Keynote Address

“We have no option except to be very serious about sustainability, if we don’t do that, we will end up in Pralayam!” - Dr. Mrityunjay Athreya, Author, Educationist, and Management Advisor.

Entrepreneurship Panel

The Entrepreneurship Panel was moderated by Prof. SK Palhan - Professor, Business Ethics & Corporate Governance. Panelists discussed their paths to becoming entrepreneurs, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them to become what they are today. They suggested that important factors included exposure, love of people and internal motivation. They also emphasized the need to develop strong mind-management abilities, the ability to produce value, and succeed by drawing lessons from mistakes. The panel advocated that choosing the best green product is our responsibility if we aim to attain long-term sustainability.

Key Takeaways

HR & OB Panel

The HR & OB Panel was moderated by Dr. Poornima Gupta - Professor, Organization Behaviour. The panel concentrated on the importance of human resources and organizational behaviour by balancing three key dimensions of Sustainability - Economy, Environment, and Ethics. The panel discussed the current HR trend and informed the audience of the shifting organizational tendencies. The panel examined the shift to digital hiring processes and how fostering employees' emotional, financial, and social welfare promotes sustainable management. The panel covered how innovation and technology are critical to creating sustainability. They also analyzed the transition from operational HR to strategic HR in the past and from strategic HR to sustainable HR in the modern environment.

Key Takeaways

Finance Panel

The Finance Panel was moderated by Dr. Vikas Prakash Singh - Program Director, PGDM program. The panel facilitated the discussion on sustainability, growth, and ethics; and the challenges faced by businesses while implementing the same. As organizations are aiming to grow and produce more, they are also polluting more. The discussion revolved around answering questions- What should be done? Solutions are many but how many of them are fit for the market? Whether the consumers are willing to adopt such solutions in this economy, where prices are increasing- is yet to be seen. Is the market ready to buy the idea of growth with sustainability? Are we - the generator, distributor, government, or consumer, even ready to pay that price?

Key Takeaways

Marketing Panel

The Marketing Panel was moderated by Dr. Jones Mathew - Professor, Marketing. The panel deliberated on the concept of sustainability in marketing. The panel discussed the ideology of sustainable marketing in general. Marketers respond to consumer needs, and sustainability can be implemented on a large scale when consumers demand it. The common misconception that profitability and sustainability do not go hand in hand was challenged and unequivocally refuted by the panelists. Many companies, such as ITC and Patagonia, have achieved the goal of being sustainable by switching to a hybrid model to reduce energy costs. The panel also emphasized the importance of marketers in raising public awareness about sustainability, as it is difficult to implement this concept in the tech industry, but consumers can be made aware of reusing and recycling.

Key Takeaways

Analytics Panel

The Analytics Panel, moderated by Dr. Bappaditya Mukhopadhyay - Professor of Analytics and Finance, was centered around the integration of 3 Es – Economy, Environment & Ethics – and the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The idea was to build a consensus on how AI can be an enabler and an inhibitor in achieving sustainable goals. The panelists discussed how AI could be used as a tool to capture value (ROI) and create value (innovation), increase production efficiencies, how a sustainability index can help track progress, and what role the government needs to play in enabling the said objectives.

Key Takeaways

Operations Panel

The Operations Panel, moderated by Prof. Ravindra Ojha, was centered around the integration of the three pillars of 3Es and how operations fit into that. The discussion centerfolds how operations help optimize resources and foster sustainability with the help of technology in the sector of Mobility. The panelists also shed light on how Industry 4.0 and technology may actually help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the vital role consumers can play in raising awareness about resource usage and promoting a sustainable ecology. The youth should therefore make an impact in achieving the goal with DIKW (Data Information Knowledge Wisdom), which becomes a paradigm that helps transform lives for the better.

Key Takeaways