Faculty

2023 Energy Innovation in LMICs Global Case Writing Competition

The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan cordially invites you to enter our competition and submit your business case study about an energy innovation by a profit-seeking business in one or more low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The world needs $1.3 trillion in incremental investment by 2030 in energy output and infrastructure, according to J.P. Morgan’s Annual Energy Outlook. Most of the new  demand will come from emerging markets as they continue to work toward their development goals. At present, nearly 733 million people in the world live with no electricity. By 2030, 670 million people still won’t have it. And, approximately 2.6 billion people cook or heat their homes with fossil fuels that pollute the environment and can be harmful to their health. According to the International Energy Agency, price and economic pressures due to the current global energy crisis mean that the number of people without access to modern energy is rising for the first time in a decade.

Innovation is needed to address the large-scale and complex challenges related to energy. The global transition away from fossil fuels toward renewables is creating new market opportunities, especially in LMICs. In addition to policy, technology and other solutions, developing and scaling profitable business models is a crucial aspect of meeting evolving energy needs in LMICs.

WDI is proud to offer a competition aimed at increasing the number of academic business cases available about this very important topic.

Please see our Submission Requirements for more information.

Who Can Enter?

  • Individual students or student teams (graduate or undergraduate) and other professionals may enter, but must enter in collaboration with a faculty member or instructor from an accredited university/college, in the U.S. or internationally.
  • Individual faculty/instructors or teams from an accredited university/college (in the U.S. or internationally) may also enter.

Key Dates

  • December 14, 2022 (10am-11am EST): Informational webinar. Register HERE.
  • January 31, 2023: “Intent to Enter” forms due.
  • March 31, 2023: Final submission documents due.
  • July 2023: Public announcement of winners.

Steps to Enter

  1. Review Submission Requirements, as well as Resources.
  2. Review Frequently Asked Questions.
  3. Submit online Intent-to-Enter Form by January 31, 2023.
  4. Submit online Submission Form and final documents by March 31, 2023.

Competition Objectives

  • Encourage and reward the development of new business case studies that focus on an energy innovation in one or more low- and middle-income countries.
  • Publish higher education case studies that will help develop the necessary critical thinking skills in today’s students regarding the unique energy characteristics of LMICs.
  • Accelerate global knowledge of energy innovations being implemented by businesses in LMICs.

Prizes

  • 1st Place Award: $3,000
  • 2nd Place Award: $2,000
  • 3rd Place Award: $1,000

WDI Publishing will formally publish and distribute the winning cases.

Register Here

Don’t miss out on the upcoming Business Forward Annual Event on December 4th

Date: Sunday, 4 December 2022

Time: 1:00pm – 5:00pm (Cairo Time)

Location: Ewart Memorial Hall, AUC Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt

register here

Business Forward, the knowledge portal of The American University in Cairo School of Business, is hosting the fifth edition of its annual event! The event will also be live-streamed virtually.

The fifth edition of the anticipated Business Forward Annual Event takes stock of the past year’s economic performance and provides expert perspectives on the future outlook and suggested remedies through in depth analysis of local and global trends. It brings in academic, professional and industry perspectives on current economic challenges manifested in a weakening local currency, rising inflation and foreign debt, and a shrinking private sector.

The end goal of the event would be a white paper that provides actionable suggestions for policymakers and other stakeholders to address the current complex economic challenges; an exercise that will reflect on the discussions of the event and will be led by the AUC School of Business Department of Economics, which celebrates its 75th anniversary on the day of the event.

Submit an Application for the 2023 End Poverty Innovation Challenge (EPIC)

GBSN member school students are invited to apply to the 2023 EPIC, a global competition and pipeline for outstanding social ventures that provide sustainable grass roots solutions to local poverty reduction challenges.

EPIC, the End Poverty Innovation Challenge, is focused on engaging the next generation of social entrepreneurs from post secondary institutions worldwide in developing the next generation of social ventures that lift the livelihoods of the poor. 

submit application here

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 31 December 2022

About the Competition

EPIC, the End Poverty Innovation Challenge is an impactful program of the Social Venture Foundation. The competition focuses on engaging the next generation of social entrepreneurs from post secondary institutions worldwide in developing the next generation of social ventures that lift the livelihoods of the poor. 

The global competition is a pipeline for outstanding social ventures that provide sustainable grass roots solutions to local poverty reduction challenges.

