development, the needs of certain segments of the population will remain unmet. Last year, some of our female students felt passionately about the issue of period poverty and menstrual shame, so I connected them to a sustainable period product company in Hong Kong – Luüna – led by a dynamic woman founder Olivia Cotes-James. Together, we were able to raise funds to send period products to teenagers in need in Guangxi, a poorer region in China. I also want to encourage my colleagues and students across the university to engage in more applied research such as the Solar Decathlon China competition in which IBSS is involved along with the XJTLU Design School, School of Advanced Technology, and School of Science. There are myriad complex societal issues which need to be studied interdisciplinarily to find feasible solutions. Business Schools should be taking the lead in terms of connecting
marketer, I know the power of social media and good internal communication which can be leveraged to gain external publicity. You really need to have a supportive marketing team that is attuned to what’s happening in the School and how to promote that in a ‘clutter-busting’ manner. And finally, do you feel optimistic about the future of business, Business Schools, and the global economy? I do feel optimistic because I see the passion and perseverance our students have toward crafting a better future. As I stated earlier, we need to refocus the ‘can-do’ attitude displayed during the pandemic, in which everyone came together quickly to fight the disease, towards meeting the SDGs. We need to value diverse people and their ideas in order to create a more equitable society where the societal resources are not just held by the few.
higher education institutions with companies and other organisations that can be a part of these teams tackling social problems. What would be your advice to other Deans considering entering the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards, or other means of raising awareness of initiatives of note at their Schools? I will be eternally grateful to our Dean, Jorg Bley, who encouraged me to submit the FWFW initiative to the competition. I think that many of us, particularly anyone who is a recovering perfectionist (such as myself), tend to be unduly critical of the value of our contributions – and therefore to underestimate them. As the leader or planner, we see the flaws and how an initiative could be improved. We really need to celebrate the successes, no matter how small, and share them with others to inspire them to action. In terms of raising awareness of initiatives at Business Schools, as a
Dr Ellen E Touchstone is the Associate Dean for Responsible and Sustainable Business Education at the International Business School Suzhou @ XJTLU. She received her MBA from ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management, and her PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Southern California. Recently, she became known as the ‘foreign face of the epidemic’ after volunteering at Covid-19 testing sites, continuing her family’s legacy of community service that began 100 years ago with her grandparents who also worked in Suzhou from 1917-1922. On IWD 2022, she was named a ‘China Super Woman’ by Shanghai-based Green Initiatives.
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Ambition | BE IN BRILLIANT COMPANY
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