The University of Guelph’s Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics has launched a new institute to support and advance cutting-edge business sustainability-related research and curriculum innovations.

The Institute for Sustainable Commerce at Guelph (ISCG) will support Lang’s vision to inspire and develop leaders for a sustainable world with a mandate to advance research in corporate social responsibility, sustainable development goals and other business sustainability-related initiatives.

“The Institute aims to increase research collaboration through a coalition of experts in the field and increase business sustainability-related curricular and co-curricular content,” said Dr. Rumina Dhalla, the inaugural director of the Institute. “With innovative dissemination, the research hub can enhance outreach initiatives that promote new business sustainability research on the global stage.”

The ISCG is built on the three pillars of collaboration, impact, and inclusivity. Based on these three pillars, the institute will aim to create opportunities to facilitate and strengthen the culture of collaboration within Lang, across U of G, and with other like-minded institution; it will seek opportunities to influence and advocate for sustainability in business and research projects that impact multiple stakeholders, particularly industry, communities and policymakers and influence policy change will be sought out; and it will strive for equity, diversity and inclusion in its coalition and collaborators.

As part of the launch, the ISCG has funded four sustainability-related research projects led by Lang faculty:

• Positive Period Program
  Dr. Vinay Kanetkar and PhD student Stephanie Villiers, Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies
• The Impact of Interface Touch and Advertisement on Consumer Support for Social Causes
  Dr. Saerom Lee, Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies.
• The impact of taking a Sustainable Foodservice Professional on-line micro-certification course on employee behavior and sustainable restaurant initiatives,
  Prof. Bruce McAdams and MSc candidate Rebecca Gordon, School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management
• Community well-being in the gold mining industry – the case of Ghana
  Dr. Daniela Senkl and Dr. Ruben Burga, Department of Management

In addition to generating new research, the ISCG will develop innovative dissemination of knowledge on business sustainability and sustainable organizations, provide graduate and undergraduate student research opportunities, and house a repository of teaching resources and best practices for business sustainability curriculum development.

“The Lang School is committed to inspiring and developing leaders to use business as a force for good,” said Dr. Lysa Porth, dean of the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. “As a champion of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education, Lang aims to better understand what corporate social responsibility and sustainability mean within the context of business and what students can do to become leaders who inspire change and contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”

Contact:
Dr. Rumina Dhalla.
rdhalla@uoguelph.ca