Center Overview
The purpose of Center for Business Sustainability is to advance excellent academic research in the field of corporate sustainability management, promote collaboration between academia and industry, and establish international visibility within the academic community. It aims to leverage the research outcomes and knowledge generated to have a positive societal impact and enhance the sustainable development of businesses in Taiwan. The research team at the center integrates scholars from the College of Commerce at National Chengchi University, experts from the Environmental, social, and corporate governance domain, as well as members from other relevant research centers within NCCU. Furthermore, the center also collaborates with scholars from various disciplines and institutions, both domestically and internationally. The establishment of this research center is unique in Taiwan, as it is solely focused on enhancing corporate sustainability management. The center's plans include three major missions, with expected benefits outlined as follows:
1. Innovative academic research in business sustainability.
(1) Integrating cross-disciplinary excellence in business sustainability research.
(2) Fostering high-level research talent and future business leaders in business sustainability education.
(3) Advocating for sustainability issues to create social impact.
One of the primary concerns in the international mainstream strategic management journals is the motivation behind a company's engagement in sustainability activities. Given that these activities often incur additional costs, the central question is, "Why do companies pursue sustainability activities?" The secondary question is, "How do these sustainability activities impact a company's performance-related metrics and other strategies?" To promote academic research in the field of business sustainability, this center will categorize research topics into two main academic research groups: incentives (why) and strategies (how). Additionally, these groups will be further divided into several subgroups based on specialized areas to comprehensively explore the theories and methods of business sustainability.
2. Assisting small and medium-sized Enterprises in implementing sustainability initiatives.
(1) Core focus on an internal "management perspective" to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in implementing sustainability activities to enhance corporate value.
(2) Core emphasis on international ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) guidelines to assist SMEs in constructing a sustainable implementation roadmap, disclosure, and certification direction.
Currently, many companies engage in sustainability activities based on the demands and recommendations of stakeholders, especially investors and customers. Large corporations often employ international consulting firms to assist in establishing sustainability activities. However, in Taiwan, the majority of companies are SMEs, which have limited resources and generally lack sustainability awareness and practices.
Assisting SMEs in planning, executing, and analyzing the value of sustainability activities can help them understand that such activities do not solely bring about costs. They can also generate value by reducing related taxes and even expanding into new markets. This, in turn, can enhance SMEs' willingness to engage in sustainability activities. The accumulated experience of industry-academic collaborations will also contribute to the establishment of criteria and platforms for SMEs to assess sustainability value. The data accumulated from SMEs' sustainability activities will also provide valuable insights for academic research.
3. Conducting financial disclosure assessment for climate-related risks in banking and insurance Industries.
(1) Regarding climate change award evaluations, the goals are to "assist in achieving the national 2050 net-zero target," "encourage banks and insurance companies to focus more on climate-related financial disclosure and reduce climate litigation," "prompt traditional industries to proactively address climate change issues," and "reduce information asymmetry, allowing the general public and ordinary investors to understand the performance of banks and insurance companies on climate change issues."
(2) In the field of climate education, the objectives are to "raise public awareness of climate issues, reinforcing the responsibility of banks and insurance companies in climate matters" and to "establish exemplary best practices, harnessing peer influence."
(3) Climate research advocates research on climate change issues to create an impact.
Banks and insurance companies play a significant role as key stakeholders in the general business landscape, and they can guide other industries to prioritize climate change issues through investment and financing. The Financial Supervisory Commission has mandated that banks and insurance companies disclose climate risk-related financial information starting from the year 2023. By preparing for related evaluation initiatives, the financial sector can place a stronger emphasis on climate change issues. This, in turn, can leverage the power of investors to collectively drive traditional industries to consider climate issues in their top-level decision-making and daily operations during the production of goods. This will strengthen the positive influence of financial intermediaries in this area.
