CONVERSATION
A pandemic business assessment Associate Professor of Business and Management and Diana Davis Spencer Chair of Social Entrepreneurship Imran Chowdhury this fall again will be working with students who participate in the Social Entrepreneurship Launch Program. He helps guide them from idea to execution of their own social enterprises. In May, he led students in organizing and presenting the first Wheaton College Social Impact Conference. Magazine editor Sandy Coleman recently checked in with Chowdhury to ask him to share his insights on the changes he has seen in the business world during the pandemic.
What major changes in business have you seen during the pandemic?
“The global nature of the public health crisis brought on by the pandemic has had a major impact on traditional businesses, social enterprises, nonprofits and governments. Most clearly, the disruptions can be seen in buying patterns, the effect on the global supply chain and an increased emphasis on health and safety. Many of these changes are likely to linger in the years to come. “For instance, in terms of buying habits, the shift to online purchases and e-commerce in the United States and elsewhere made this mode of shopping concrete for many who might not have seriously considered it prior to the pandemic. Some of this shift will remain even as we, sometimes quite happily, go back to in-person shopping, where we may see more use of hybrid modes combining inperson and online shopping [buy online/ pick up in store]. “In terms of the social impact of business, we saw that many businesses worked together with their local communities to develop solutions to the problems they were facing—from manufacturing face shields and ventilators or hand sanitizer to distributing food and essential services to the needy. These solutions were often offered at or below 14 WHEATON MAGAZINE
Interest in social entrepreneurship has grown, Professor Imran Chowdhury says.
cost, or supported by philanthropy or emergency government support.”
Is there an increased interest in engaging in businesses that have social impact?
“I think there is absolutely more interest. Many of the students I work with, including in my ‘Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation’ course and the First-Year Experience [FYE] course on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that I teach with Assistant Professor of Political Science Jonathan Chow, have aspirations to create social impact in their work. They want to do this either by directly engaging with social enterprises as employees or founders, or by creating social impact through volunteering, doing policy-related work or through other forms of engagement. This mirrors
PETE BYRON
what many have noted about younger workers: Millennials and Generation Z individuals want to have an impact through the work they do; they are not simply looking for a paycheck in their professional lives.”
Why now during one of the most challenging times in history?
“Part of this stems from the shared experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly everyone around the world went through it or experienced the impact in some way. This is somewhat unprecedented in human history, and I think it has demonstrated the need for a focus on the greater good, on working together for shared outcomes that can benefit everyone.” Read the full interview at wheatoncollege.edu/wheaton-magazine
