVOC focuses on industrial PC, single board computer, power supply and other related
products which are widely used in industrial automation, telecommunications, medical
and transportation fields, among others. EVOC is also a Gold Level member of Microsoft
Windows Embedded Partner Programme.