Welcome to this special summer 2024 issue of the Council on Business & Society Global Voice magazine!

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader!” Attributed to – or at least paraphrased from – American journalist, editor, and women’s rights advocate Margaret Fuller, these wise words chime with the CoBS GV mag June special issue that highlights the student winners, runners up and finalists in this year’s Student CSR Article Competition.

It could ring true of you – the reader – too. For ultimately, reading enables us not only to nurture the skills of wording and language that we may put to good use in our studies or careers, it also expands the mind, gives us multiple perspectives, and prepares the ground for that all-important capacity to make informed and objective decisions and opinion.

So, we’re delighted to offer you this thirtieth publication of the magazine, still going strong since its debut launch in 2017. The June issue blends both academic brains and brawn in terms of research-based insights from faculty and practitioners, and student literary and academic talent.

In this issue, Prof. Adrian Zicari’s Editorial tackles the issue of short-termism and sends a call for business and society to take into account the long-term and future generations whether innovating, doing business, or policy-making. Our cartoon dives deep into the topic of reading – and all the wealth it can offer.

Leadership and CSR

Section 1 focuses on Leadership & CSR, with a look at how Japanese firms tailor their management approaches to work with Chinese employees, Conscious business and a call to question what we understand by progress, navigating AI and the future of work, CEO pay and corporate social responsibility, sustainability reporting, and how boards have duties regarding human rights and climate risk.  

Business, Society, Planet

Section 2 offers you twelve articles on the theme of Business, Society, and Planet – among them, a topic that came to foremost during the student article competition: political polarization. What is it? What are its effects? How does it happen? And what can business and society do to re-focus emphasis on the principles of democracy and tolerance? Tech is also tackled with ethics and AI in the recruitment process under the lens, as well as apps and how the tech giants – advertently or inadvertently – shape our thoughts and opinions.

So read on and enjoy. The offer is there to gain knowledge, insight, objectivity and simply the beauty of language to one day help you in your bid to make positive change.

With warm regards,

The CoBS Editorial team.

Featured – this issue’s cartoon

Global Voice #30 Contributors:

KEIKOH RYU, JEAN-SÉBASTIEN SIMON, RAFAEL ECHECHIPIA, HE PENG, FARRAH HARTANTO, MARIA CARUSO, VAISHNAVI DEEPAK, MOHAMMED ANAS MEMON, CÉLINE VIÉVARD, FRANÇOIS THIOMBIANO, EMILY ROWE, IPSITA CHATTERJEE, LUCA LIVOLSI, CAROLINA TONON CARDOSO, TAN PING JIE, EDWARD TELLO, JAMES HAZELTON, SHANE LEONG, TUCK SIONG CHUNG, SIYI LI, DAVID GREALISH, DIANTHUS SAPUTRA ESTEY, TANUSREE JAIN, FARID BADDACHE, DARIA PEREVERTAILO, RYAN ZHOU, ANTONIN DELOBRE, CATHY MCGEE, ALEXANDER “ZANDER” KUEBLER, PALLAVI PUNDIR, XIAONING LIANG

Useful links:

• Visit the student competition web page for the list of this year’s topics and discover the winners, runners up and finalists among the CoBS member schools
• Download and read last year’s special June issue magazine: Learning is a journey – ride with style.

Learn more about the Council on Business & Society

The Council on Business & Society (The CoBS), visionary in its conception and purpose, was created in 2011, and is dedicated to promoting responsible leadership and tackling issues at the crossroads of business and society including sustainability, diversity, ethical leadership and the place responsible business has to play in contributing to the common good.  

• Follow the CoBS on X and LinkedIn

Member schools of the Council on Business & Society.

• ESSEC Business School, France, Singapore, Morocco
• FGV-EAESP, Brazil
• School of Management Fudan University, China
• IE Business School, Spain
• Keio Business School, Japan
• Monash Business School, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia
• Olin Business School, USA
• Smith School of Business, Queen’s University, Canada
• Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa
• Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
• Warwick Business School, United Kingdom.