Transforming Business Research & Education. Charting a Sustainable Course
UNSW Business School鈥檚 mission to embed sustainability into business education beyond the classroom.
Published on the 14 November 2024 by UNSW Business School EDI Team
In 2024, as Professor Nitika Garg nears the end of her tenure as Chair of the UNSW Business School Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Committee, she shares highlights from her time in the role and the positive impact made on staff, students, and the wider community.
Professor Garg, School of Marketing, always had a keen interest in studying. It鈥檚 why she didn鈥檛 stop with a Bachelor of Computer Science but went on to study a Master of Business Administration in Marketing. She then crowned her learning journey with a PhD focused on consumer behaviour.听
鈥淚 had a na茂ve entry into academia based on my love for studying and my peers telling me that I was great at explaining things. But as I learnt more about research during my PhD journey, it became my passion,鈥 she says.
Starting with a focus on how emotions influence consumer decisions, Professor Garg ventured into factors that influence individual decisions in social, sustainable, and ethical decision-making practices.
Her discoveries sparked her interest in sustainability. And a desire to move beyond theory into practical application.
So when she stepped into her role as Chair of the听UNSW Business School Sustainable Development Goals Committee听(BUS SDG) in December 2022, it was a natural fit.听
鈥淚t was a good opportunity to contribute in terms of leadership and engagement in an area I鈥檓 passionate about. It was brilliant because academics don鈥檛 always get to marry their research interest with the service aspect. And through this appointment, I was able to do both and inspire others to do the same.鈥
The BUS SDG develops, coordinates, monitors, evaluates, and communicates the Business School鈥檚 engagement with the United Nations SDGs. It plays a key role in driving change and supports the University to achieve its 2025+ strategic priorities and the Principles of Responsible Management Education. And Professor Garg has been at the helm of the committee for the last two years.
鈥淢y drive from the beginning was to have a meaningful impact. I feel good about it, and I think we鈥檝e achieved that in the last two years.鈥
A balanced approach
Though the BUS SDG has made strides since Professor Garg became Chair, it took a tremendous effort.
2024 BUS SDG x RecycleSmart Clothes & E-waste Drive
2024 BUS SDG World Ocean's Day Staff Volunterring Beach Clean up Event
鈥淲hen I first started, it was overwhelming with all the stakeholders involved. I got to talk to researchers, education leaders, operations teams and student bodies. It was unlike any role I鈥檝e had before.鈥
Inspired by the University鈥檚 balanced 40% research, 40% teaching and 20% service split for academics, she established the committee鈥檚 objectives around three pillars: research, teaching and engagement.
鈥淲e want to bring sustainability and research into our education because they're influencing leaders of tomorrow.鈥
At UNSW, we鈥檙e committed to being leaders in inclusive and responsible business practices. That鈥檚 why we invest in educational development to equip our faculty and students to find better ways to create sustainable economic and social value.
And our progress reflects this 鈥 in 2024, UNSW ranked seventh worldwide by The Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings for progress to achieve the UN鈥檚 SDGs. That鈥檚 up from 18th position in 2023.
鈥淭he BUS SDG is part of the wider story of progress for UNSW as a whole.鈥 听听
Building the foundations
Professor Garg says she鈥檚 proud of what the BUS SDG has achieved so far.
鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 realise our impact goals without raising awareness in the first year. Every change starts with awareness,鈥 she explains.
Harnessing her marketing strengths, Professor Garg pushed to raise awareness among faculty and students about the Business School鈥檚 commitment to the SDG goals.
From the BUS community survey to gain feedback on what matters to the community, to presence at student O-Weeks and organising volunteering events around sustainability issues, it appears to be working.
In 2024, more than 800 students completed the survey while interacting with SDG student-led initiatives during O-week and other community events, indicating their interest in joining the journey and providing recommendations on the Business School initiatives in this space.
Showcasing sustainability
The UNSW Business School faculty staff are also showing avid interest in the BUS SDG鈥檚 initiatives.
鈥淭his year, I had ambitious targets for the committee. This included hosting research and teaching showcases for the faculty to present and encourage more dialogue in the sustainability domain,鈥 Professor Garg shares.
After launching a call for submissions for the inaugural BUS SDG Faculty Research Showcase 2024, Professor Garg and the committee were pleasantly surprised by the response. Out of the 25 submissions, seven were selected to present their research to the wider faculty and received grants to help support their vital SDG research.
鈥淭he event had great engagement. It was exciting to see how many of us are doing projects on sustainability and coming at them from varying perspectives 鈥 from marketing to economics to banking and finance.鈥
Giving a greater voice to SDG-related research is building awareness within the faculty that Professor Garg hopes will lead to more collaboration across disciplines, over time.
It was also an effective launchpad for the Teaching Showcase to highlight how educators are meaningfully integrating sustainability into business education. Ten educators from across the Business School presented how they are incorporating the SDG goals and innovative practices into their courses.
To foster greater engagement, a People鈥檚 Choice Award determined the two grant recipients to further support teaching innovation in the SDG space.
2024 Inaugural UNSW Business School SDG Faculty Research Showcase
2024 Inaugural UNSW Business School SDG Faculty Teaching Showcase
鈥淚nitiatives such as the Research and Teaching Showcases are important because they encourage continuing interest in SDGs and signal to faculty, students and to the wider Business School community that we value sustainability and are embedding these principles at our very core.鈥
See also:听Developing HR students into agents of positive change
See also:听Turning the UN鈥檚 Sustainable Development Goals into a powerful teaching tool
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Engaging future leaders
Professor Garg believes that investing in teaching and research will lead to positive downstream impacts for students, their communities and society at large.
鈥淥ur research informs our teaching and our teaching impacts students as future leaders,鈥 she says.
The BUS SDG鈥檚 broader goal is to make tangible contributions across seven of the 17 SDGs 鈥 the Business School focuses its research and engagement activities on:
- SDG 4 鈥 Education
- SDG 5 鈥 Gender equality
- SDG 8 鈥 Decent work and economic growth
- SDG 9 鈥 Industry innovation and infrastructure
- SDG 10 鈥 Reduced inequalities
- SDG 12 鈥 Responsible consumption and production
- SDG 13 鈥 Climate action
The hope is that engaging students through our various events such as the showcases and student-focused initiatives, will help them see how what they鈥檙e studying is part of the bigger sustainability picture.
鈥淲e want students to start thinking about how the SDGs matter, how they can contribute and also demand better practices from businesses.鈥
The committee is doing its part to help train the next generation of leaders to uphold the SDGs in everyday life 鈥 from personal to professional.
As Professor Garg transitions to her new role as Associate Dean 鈥 Accreditation, Rankings and Enhancement, in 2025 she has high hopes for the BUS SDG鈥檚 future.
鈥淭here鈥檚 enough goodwill in the community supporting the SDG initiatives, and I鈥檓 optimistic it will continue to make a lasting impact. This isn鈥檛 just a phase.鈥
Professor Garg believes her role as BUS SDG Chair has prepared her for what is to come and looks forward to continuing working with various stakeholders at the Business School as well as further facilitating research and teaching excellence, in her new capacity.
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2023-2024 Faculty &Student Engagement Highlights
