Johanna Tähtinen from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) came and spoke to LUMS marketing students on Thursday 21st March 2019.
During the session. Johanna gave an interesting presentation on WBCSD and addressed the ideas of business development and sustainability. She also engaged the students in an interactive group exercise, where we were able to weigh out business decisions through looking through both an economic and moral lens.
In turn, this provided students with the chance to engage in thoughtful discussion about each business scenario presented. Additionally, we learnt how there are many different considerations such as strategy and trade-offs when discussing business decisions, as well as the influence of these factors. Johanna also spoke about ESG, with reference to the risk factors associated with this and how this also impacts a changing world. Next, we had an insightful discussion about how the definition of success is changing and evolving. Furthermore, this was illustrated by looking at factors such as philanthropy, CSR and integrated sustainability strategies; it was fascinating to see the growth of ideas and theories over time. Moreover, students discovered that there has been an establishment of seventeen global goals in sustainable development, and it was intriguing to observe the impacts of investors and government regulators on related subject matters. To continue, Johanna also spoke of the connections formed between sustainability and value creation, what this implies for future business professionals.
It was a very educational presentation and has excited students further to learn more about sustainability!