Research That Drives Sustainability (20/21) Part 2

50 new articles by INSEAD faculty discuss everything from health and inequality against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, to integration of circularity within organisations and the negative consequences of solar energy adoption. This piece has been made possible with support from Mary Boldrini and Nisha Sambamurty (21D).

During the 20/21 academic year, INSEAD faculty produced 50 articles on various topics under the umbrella of sustainability, published in journals like MIT Sloan Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Harvard Business Review Digital Articles and more. This research informs us of innovations and best practices that can be embedded within organisations to drive business as a force for good. This research is also integrated into our classrooms for MBA students and executive education participants as part of the school’s effort to transform business education and provide future leaders with a conducive environment to choose decisions that create economic but also social and environmental value.

Harnessing business as a tool to cultivate social and environmental impact was addressed in a number of articles. The research covered the multiple ways companies can promote and protect human rights, to emphasising how sustainable practices can enhance financial business performance, but yet are not easily adopted if they don’t create win-win situations.

In a similar vein, Professor Xiaowei Rose Luo examined the relationship between political endorsement and firms’ engagement in different types of corporate social responsibility activities, finding that politically endorsed firms engage more in philanthropic donation but less in environmental practices due to the higher costs and constraints. Explaining more about the research, she said, “Since firms can selectively engage in CSR – the more visible and less costly type but not the substantive type, governments need to be aware of this tendency and perhaps create even stronger incentives to encourage substantive investment in environmentally responsible corporate practices.”

Exploring responsible business against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, research also discussed the critical role of directors in steering their firms towards sustainability, how they can transform their aspirations into action and what fundamental questions should be brought to the table considering recent events.

Delving deeper into the pandemic, much of the research highlighted the solutions, best practices and outcomes for health and the economy. From cross-cultural studies of psychological and behavioural responses to the Coronavirus pandemic and governments measures, impacts on mental health with remote or hybrid working arrangements, to managing grief in teams as a result of this unprecedented time.

The research also introduced health from the lens of technology and inequality. Articles shared more about the role artificial intelligence and machine learning in telemedicine, diagnostic assessments, and distribution of health care supplies, to the best ways to collect and manage data to train such algorithms. Some findings revealed the relationship between changes in income inequality and the provision of resources in a public-private mix health care system, while some shone the light on the loopholes in health care systems and supply chains when distributing vaccines to low-income and middle-income countries.

On the environmental front, topics of circular economy and energy efficiency were also analysed by examining the interaction between recycling technology and product design-for-recycling choices, to uncovering the possible negative consequences of accelerated solar energy adoption. The research also recognised the challenges faced by companies in implementing a circular business model, and how the wrong approach can put an unnecessary constraint on company resources and operations. In order to support businesses on this journey, the article titled, ‘The Circular Business Model’ by Professor Atalay Atasu provides three strategies to help manufacturers identify their most economically sustainable options to achieve circularity.

As the sustainability-driving force of the school, we at the Hoffmann Institute (via the Research and Development Committee) look forward to continuing to support faculty’s sustainability research projects, as well as financially support the hiring of post-doctorates and research assistants that are essential to the production of such research. By continuing to expand INSEAD’s sustainability output and knowledge, we can inform and inspire our community and society at large to consider not just economic, but also social and environmental impacts in their decision-making processes.

For the full list of articles, click here.

Read part one of this piece on 15 sustainability-related case studies - from slave-free chocolate to controversial bike sharing schemes – published by INSEAD faculty.