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.

Some policy highlights recommended following this study are: • Palm oil certification is spearheaded by the Roundtable on

Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which is leading the market towards environmentally and socially responsible palm oil. As the RSPO meets to renew its sustainability commitments, one major challenge facing the sector is that less than 20% of the world’s palm oil is currently certified as sustainable. • The trends in LCA application in Malaysian palm oil processes started declining which may be the consequence of lack of funds and difficulties in obtaining data transparency, and greater concentration on the oil palm plantation phase due to pressure from environmental advocates and the public on the government over deforestation, land-use change and biodiversity loss. • The palm oil manufacturers and planters are still lacking in knowledge about the advantage of LCA implementation. • The current world perception of the palm oil industry in Malaysia may have long -term and economic implication if sustainable practices in all phases of the industry are not proved by a specific measure.

In order to restore confidence and revive the economics of the industry, Malaysia should consider the following recommendations: • Integrate LCA as one of the compulsory practices in large plantation and manufacturing companies that may have the most environmental impact; • Consider LCA as a potential sustainable consumption policy instrument in evaluating a sustainable process and product; • Implement further LCA in downstream processes of palm oil production; and • Fully captured on a large scale, biogas and biomass for power generation in palm oil mills may reduce environmental hotspots.

Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Its faculty of more than 200 offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and doctoral degrees, as well as more than 70 open enrolment Executive Education programs and 55 custom programs, and Harvard Business School Online, the School’s digital learning platform. For more than a century, the HBS faculty have drawn on their research, their experience in working with organizations worldwide, and their passion for teaching to educate leaders who make a difference in the world, shaping the practice of business and entrepreneurship around the globe.

Harvard Business School invites students into two years of leadership practice immersed in real-world challenges. Into a diverse community of colleagues and faculty reflecting a world of talents, beliefs and backgrounds. Into an intense period of personal and professional transformation that prepares you for challenges in any functional area anywhere in the world.

To experience the HBS MBA is to go inside the issues that matter – and to reach inside yourself for the strength, skills and confidence you will develop to face them. In every case, class, event and activity, you are asked not only to study leadership, but to also demonstrate it.

Each day at HBS begins with one question: “What will you do?” Because that’s the truest way to prepare you for the larger question that matters most, here and in your career beyond our campus: “What difference will you make in the world?”

Through the rich case- and experience-based curriculum at Harvard Business School, students build deep general management and leadership skills, setting the foundation for lifelong impact on how they lead.

The case method brings leadership to life. Students step into the shoes of case protagonists, real business leaders, and learn to make tough decisions as they are challenged by the diverse perspectives of classmates. Students then apply this learning in experiential field programs and independent studies to practice what it means to become a leader who makes a difference in the world.

Each of these learning platforms contributes to a truly global experience, from global cases and protagonists, to international classrooms and project-based experiences.

Students graduate from HBS not only with increased knowledge but also more importantly, with grounding and practice in how to make difficult decisions and what it means to assume leadership in a global environment.

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

source : www.hbs.edu