02.10.2023BSIEM Russian Module 2022 – Business with Social Impact in Emerging Markets - is an international project in the field of social responsibility and sustainable development. It was developed within the framework of the UN PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) initiative, which advocates responsible management education, and is a part of the UN global project on sustainable development. At the RANEPA, the project is being implemented by the Institute of Business Studies (the IBS, RANEPA) in partnership with leading international business schools of emerging economies Universidad de Colombia School of Management (Colombia), ISAE - Brazilian Business School (Brazil), SPJIMR–Bharatiya Vidaya Bhavan (India) and, since 2021, the University of Monterrey (Mexico).
The Russian module was devoted to the specifics of CSR practice and assessment of the development of Russian companies. The “Protected Areas Embassy” foundation, Uralchem, Uralkali and Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant companies were the guest speakers. Despite the difficult economic and political environment, companies shared their best practices for implementing ESG.
Director of international projects of the “Protected Areas Embassy” Foundation, Yulia Vereshchak, and program coordinator for environmental education, Evgenia Lyoshina, spoke about the foundation’s programs aimed at implementing the sustainable development agenda and about the endowment as a tool for working with business. The experts offered the participants a case - based on the world experience of environmental endowments and trusts, to propose the best global practices for promoting the idea of contributing to the preservation of specially protected natural areas and to the future through a protected endowment in the ESG agenda for responsible business companies.
The head of climate change at Uralchem, Vitaly Burmistrov, spoke about the importance of implementing the ESG agenda for the company’s development. Uralchem pays great attention to sustainable development at both operational and strategic levels. Among the issues discussed were combating climate change, developing sustainable agriculture, responsible supply chain, etc. The project participants were offered a case study on choosing a development strategy taking into account the influence of climate change factors. The proposed solutions were highly appreciated by the Company representative and will be considered, when developing new initiatives.
The participants had the opportunity to work in multinational groups to solve cases from speaker companies and present their solutions. Expert speakers highly appreciated the solutions proposed by the participants. All teams demonstrated deep knowledge of the project issues and an excellent level of preparation for group presentations.
At the end of the project, the foreign participants thanked the organizers of the Russian module of the project for the fruitful work, inviting interesting speakers and covering the main issues related to the issues of the Russian BSIEM week. They also expressed hope for an early meeting in November at the Colombian module of BSIEM.
Maria Nikitina, a 3d year student of the bachelor degree program in International relations: «Although I have heard a lot about BSIEM, it was my first time ever participating in this project. And it was indeed marvelous and very prolific. I genuinely enjoyed the idea of workshops with people from multiple corners of our planet. Also, the format of exploring aspects of sustainability, climate and global responsibility alongside solving business cases to make the ultimate suggestions make a difference was really the thing that made the whole session so fascinating. I am delighted to have the opportunity to take part in such activities!»
Dmitriy Isaev, a 4th year student of the bachelor degree program in International relations: «I am excited to have been part of the Russian BSIEM 2023 module. Presentations given during this module have shined the light on the most prominent business practices in Russia, which was quite eye-opening, especially regarding black metallurgy and fertilizer production — industries one would consider quite rigid. Case studies presented by the speakers have been a great test of on-the-spot coordination and brainstorming within time constraints. Moreover, these cases have been an opportunity to work with people of different countries and cultures. To me, BSIEM has become a great opportunity to learn more about contemporary business — and perhaps contribute to its development».