  • 5 finalists will be selected to compete in the final challenge held virtually on Feb 9th, 2023
  • Top 3 winners receive a year of customized monthly mentoring with EPIC leadership.
  • Remaining 2 finalists receive 3 months of monthly mentoring with EPIC leadership.
  • Top 3 winners receive a monetary prize enabling them to facilitate a commercial proof of concept.
  • Top 5 receive personalized feedback from the judges, who are leaders in business and impact investing.
  • Applicants will join a network of like- minded entrepreneurs working toward ending poverty.
  • Applicants receive 10 free virtual “seats” at the final challenge for friends and family. 
visit competition website here

Winning Prize

The winners of EPIC 2023 will receive financial support of $5,000 plus mentorship for a year to help winning teams conduct commercial proofs of concepts.

Guidelines

Your project…

  • Creates jobs for unemployed youth and delivers affordable social impact for low-income communities
  • Addresses a poverty reduction or SDG Challenge.
  • Prioritizes social impact over financial gain.
  • Is transformative and potentially scalable to over 100 million people
  • Generates a sustainable funding stream.
  • Has a product or service that is environmentally sustainable.
  • Employs a leadership team with tenacity and a pragmatic vision.
  • Is committed to non-secular and non-partisan mission.

*EPIC competition guidelines are abstracted with additions from “The Power of a Simple and Inclusive Definition” by Elizabeth Garlow & Rich Tafel as published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review May 22, 2013

submit application here

Contact

For more information, please email info@socialventuresfoundation.org.

Exploratory Workshop on Fair and Just Transition: Business and Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change

Background:
The transition to a net zero economy is a key component of mitigating and adapting to climate change, which poses a range of potential threats to human rights. An enormous amount of financing must be mobilized to support these activities. At the same time, the human rights risks associated with greening the global economy—including mining of
critical minerals and green energy production, among others—are gaining growing attention. However, the business and human rights literature has not yet dealt extensively with the complex connections between climate change and sustainable finance for a transition that respects human rights while facilitating efforts to save humanity.

This exploratory workshop aims identify and map current and emerging research by scholars who work on this topic and explore opportunities for further collaboration. The intention is to host a symposium and organize a special issue or edited book volume on this topic in the near future.

Date and Venue:
This event will be on Wednesday, 30 November 2022 16:15-18:00 CET (10:15 am-12:00 pm EST). It will be hybrid, with in person attendance at the University of Geneva and online on Zoom. While it will take place during the 11th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, it is open to non-attendees.

Expression of interest:
If interested in participating, please email the co-organizers Karin Buhmann (kbu.msc@cbs.dk) and Stephen Park (stephen.park@uconn.edu) by Thursday, 24 November 2022 with the following information:

  • Name, title, and affiliation
  • Any prior and ongoing research, publications, and other work on fair and just transition, business and human rights, and sustainable finance (including any combination thereof)
  • Intention to participate in person or online

Priority will be given to those with an established or emergent interest in this topic. The number of participants will be kept large enough to generate interaction and insights and small enough to enable such interaction. Confirmed participants will be informed by Saturday, 26 November 2022, and an agenda and information on the venue will be circulated prior to the event.

Organizers:

This exploratory workshop is organized under the auspices of the Cluster on BHR and Climate Change under the GBSN Impact Community for Business and Human Rights, and the BHRights Initiative for Interdisciplinary Research and Teaching on Business and Human Rights. The co-organizers are Prof. Karin Buhmann, Director of the Centre for Law, Sustainability & Justice, University of South Denmark, and Professor of Business and Human Rights, Copehagen Business School, and Prof. Stephen Park, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Business and Human Rights Initiative, University of Connecticut (co-leads of the GBSN Cluster on BHR and Climate Change).

Localized Webinar: Why People Skills are More Important than Ever with Matt Kohut and Dan LeClair

DATE: Thursday, 8 December 2022

TIME: 11:00 AM EST

LOCATION: Zoom

register here

Projects are the basis for meeting objectives at work. In all industries, project management emphasizes control, processes and tools. What Matt Kohut, the co-author of the new book, The Smart Mission: NASA’s Lessons for Managing Knowledge, People, and Projects. learned by interviewing the leadership at NASA, is how human skills and expertise have a bigger impact than technical tools when it comes to running successful projects.

This session, moderated by Dan LeClair, thought leader in management education and CEO of the Global Business School Network (GBSN), will explore the impact of learning, collaboration, teaming, communication and company culture–drawing on lessons from the book. This session will dive into getting things done, learning together and the three key components: people, knowledge and projects.

