My name is Daina Mazutis.
I'm the Endowed Professor of Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability here at Telfer
Along with Sharon O'Sullivan we are the co-leads of the area of strategic impact (ASI)
on globalization, governance and sustainability.
Our aim is to advance the understanding about how management and governance
practices play a strategic role in the creation of globally sustainable
social, environmental and economic value.
Importantly we are aiming for a very broad organizational audience
focusing not only on our coordinated set of strategic research initiatives
but also on outreach and teaching activities that target
both managers and organizations in the broader community.
The globalization of business has always meant to serve
as a platform for broader collaboration on our most serious geo-political problems
and on multiple levels this has been an extraordinary success.
Economies around the world have become interconnected in ways
no one previously could have thought possible.
Along with that, cultures have become interconnected as well.
Right now we are on a collision course between life and ecosystems
which evolve slowly and climate change which is advancing rapidly.
And the planet doesn't have the luxury of time to reconcile the disparate rates of development.
It's an enormous geo-political crisis that requires clean technologies
coordinated, and properly governed on a global scale
to restore us to sustainability.
This is precisely why our ASI is "Research Matters".
Our colleague Dr. Suhaib Riaz is doing some really interesting work on
global crises and dysfunctional systems.
Professor Riaz's research addresses why, even as we seem to be living
from one crisis to another, the dysfunctional socio-economic
systems underline these crises are so difficult to change.
His research encompasses the global and financial crisis
and the crises related to economic inequality, political polarization and global trade wars.
He puts forward the interconnected nature of these multiple grand challenges.
These are among the factors that continue to stall any serious efforts at change.
Leaving us stuck with the same systems and the resulting crises.
Another project in our ASI, is by our colleague Mohamed Chelli and Walid Ben Amar
who are looking at sustainability and water management strategies.
For many firms water is a key factor in the production of goods and services.
However, as water availability and quality continue to decline
investors, creditors and regulators have begun to place greater pressure
on firms to disclose how they manage water resources,
how their practices impact their businesses,
and how these firms mitigate risks related to corporate use of water.
If firms are not prepared to navigate these challenges,
they can face a variety of business risks that can make their operation challenging.
To an answer this question, Professors Mohamed Chelli and Walid Ben Amar,
will examine the impact of corporate management
in their efforts to help corporate transparency
and firms make better and more sustainable decisions.
This project by Professors Ben Amar, Chang and Mcllkenny,
looked at diversity in boards and organizational responses to
sustainability initiatives.
Specifically, they looked at how female representativeness
on boards of directors influenced corporate responsiveness
to stakeholders demands for increased public reporting
about climate change related risks.
They found that the likelihood of voluntary climate change disclosure
increased with the percentage of women on boards.
Their findings reinforce that initiatives being taken
around the world to support gender diversity in corporate governance
also support board effectiveness and stakeholder management.
Globalization really can be governed in a manner
that lifts all boats economically, environmentally and socially,
in Canada and Internationally.