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BGA | BUSINESS IMPACT
technological sophistication (see box on page 27 for more details). Having established its top six issues to address, the School sought to develop and refine its goal statements by identifying recurring national themes through a review of published national development plans over the last decade to ensure alignment with the goals of successive governments. At the intersection of these themes and the six core issues lay the School's goal statements, written to ensure they were within reach and that they represented the desired contribution. These statements guide the School’s leadership team to define and execute projects and activities that yield impact and contribute towards the achievement of specific goals.
awareness within the businesses community of the importance of self-monitoring and the publication of anti-corruption measures. Another area of focus is environmental sustainability in light of global climate change. This necessitates a shift in focus from people and profit to people, planet and profit. This has led to strategic alliances and partnerships that create synergies around the issue of environmental sustainability. ‘We met with faculty, employers, alumni, staff and students to agree on the most important issues to be tackled’ For example, one of the Business School’s recruitment activities involves inviting secondary-level students to the School's Environmental Day – an event held in partnership with various businesses, advocacy groups, NGOs and government officials. Students are actively engaged in competitions and innovative activities, giving the School an opportunity to plant the seeds of environmental sustainability in the minds of prospective students while positioning itself as a Business School of choice. This model raises awareness and spreads messages of change, and is more effective than individual efforts.
In addition to partnerships and strategic alliances, the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business has initiated projects to create a positive mindset towards environmental sustainability among its internal staff, both academic and administrative. These include the use of recycling bins for paper, plastic and glass, and moves towards a paperless environment. The School has also begun an exercise to track its usage of power to reduce excess usage. Impact goals in focus: competitiveness, diversification, social development and GDP growth As a Business School, we have contributed to the development of these areas through initiatives such as our participation in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report (GCR), which tracks our country’s competitive position continuously. Every year, we share the GCR’s findings with the public and alert policymakers to critical changes required. An example is the School’s response to the country’s continuing low scores in the area of innovation – we developed academic and executive programmes in this area and reoriented our global conference (now known as the Distinguished Leadership and Innovation Conference) to include innovation. These initiatives contribute to progress in the areas of competitiveness and innovation, and will ultimately affect other metrics, such as diversification and GDP growth. Another powerful example is the output of some of our recent MBA students in their in-company capstone projects, which were focused on the manufacturing of lumber from plastic waste. This initiative has a number of benefits including reduction of waste, reuse of discarded materials, repurposing of plastic, creation of a new industry and opportunities to increase GDP by producing a product for local consumption and export. The projects also provide opportunities for community organisations to create employment along the value chain, for example in the collection and sale of plastic waste, with knock-on effects of an improved standard of living and a healthier environment. The School continues to explore other initiatives that would produce similarly synergistic changes. Measuring impact Our impact model is an amalgamation of the areas of impact adopted by various global accreditation agencies and contextualised
Impact goals in focus: combatting corruption and climate change
The reduction of corruption and the promotion of moral and ethical values have been recurring themes for the leadership of Trinidad and Tobago and indeed, the wider Caribbean. There was no doubt that this was an area where the School can impact the country and region positively. One of this year’s projects is the School’s collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute to implement recommendations from the Business Integrity Country Agenda (BICA) research project. These recommendations focus on strengthening legislation and promoting the adoption of anti-corruption measures in businesses. The collaboration is strengthening the relationship with business, chambers of commerce and the Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute. Its impacts lie in the implementation of laws for enhanced business integrity and greater
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