About the Speaker

Matthew Kohut is the managing partner of KNP Communications and co-author of Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities that Make Us Influential. He has coached public figures for events from live television appearances to TED talks, and served as a communications consultant for organizations including NASA, the Department of Energy, and Harvard University. He has taught at George Washington University and held a fellowship at Bennington College. His writing has appeared in publications ranging from Newsweek to Harvard Business Review.

About the Moderator

Dan LeClair is the CEO of the Global Business School Network (GBSN). Prior to GBSN, Dan was an Executive Vice President at AACSB International, an association and accrediting organization that serves some 1,600 business schools in more than 100 countries. His experience at AACSB includes two and half years as Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, seven years as Chief Operating Officer, and five years as Chief Knowledge Officer.

Widely recognized as a thought leader in management education, Dan is the author of over 80 research reports, articles, and blogs, and has delivered more than 170 presentations in 30 countries. As a lead spokesperson for reform and innovation in management education, Dan has been frequently cited in a wide range of US and international newspapers, magazines, and professional publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times, China Daily, Forbes, Fast Company, and The Economist.

2023 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Global Case Writing Competition

You are invited to enter our competition and support and strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) skills and knowledge for today’s students, who will become tomorrow’s global business leaders. 

The University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business and the William Davidson Institute (WDI) at the University of Michigan are proud to present the third annual DEI Global Case Writing Competition.

We encourage you to submit an academic case study about a DEI-related business dilemma within one or across multiple business disciplines. See Submission Requirements for more information.

enter competition here

Competition Objectives

  • Encourage and reward the development and publication of new, relevant academic case studies that focus on DEI in business and/or feature diverse protagonists as business leaders.
  • Publish teaching materials that will increase student understanding of the unique and realistic challenges of creating, implementing and sustaining DEI in a business or organization anywhere in the world.
  • Present learning opportunities for students that challenge current ideas about DEI in business and that spur critical thinking for creative pathways for more positive change.
view submission requirements

Prizes

Who Can Enter

  • Individual students or student teams (graduate or undergraduate) and other professionals may enter, but must enter in collaboration with a faculty member or instructor from an accredited university/college, in the U.S. or internationally.
  • Individual faculty/instructors or teams from an accredited university/college (in the U.S. or internationally) may also enter.

Key Dates

  • January 31, 2023: “Intent to Enter” forms due.
  • March 31, 2023: Final submission documents due.
  • July 2023: Public announcement of winners.

Steps To Enter

  1. Review Submission Requirements, as well as Resources.
  2. Review Frequently Asked Questions.
  3. Submit online Intent-to-Enter Form by January 31, 2023.
  4. Submit online Submission Form and final documents by March 31, 2023.

Sponsors

Thank you for the support of our sponsors. Learn more about them here.

Contact

For all inquiries, please contact info@wdi-publishing.com.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN): Senior Associate, Stakeholder Engagement and Demand

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is hiring a Senior Associate in Stakeholder Engagement and Demand to assist with the Demand Generation Alliance (DGA), of which GBSN is a proud leading member.  

The DGA focuses on food culture/ preferences and as an alliance, it is a collaboration between 5 international organizations that represent the type of stakeholder we wish to engage: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), EAT, Global Business School Network (GBSN), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). The Demand Generation Alliance, under the current funding to GAIN, has a global and country focus, primarily in Kenya, Indonesia, and India. 

This position will support the Demand Generation Alliance (DGA) and the Demand Generation Programme. It will be on a 3 years’ fixed term contract basis, subject to availability of funding. This position is open to GAIN’s country offices in Nairobi, Delhi, Utrecht and London.

GBSN invites its community to share this hiring opportunity with university networks.  Please note this hiring opportunity closes on November 22nd.

Apply Here

Registration for the Positive Impact Rating (PIR) for Business Schools is Now Open!

We are pleased to share this opportunity for interested schools to join the Positive Impact Rating for Business Schools (PIR) in its 2023 Edition. The PIR is the only global rating that features business schools which embrace a societal purpose and provide a 21st century education for their students. It is students themselves who assess their school on its positive impact. The key benefits for the participating schools are:

  • Showcase your school’s efforts related to societal impact 
  • Add evidence to your accreditation reporting
  • Enhance your internal change processes
  • Compare your progress with the progress of other business schools across regions

Experience suggests that schools best register before the end of November, so that students have enough time to organize the survey completion. 

For the 2023 Edition, the PIR is introducing two new optional features: 1) AACSB compatible questions and 2) School-specific questions. For any questions please contact Nikolay@PositiveImpactRating.org.  

