THE VIEW FROM TAFT

We as leaders must make sure that we develop and train people to serve people above all else.

For instance, our research on family business, humanistic management, social entrepreneurship, and advanced accounting techniques are published in abstracted journals. Most importantly, we engage with the community through our commitment with PRME in order to meet the SDGs in 2030. This is manifested in the presence of service learning activities, in which students resolve social problems by working with neighboring communities in the development and advancement of social enterprises.

All these activities are done to make sure that we produce and develop the next generation of business leaders who are socially responsible, sustainability- oriented, and humanistic. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not just a buzzword but is integrated in all aspects of the curricula, and future business leaders are then tasked to include CSR as a core function of business whether the enterprise is micro, small, medium, or large. Sustainability goes beyond finance and takes into account both nature and society in order to create wealth not just for one’s self but also for others. Humanistic management “advocates a paradigm shift away from economistic views on market activities towards a humanistic approach” in business practice.

Despite the advancement of tools and technologies, Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum calls for leaders and citizens to “together shape a future that works for all by putting people first, empowering them and constantly reminding ourselves that all of these new technologies are first and foremost tools made by people for people.” Thus, people would always be the core of a business, and we as leaders must make sure that we develop and train people to serve people above all else.