Studies Undertaken by HBSACM
1. Technology Acquisition and Technological Capability. Development in Malaysia, Role of Multinational Corporations Host Agencies. 2. Financing for Development – External Debts versus Direct or Foreign Investments (with specific reference to Malaysia). 3. A study of Wage Trends and Wage Systems in Malaysia. 4. Life Cycle Assessment in Malaysia Palm Oil Industry (2020). The Harvard Business School Alumni Club of Malaysia (HBSACM) embarked on a study on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in Malaysia Palm Oil Industry: Fast-Tracking the Competitive Advantage. It was a collaborative partnership with experts from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). They were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norhayati Abdullah and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norasikin Ahmad Ludin. The study, fully funded by HBSACM, was aimed at identifying the status of implementation and perception of LCA in the Malaysian palm oil industry. The industry cannot claim that its palm oil-making processes are 100 per cent sustainable if they are not equally monitored for environmental performance on a daily basis. Thus, a suitable assessment tool is required to identify the whole-chain impact of the processes. Through interviews with Malaysian palm oil industries and industry bodies, this research project intended to identify the actual extent of implementation and perception of LCA in the palm oil industry and to propose possible LCA policy implementation. The Malaysian palm oil industry is a global leader in the development of palm oil production and also to a large extent when it comes to palm oil sustainability initiatives. However, the industry in general still has a long way to go when it comes to environmental assessments and reporting. LCA is the most comprehensive tool available for quantitative sustainability assessment of products. The implementation of LCA is thus a win-win situation for environmental and economic sustainability. But LCA is also very comprehensive and time consuming in the initial implementation phase and it therefore often scares off industries.
