COSA 2012 will be held at the Landmark Bangkok Hotel
Bangkok, Thailand
November 1-3, 2012

The 2012 Conference on Sustainable Business in Asia »

Sustainable business is not just good business, it is a new way of thinking about business. Sustainable business is good business because, provided proper evaluation of business practices, sustainable business and management can effectively reduce emissions and waste. In turn, positive results not only satisfy stakeholders, but also make companies more profitable.

Leading-edge organizations are taking sustainability further, making it part of their core value propositions. Fully realized, sustainable business is about thinking comprehensively about all of the systemic factors that impact the enterprise and that the enterprise impacts. This includes environmental factors like the oceans, atmosphere, watersheds and soil, as well as social, cultural, economic and political factors.  Sustainable business thinking encourages better anticipation of, and preparation for, the challenges and opportunities faced by the modern global enterprise. This leads to innovative enterprises that are more sustainable in every sense of the word, including the ability to endure over the long term.

Because this is an emerging paradigm, there is much research and exploration that is needed. Academics, researchers, students and representatives from industry, government and non-governmental organizations need to both share their findings and learn from each other, in order to facilitate the transformation in how economic activity is conducted, allowing human societies to be sustained and to thrive.

This economic and social transformation, already underway, is leading to tremendous market opportunities. Research and advancements in cleaner production and clean energy have spurred a new generation of entrepreneurs to commercialize renewable energy resources and sustainable products, from biodiesel and wind farms to biodegradable products and solar powered vehicles. The sustainable business movement is also changing the way we teach business, as shown by the growth in post-graduate programs focused on sustainability, environmental policy, and non-profit management.

The greatest leverage points of change are in the developing countries of Asia. Designing infrastructure, products, enterprises and processes with sustainability in mind can have an enormous impact on environmental and social systems. The 2012 Conference on Sustainable Business in Asia (COSA 2012) held in Bangkok, Thailand, offers a platform for scholarly and applied conversations among a wide variety of stakeholders concerned with the continual challenge of advancing the sustainable business agenda: people, planet, profit.

COSA 2012 invites scholarly interactions among academics, researchers, doctoral students, entrepreneurs, representatives from industry, non-profit and non-governmental organization professionals to submit proposals for 20 minute papers in English. Please submit a 300-word abstract and include (1) Full name, academic rank or job title, contact information, name of institution; (2) Full name, academic rank or job title, name of institution of co-authors; (3) Title of abstract/research paper; (4) a university or institution registered E-mail address. Proposals must be received by July 1, 2012.

As the fields of business, sustainability, and sustainable business cross over into multiple areas and disciplines, authors are welcome to submit from a range of topics, perspectives, and disciplines. The range of research submissions may include conceptual, empirical, experimental, and case studies.

COSA 2012 Keynote Speaker

John Stayton Director of Venture Greenhouse Dominican University of California, USA

After fifteen years in the field of high technology industrial marketing, John desired to leverage his business background by developing a profession that would serve the environment and society. In 2000, he co-founded the world’s first graduate program in sustainable business that, in 2002, became known as the GreenMBA. The GreenMBA at Dominican University of California is a rigorous two-year program that transforms students’ abilities to advance environmental and social initiatives in any type of organization. John was GreenMBA Program Director for eight years. In 2010, John co-founded the Venture Greenhouse and now serves as its Director. The Venture Greenhouse is an early stage accelerator for scalable enterprises that address environmental and social issues. He also consults on sustainable enterprise and organizational change.

COSA 2012 Conference Chairman

Prof Bhimaraya Metri, Ph.D. (IIT – Bombay) Dean of Strathclyde SKIL Business School (India campus) Greater Noida, India

Prior to joining Strathclyde SKIL Business School, Prof Metri held numerous academic leadership positions, including Dean (Academics) and Dean (Graduate Programmes), and Chairman (PGPM) at top league B-school MDI Gurgaon. He has also served at Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani. Prof Metri has published over 90 research articles in international and national journals and proceedings. He is on several editorial advisory boards of national and international journals. He has taught courses across MDI’s post graduate programs, fellow program in management and executive education programs. He has also consulted widely on Quality Management¸ Benchmarking¸ Balanced Scorecard¸ Supply Chain Management and ERP for several leading public sector and private sector manufacturing and service organizations and government departments.

COSA 2012 affiliates include,

COSA 2012 Advisers