Participate in the PIR

Register for the 2023 Edition of the Positive Impact Rating by 5 March 2023 and join like-minded peers across the world.

Register Here

Two Steps to PIR Participation

  • Committed student association that will coordinate the PIR assessment and survey data collection in your school.
  • Supportive business school that registers and signs the agreement to pay the participation fee to the PIR Association

AACSB Compatible Questions

Use pre-defined questions designed to provide additional evidence for your efforts in creating positive societal impact as outlined in AACSB’s Standard 9: Engagement and Societal Impact.

Whether your school is already AACSB accredited or working in this regard, the newly added AACSB compatible questions provide an opportunity to align your PIR participation with the expectations set forth by AACSB Business Accreditation Standards.

Four add-on questions (thee Likert scale and one open-ended) have been pre-defined and refer to your school’s strategy, curriculum and student engagement. You will decide the focal area specific to your societal impact efforts.

School Specific Questions

Add new questions specific to your institution to document student perceptions and assessments of key strategic areas and activities of your school related to positive impact.

Use the PIR process to get closer to your students and uncover greater insights into your school’s outcomes and positive impacts. The open add-on questions allow you to tailor your PIR experience to your school’s context more concretely while using our tried and tested PIR Dashboard reporting tool for easy graphical data representation.

You will be able to develop four new questions and decide on specific focal area(s). You can use four possible formats: Likert scale, multiple choice, yes/no, and open-ended questions.

Next Steps

After registration and payment, they will open the survey portal in early November for students to access. The survey will close on 28 February 2023. Student associations are free to decide within this period when the time is right for a focused campaign on campus. The PIR team will provide support and training to use the survey portal.

Participation Fee

The Positive Impact Rating is a not-for-profit association. The annual fee is used exclusively to cover the costs of operating the PIR. 

The core participation fee has been reduced from €1,880 to €1,600 to continue covering the main costs of operating the rating, while introducing optional add-on fees for a more customized PIR experience. The optional add-ons cost €280 each or €480 if you choose to opt in for both as a package.

Register Here

Call for Papers at 21st ABIS Annual Colloquium 2022

Academics, progressive businesses and international organizations like ABIS have been calling for an “expanded” role of business in society for decades (most recently at the Value Creation Roundtables co-organized by ABIS). As a result, sustainability is now a mainstream term and has taken central stage on the agenda of most businesses.

This is demonstrated by the rise of voluntary commitments (e.g. the 2019 Business Roundtable’s announcement redefining the purpose of a corporation), net-zero and net-positive initiatives, developments on ESG metrics and sustainability reporting standards.

The main outcome of the event will be a set of principles serving as guideposts for business in the stakeholder capitalism era. We believe the development of a principle-based approach will help all kind of companies to strengthen their social license to operate and to transition from traditional business-as-usual towards more sustainable, resilient and future-proof models.

By attending the event you will:

  • Understand emerging trends and implications of stakeholder capitalism
  • Unlock innovative business models with wider societal benefits
  • Disseminate and learn about examples, case studies and research results
  • Interact in dialogues between practitioners and academics
  • Draw up a list of key principles for business to apply in practice

In order to strengthen the dialogue between practitioners and academics on the topic and make sure that key insights reach applied audience who take business decisions everyday, we are inviting the submission of papers and cases which will be presented on Day 1 of the event and further submitted for publication.

We invite academic researchers and practitioners to submit contributions on:

  • Stakeholder engagement in existing and new business models
  • Stakeholder value approached and models
  • Sustainable value creation
  • Social value, fair trade and ethical business models
  • Integrating business and ethics
  • Purpose-driven businesses
  • Co-creation of value
  • Business model innovation
  • Business models, management structures and incentives

The deadline for submission is 13 November 2022.

SUBMIT YOUR PAPER HERE

AUC School of Business to host African Deans Roundtable for COP27

In recognition of the critical role Business Schools in Africa are expected to play in addressing Climate Change goals, AUC School of Business is hosting a roundtable for African business school deans on November 7 on campus.

The event is held in preparation for the upcoming 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which will be held from November 6 to 18 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. This event is a collaboration between AUC School of Business, the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Chapter Africa, and the Business Schools for Climate Leadership in Africa (BS4CLA) initiative.

The roundtable aims to develop an Africa tailored framework of action for African business schools to collaboratively work together (in coordination with the private sector and civil society) that matches their needs and adapts to the realities of the continent.

More Information
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