“What can business schools do to deliver public good? They can broaden the scope of course curricula to look beyond the immediate subject – accounting, finance, economics, marketing – to consider how each field of expertise can have a positive long-term impact on our biggest social and environmental challenges.
And they can show – through practical examples – how world-beating companies enhance their performance by taking responsibility for their entire societal impact, embracing diversity and inclusion, and using ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) metrics to strengthen their business models and strategies.”
‘Business Schools and the Public Good’, A Chartered ABS Taskforce Report, June 2021
Finance Lab Pro is news-driven and we aim to keep the content relevant and up-to-date. To support Business Schools’ work to broaden the scope of course curricula and bring environmental issues into teaching and learning, we are currently working on adding many new ‘eco’ stories to the news content. Here’s a preview:
Carbon-capture option for coal-fired power stations
As many energy suppliers baulk at the high costs of prematurely retiring coal-fired power stations in the face of increasingly stringent emissions legislation, one company has taken to marketing the same clean technologies which it successfully deployed at its own fossil-fuel facilities….
Eco-upgrade for African breweries
Drinks company Bevico is investing in green energy and water recovery solutions at its breweries in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent. The move is seen as a substantive demonstration of the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability….
High-tech drones target crop pests
At a trial site in Northern Holland 24-hour drones are keeping watch over crops for the first sign of pests – and seeing them off with squirts of mildly saline water or other environment-friendly deterrent solutions. The trial initiative deploys state-of-the-art drones, equipped with cameras, image- and sound-recognition systems and high-pressure nozzles, to selectively attack aphids, slugs and other bugs as an eco-alternative to spraying crops wholesale….
Nanotec emphasise ecotech ambitions with latest acquisition
Nanotec has acquired the coveted Swedish company Suscular, which has been attracting major commercial suitors as the developer of high-tech eco-energy materials and processes. Nanotec closed the deal with an improved undisclosed cash offer after the company had knocked back earlier takeover attempts….
Vertical farms for food companies
Vertical Farms (VFs) – multi-storey structures which grow crops by hydroponic process in artificial light, on a tiny footprint and using minimal water – are being seen as playing a key role in maximizing food production efficiency close to urban populations. And major food producers are now getting in on the act, for reasons of their own, by building VFs close to their own production facilities….
Rotating sails to power super-tankers
Onboard wind turbines could cut super-tankers’ fuel consumption by 15%, according to Oslina, who have begun fitting their fleet with the revolutionary technology. The deck-mounted vertical aluminum sails are designed to spin in the wind, regardless of direction, generating power that helps drives the ship to reduce both fuel and carbon emissions. And as the sails can be ‘folded’ horizontally, to allow loading and unloading operations, there is no limit to the number that can be installed….
Eco-innovation