Sustainability for SMEs 

Webinar 1: The Why and the What

Over recent decades, there has been a gradual re-appreciation of on the part of society for the role of businesses. Whereas business has been perceived by many as existing purely for the pursuit of profits, there is a growing realization that profits are merely a yardstick. What they indicate is how successful a company has been in answering the expectations of stakeholders—consumers and investors, and the community, society, and environment. There are several facets of sustainability. One aspect relates to a firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), where businesses adopt good business practices as a responsible member of the society. This includes the use of scarce natural resources in a responsible manner through redesigning, conservation, and recycling. Adopting cleaner energy policies and following fair labor practices is also beneficial to the firm and for the society. Operating responsibly has been proven to be good for a company’s bottom line, as well. The UOB-SMU Asian Enterprise Institute at the Singapore Management University and Sasin School of Management’s Sustainability & Entrepreneurship Centre are proud to present a series of webinars to help SMEs and growth-stage startups in Southeast Asia develop a better understanding of the sustainability challenge. There will be a total of three webinars open to the public followed by a fourth one which is by invitation only, based on attendance at the prior three.

1. The Why and the What
2. The How (Measuring)
3. The How (Implementation)
4. Closing the Loop: Bringing it All Together

The webinar was the first in the series and focused on the following question:

Why SMEs should care about sustainability and what will you be missing out on if one does not partake in realising this opportunity?

We are excited to have had the following speakers share their insights with us:

• Dr. Ser-Keng Ang, Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee and Director of the UOB-SMU Asian Enterprise Institute
• Surawat Promyotin, Director of the Sasin Sustainability & Entrepreneurship Center
• Sander Fleuren, Managing Director of MOSS Consultants & Capital
• Rafael Strauss, Content Strategy Manager of the Sasin Sustainability & Entrepreneurship Center
• Pornthida Palmmy Wongphatharakul, Co-Founder and CMO of SiamOrganic
• David C. Y. Chen, Co-Fonder and COO of Golden Sunland Singapore

WHEN: Friday, June 25th, 2021 at 1 pm (ICT)/ 2 pm (SGT) #SasinSEC #sasinschoolofmanagement