Debunking ESG Myths: Insights from Professor Charles H. Cho at FOB Seminar

Release date:2025/01/02
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On December 27, 2024, the Faculty of Business held the last seminar of the year 2024, titled “Debunking the Myth of ESG: Has Sustainability Been Hijacked?” with Professor Charles H. Cho, Professor of Sustainability Accounting and the Erivan K. Haub Chair in Business & Sustainability at the Schulich School of Business, York University, Canada. Professor Cho shared a thought-provoking keynote during the seminar, addressing the current dilemma of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) topics. The event brought together academics and business leaders to explore the evolving role of ESG in driving sustainable development.


Professor Cho began by introducing key concepts, including ESG, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Triple Bottom Line framework, which emphasizes balancing economic, social, and environmental priorities. He described the history of CSR and ESG, highlighting its roots in socially responsible investing and its rapid growth into a critical framework for addressing global sustainability challenges.


Drawing from his expertise, Professor Cho discussed emerging academic research trends in ESG, including the linkage between financial and ESG performance, double materiality, challenges in ESG reporting standardization, and the relationship between impression management and ESG reporting. He also addressed the ongoing debate surrounding ESG investments, reporting accuracy, and the practical implementation of ESG principles in organizations. The keynote underscored the importance of rigorous academic research and transparent decision-making to advocate global ESG progression.


Valuable insights were offered to the Faculty of Business faculty and DBA and MBA students during this seminar, which also encouraged deep reflections on the future of sustainable development.



 
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