The objective of this inaugural research and impact symposium was to celebrate, collaborate, and cultivate a culture of research and academic excellence (e.g., through research, teaching, policy, and novel forms of dissemination) for the purpose of creating an impact on society, both locally and globally. Further, the College of Business (COB) is a signatory member of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a United Nations Global Compact-supported initiative. The College of Business at CSUMB supports PRME with its vision of realizing SDGs through responsible management education. The 2023 CSUMB International Responsible Business and Social Impact Symposium was open to everyone on campus and also to the public. Dr. Brian Corpening, Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Chief Diversity Officer, and Dr. Marylou Shockley, College of Business Interim Dean, kicked off the Symposium with opening remarks. 

The Symposium was developed jointly by Dr. Jenny Lin and Dr. Eric Tao, representing the College of Business and the School of Computing and Design, respectively. Their vision for the Symposium is to foster collaborative research across disciplines and encourage dialogue between academia and industry around common topics of technology and responsible business.

Another vision they have for the Symposium is to not only initiate collaboration across colleges on the campus, but also with international partners. An opportunity for this collaboration emerged during Dr. Jenny Lin’s visit to National Cheng-Chi University (NCCU) in Taiwan as Fulbright Scholar during AY 22-23. NCCU is the first and only university in the Taiwan to have a center dedicated to corporate social responsibility (called Sinyi School); and just recently, also received federal funding to start a Center for Business Sustainability. The mission of NCCU’s business school aligns with CSUMB COB’s mission of conducting responsible business scholarship and providing quality business education that has a focus beyond profit to include people, ethics, environment, and equity. 

With this international collaboration in mind, four speakers were invited to speak in a virtual panel titled “The Current and Future State for ESG and Responsible AI: A Trans-Pacific Dialogue between Experts in International Supply Chain and Technology.” The topic of this panel is informed by the emerging trends in technology and business related to AI and ESG (environment, social, and governance), a current theme we all share internationally as global citizens. The panel consisted of four speakers: two from Taiwan, Mr. David Huang, Business Development Manager at GIGABYTE, and Dr. Sonia Ming-Shiow Lo, Professor of Business Administration at NCCU; and two from the U.S., Dr. Yang Liu, Team Lead for the Responsible AI team at ByteDance and Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at University of California Santa Cruz, and Dr. Jennifer Kuan, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Economics at CSUMB. The panel was moderated by Dr. Eric Tao, professor of computer science at CSUMB. 

In addition to the virtual panel, another aspect of the Symposium was the in-person panel and poster session that took place in the Business & Information Technology Building in the afternoon2. Six groups of students from across campus, including students affiliated with the UROC programs, were selected to present at the Symposium. Students represented various fields of study, including Biology and Chemistry (Sarina Regis, Katelyn Huie and Madison Loewen), Environmental Science (Marlenne Ortega and Connor Quiroz), Language Studies (Levi Mahler), Psychology (Alexa Goto) and Business (Ella Johnston), all presenting work that had significant social impact.

The poster session led up to the in-person panel, moderated by Dr. Jenny Lin, Associate Professor of Marketing. The panel titled “Examining Human Wellbeing across Different Roles and Life Stages in the Body & Mind,” featuring the work of selected faculty members in the College of Business with their co-authors, also demonstrated significant societal impact. Three presentations, the first delivered by Dr. Tim Orme, Associate Professor of Animation and Special Effects, and Dr. Jenny Kuan, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, presented a series of educational videos they produced to promote responsible investing and financial well-being. Next, Dr. Mohamed Abouzahra, Associate Professor of Information Systems, presented his work focused on wearable devices and the physical health of seniors. And lastly Dr. Liz Adair, Assistant Professor of Management, discussed the role of children and family on employee wellbeing. 

The event was well-attended and provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase societal impact research work of both students and faculty. Hopefully, this will be the first IRBSI Symposium of many to come. 

See news article at csumb.edu/news: Inaugural responsible business symposium seen as a success