TODAY, DOING business doesn’t just mean earning money; it’s also  helping solve global issues—from climate change to poverty alleviation.

This was the message of the 16th World Forum of the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools (IAJBS) held in Ateneo on July 18 to 20.

The event, themed “Educating Champions of Sustainable Development: Best Practices of Our Business Schools”, saw deans and faculty of business schools gather to share insights and practices to help solve pertinent issues today.

According to its website, the mission of the IAJBS is “to enhance the ability of [its] members to create and transmit knowledge about, and to prepare persons for the profession and vocation of business leadership in a global economy.”

Aside from the Ateneo, some of the members of the IAJBS include Fordham University in New York, Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, and ESADE Business School in Spain.

Ninety-two delegates in 46 schools from 14 countries attended this year’s IAJBS World Forum.

Functioning world

A sustainability task force headed by James Stoner of Fordham University defined global sustainability as “the broad set of interconnected issues that encompass, but are not limited to, achieving environmental preservation, poverty eradication, social justice… at this time, in… this planet.”

Stoner, however, defined global sustainability simply as “a world that works for everyone with no one left out.”

Keynote speaker Manuel Escudero, Ph.D. said that “Global sustainability becomes a crucial aspect of business education. [Currently, there has been an] emergence of global awareness for corporations to be part of the solution rather than [be] part of the problem.”

Escudero is the Head of Academic Initiatives of the United Nations Global Compact, which encourages businesses to adopt sustainable and socially responsible practices.

John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) Dean Rudy Ang also said that “[Companies] have found that when they engage in responsible practices… it is actually better for the business. [To] be a responsible citizen is not a sacrifice; it is simply sound business practice,” he added.

Businesses for others

Escudero said that Jesuit business schools have an advantage in pushing for global sustainability. “The Jesuit tradition is values-based, [something that is] needed today.”

The conference had panel presentations on how business schools can integrate global sustainability in their curricula, to the initiatives they advocate.

Fernando de la Iglesia Viguiristi, SJ of the University of Deusto in Spain said that it is necessary to incorporate the Christian Social Thought in the business curriculum.

By Christian Social Thought, Viguiristi meant that “Man and his fellowmen should contribute to the common good of society in all its levels.”

A conference to remember

JGSOM’s preparation to host the 16th IAJBS World Forum took at least two years. Ang said he planned to “give [the delegates] a conference that they’ll never forget.”

Delegates were treated to Philippine culture, ranging from a Manila City tour, cultural presentations, to having an official conference picture beside a jeepney.

Stoner said he enjoyed his experience in the conference and in Ateneo. “[The] welcome was something different from the previous conferences I’ve attended.”

Ang also said the conference is not just a mere gathering of people to share practices. “We closed the conference with several resolutions in terms of what we are going to do together as an IAJBS.”

Two concrete projects agreed upon by the IAJBS Board were a journal on global sustainability and a network of social entrepreneurship incubators.

Global perspective

“We learned a lot of things about what the other schools are doing, and we can begin implementing some of their programs here,” said Ang.

He also said that the conference helped the students learn about promoting not just local, but global sustainability.

“Global sustainability… emphasizes the fact our lives are intertwined … So global sustainability communicates the fact that sustainability is a global, not a local issue,” he added.