By Tengku Noor Shamsiah

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Malaysia, Bernama -- Amid a strong call to action by industry participants attending the Conference on Corporate Governance and Responsibility which is now into its second day here, a Sustainability Consortium of Professionals and Educators (SCOPE) has been formed.

Established by ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) and National University of Singapore Business School’s Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations (CGIO), the consortium will be made up of academics and professionals to promote research, teaching and practice of sustainability and responsible business in the region.

The objective will be met by activities such as conferences, workshops, seminars and regular research on various aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

SCOPE’s mandate will also be to cultivate and nurture the next generation of leaders in sustainability.

Conference participants have already expressed positive interest in SCOPE.

The positive response paves the way for academics and professionals committed to the sustainability cause to generate resources and channels for sharing information and ideas, and translating them into reality.

Sharing his views on the formation of the consortium, ASEAN CSR Network chief executive officer Thomas Thomas said: “SCOPE, with its platform for research, teaching and practice, will impress upon more companies in ASEAN to adopt and institutionalise responsible business practices, consequently creating a more rules-based, people-oriented and people-centred ASEAN Community.”

Associate Professor Lawrence Loh, Director of CGIO at NUS Business School, pointed: “SCOPE will perpetuate the bridge that has been established between academics and practitioners during the conference.

"It will also be a repository of training and case studies to generate awareness, acceptance and adoption of sustainability practices."

The conference, entitled Theory Meets Practice, is organised by CGIO and ACN, and is well attended by over 280 delegates from the region and globally, including senior representatives from universities and think tanks, as well as corporate practitioners, civil society leaders and policy makers.

It provides a platform for delegates to discuss CSR topics such as mainstreaming corporate responsibility: implementing a regional strategy and building integrity and trust in the ASEAN Economic Community.

It also discusses sustainable production and consumption in supply chains; business responsibility to protect human rights; and shaping new business models for the future.

-- BERNAMA