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.

Members of the organising team mark the official opening of BGRC.

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 business-school 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.”

Participants sign the backdrop, a BGRC tradition.

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.