Campus - 07.03.2024 - 17:00
Sustainability topics inspire: "Academic Poster Session" in SQUARE
Under the motto "Enjoy, learn, connect and exchange", the HSG's Responsibility and Sustainability Team organised an exhibition on the topic of sustainability. With a total of 31 posters, HSG academics from various disciplines presented their current research projects. The range of topics was broad: from sustainable finance to climate and energy, circular economy, diversity and inclusion, corporate governance and much more.
Sustainability research can be very diverse, as the event showed. It offered a platform for inspiring academic exchange not only among researchers, but also with interested students and visitors to the campus. We asked the researchers for their thoughts and what fascinates them about their topic:
Jamie Gloor, assistant professor of Diversity and Leadership Science at the Research Institute for International Management (FIM-HSG) said, "In traditional networking settings, people gravitate towards those who are like them. Same gender, same background, same status. So to disrupt this phenomenon, we thought outside the box – in playful networking situations, people interact with others across differences."
Julian Kölbel, assistant professor of sustainable finance at the Centre for Financial Services Innovation (FSI-HSG), stated, "Our poster is about whether people who invest sustainably are subsequently more or less in favour of legislation that also aims to achieve sustainability. We are doing this in the context of a referendum in Switzerland and we found that sustainable investing does not lead to people reducing their political willingness. Rather the opposite is the case."
Rhea Riemke, PhD Candidate at the Institute of Business Administration (IoMS-HSG), remarked that, "Tackling grand societal challenges requires collaboration among diverse stakeholders. Yet, figuring out who to team up with is not trivial, especially in contexts involving many divergent and potentially conflicting perspectives and values. In this project, I explore how actors in a multistakeholder collaboration, aiming to advance carbon removal as a part of the fight against climate change, navigate this challenge."
Prof Julian Kölbel on the topic "Sustainable finance and political behavior"
Rhea Riemke, PhD Candidate, on the topic "Partner selection dynamics: who's in, who's out, and how do values come into play there?"
Monika Kurath, Dean Research & Faculty, and Judith Walls, Delegate for Responsibility and Sustainability, were impressed by the variety of topics. The desire to become increasingly involved in sustainability issues was palpable on campus.
Lea Tschan, PhD Candidate, on the topic "Do natural disasters increase sustainable investments?"
Lea Tschan, PhD Candidate at the Institute of Economics (FGN-HSG), said, "My research topic provides fascinating insights into the impact of natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, floods or droughts on green investments. I have found a significant long-term decline in such investments after disasters, which emphasises the need for financial instruments to mitigate the impact of disasters. These findings are crucial for policy makers and investors to strengthen resilience and sustainability against climate risks."
Fabian Takacs, post-doctoral student at the Institute of Management & Strategy (IfB-HSG), described his project as, "Modern man has been moulded into a fossil-fuelled instantaneous water heater of a linear waste culture in which impulsive new purchases have displaced durability and quality. The circular economy is a response to this and aims to create an alternative economic system that functions within planetary boundaries and promotes social resilience. The 'Circular Navigator' is the product of years of research and shows companies a way out of linearity."
Tobias Fehr-Bosshard introduced the HSG Impact Scholar Community. It brings together HSG researchers who contribute to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Julian Bömelburg from from the HSG's Responsibility and Sustainability team was delighted with the lively dialogue among the participants.
The "Academic Poster Session" took place for the third time as part of the oikos St.Gallen Sustainability Week. If you missed the event: An exhibition in the main building of the University of St.Gallen invites you to discover the posters from 20 to 27 March.
Further information is also available at:
Responsibility and Sustainability at HSG (unisg.ch)
sustainability.unisg.ch
impact-scholar.community
Main image (f.l.t.r.): Dr. Mihwa Seong (IFPM-/FIM-HSG), Eugenia Bajet Mestre (FIM-HSG), Prof. Jamie Gloor (FIM-HSG) and Dr. Huong Pham (FIM-HSG) on the topic "Playfulness for more professional equity? Networking across differences via sport"