Sustainability in Session: Why ESG Is Becoming the DNA of Modern B-Schools

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why esg is dna of modern b-schools

Editor’s Note
Prof. Soumendra Roy, teaches Accounting and Finance at Globsyn Business School – which has always been considered to be one of the best MBA colleges in Kolkata. Prof. Roy brings over 25 years of experience in both education and the corporate world. He holds a Master’s degree from Mewar University, apart from being a qualified Cost and Management Accountant. Prof. Roy is an esteemed member of various professional bodies, like A.C.M.A. and LIII, and has earned multiple certifications, underscoring his commitment to continuous learning and professional development. His professional journey began in a multinational corporation, transitioned through a successful freelancing period, and eventually led him to the realm of academia. Throughout his career, Prof. Roy has significantly contributed to various esteemed institutes in the country. His expertise spans statutory cost audits, internal audits, and insurance loss assessments. This diverse skill set highlights his dedication to excellence and his ability to excel in both academic and professional environments.

A silent revolution is afoot in business schools around the world. The old language of “profit maximization” or “shareholder value” has already gradually been replaced by the words “net zero”, “climate risk”, “inclusive growth” and even “human rights due diligence”. This shift is not cosmetic. It signals a deep understanding that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles are no longer electives, but rather should be the foundational lexicon of modern management training.

Any B-school that continues to treat ESG as a sideshow is not just old-fashioned but out of date: it risks fostering graduates out of step with the realities of global business. Today’s corporate world needs managers who care about environmental responsibility, ethical leadership and the long-term impact on stakeholders. Those who are not ESG literate need to unlearn obsolete ways of thinking in the field, or else risk adding to the crises from which most industries already suffer.

Why B-Schools Can No Longer Ignore ESG?

Business as usual can no longer be tolerated in the global environment.

  • Climate change is a credit and operational risk.
  • Political inequality leads to social unrest and market volatility.
  • Billions of dollars in enterprise value are destroyed as poor governance unfolds overnight.

The India BRSR and BRSR Core, as well global investor pressure, have shifted the needle where ESG performance has become a driver to access capital flows and make supply chain decisions. In such a context, a curriculum devoid of ESG is seriously wanting. Contemporary managers will have to comprehend sustainability disclosures, know the access to complaints mechanisms and incorporate ESG metrics into their decision process. ESG has evolved into shorthand for risk management, strategic thinking and responsible leadership.

What an ESG-Aligned Learning Ecosystem will look like?

  1. Curriculum as Foundation of Sustainability

You cannot be optional to have an ESG chapter or workshop.” How a future-ready B-school integrates ESG in all its:

  • Specialized courses on continues: Sustainability, SDGs, Green Finance; Impact Investing, ESG frameworks.
  • Embedding in all core subjects – finance, climate risk and ESG ratings; marketing, greenwashing; strategy: circular economy, stakeholder capitalism.
  • Climate litigation, the ethics of green guidance and industrial transformation case studies.

That’s what true ESG integration is based on.

  1. Pedagogy that Mirrors Real-World Complexity

ESG teaching must go beyond just the theoretical. Effective models include:

  • Real life projects covering energy audit, diversity policies, waste management and community building.
  • Simulations of boardroom conversations with regulators, activists, investors and ESG officers.
  • Research Seminars that include academia, industry and government.

Students learn that ESG is about negotiation, trade-offs and dialogue among stakeholders as much as it is about definitions.

  1. A Campus that Models Sustainability

If universities don’t live their ESG, students won’t embrace it. A credible B-school must practice:

  • Separation of waste, saving resources and green purchasing.
  • Policies that included everyone, campuses where people felt safe and governance as clear as a pane of glass.
  • Student involvement in committees and ethical frameworks within which to make their judgements.

The campus becomes a real-time ESG laboratory.

  1. Governance and Stakeholder Integration

ESG is fundamentally about Governance excellence. Leading B-schools:

  • Seat sustainability experts on boards.
  • Go beyond tactical by reaching out and aligning with local communities
  • Work with corporates on ESG-based internships, live projects and consulting.

This has implications on the gap between academic theory and industry practice.

Globsyn Business School: A New Milestone in ESG-Compliant Management Education

Globsyn Business School (GBS) is a good example of how ESG can get inculcated as an institution philosophy rather than a theoretical accessory.

  1. ESG in the Curriculum

GBS provides a full-credit module on ESG & Corporate Sustainability, including managing climate risk and carbon markets; understanding ESG ratings and sustainability reporting; as well as ethical leadership – thus ensuring all students graduate ESG-literate.

  1. Vision Seminars combining ESG and SDGs

Its International Vision Seminar Series, which has themes including “ESG to SDG: Roadmap for a Sustainable World,” introduces students to global conversations and principles of responsible management.

  1. SDG-Linked Student Platforms

  1. Thought Leadership in Sustainability

GBS faculty are contributing articles, research and discourse on SRI, sustainable finance, ESG risk, and stakeholder capitalism – shaping our students’ ethical and analytical understanding.

  1. Corporate Engagement and Management Development Programs (MDPs)

Workshops, MDPs, expert sessions and video series to maintain regular engagement with industry mastering ESG competency and practical realization of the same.

GBS Advantage: ESG is a Culture, Not a Course

The force that has pushed Globsyn Business School to the top is its comprehensive approach towards ESG – right from academics, campus operations, community initiatives and leadership development program to industry connect. It is shaping graduates as executives with more than just a business education – it is building responsible and sustainable leaders ready for the future of business.

 

 

Prof. Soumendra Roy
Faculty – Accounting and Finance
Globsyn Business School