The Business of Climate Change
Sustainability is good for the planet — and good for the bottom line.
As New York's flagship and one of the nation’s leading public research universities, the University at Buffalo is deeply committed to addressing regional and global environmental challenges through innovative research, education and outreach programs.
Here in the School of Management, we're doing our part by working together to make change that positively impacts our community and planet. In class, our students learn why sustainability makes smart business sense, and use their skills to help local nonprofits. Meanwhile, our faculty study climate change through the lens of business — from responsible investing to the market for recycled plastic, and beyond.
Research
School of Management faculty question theories and bring new perspectives to pressing challenges — including sustainability and climate change.
Examples
Kyle Hunt, assistant professor of management science and systems, was recently selected to be part of the launch of a new Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate initiative that will address critical security issues in the Arctic.
Through the ADAC-ARCTIC Center of Excellence, a consortium of academic, industry, government, laboratory and local and indigenous community partners will provide access to rigorous research and education resources for DHS, and broader homeland security stakeholders.
“With the changing ecosystem in the Arctic increasing risk to operational missions and the narrowest distance between mainland Alaska and mainland Russia only about 55 miles, this initiative will leverage the expertise within the nation’s colleges and universities to help meet homeland security needs in the complex and evolving Arctic domain,” says Hunt.
Aditya Vedantam, assistant professor of operations management and strategy, shares supply chain strategies and an actionable agenda for sustainability, profitability and social responsibility.
In addition, Vedantam has delivered seminars to a variety of organizations, including the local chapter of the Institute of Supply Management and the UB Alumni Association.
Our finance faculty are conducting research around environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, which investors increasingly use to evaluate companies.
Cristian Tiu, associate professor and chair of finance, recently co-authored a study examining the costs and benefits of socially responsible investment policies on university endowment funds, which was highlighted on the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment blog.
Meanwhile, Feng (Jack) Jiang, associate professor of finance, led a research team investigating how the risk of sea level rise affected the pricing of bank loans for companies. In the video above, Jiang discusses another project, where he evaluated how corporate directors' experience with extreme weather influences a company's climate policies.
As municipalities launch lofty environmental initiatives such as New York City’s goal of sending zero waste to landfill by 2030, University at Buffalo School of Management researchers have developed a new model that optimizes the costs and benefits of using recycled materials in manufacturing.
Published in the European Journal of Operational Research, the model provides a framework for manufacturers to find the optimal recycled content claim given the sourcing and inventory costs of post-consumer content.
“When you pick up a coffee cup and see a message about its post-consumer content, that’s an incentive that drives demand because the consumer looks at it and says ‘Well, that’s a greener product so I’m going to buy it’,” says the study’s lead author Ananth Iyer, professor and dean of the UB School of Management. “But there isn’t a reliable supply of recycled materials and using recycled content can be more expensive than using new materials, so manufacturers need to find the balance.”
Real-World Experiences
School of Management students can choose from a robust array of experiential learning opportunities—locally and around the globe—to see firsthand how organizations successfully incorporate sustainability into their mission and operations.
Examples
Through a School of Management initiative, UB has received formal association with the United Nations, and will help advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
“With the approval, we are joining a large family of organizations that support the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and are committed to advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” says Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah, clinical professor of organization and human resources, faculty director of global programs and director of the Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness. “This is a tremendous opportunity to build the reputation of UB and the School of Management while making an impact on initiatives that align with UB’s position as SUNY’s flagship and support its ambition to become a top-25 public research institution.”
Siaw-Asamoah headed-up the university’s efforts to achieve the UN association. In her role as faculty director of global programs, she led School of Management Undergraduate Honors students to the inaugural Green Summit at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, in late 2022 and hosted a visit by UN Communications Officer Felipe Queipo as part of sustainability month in April, among many other initiatives.
At The Green Summit in Thailand, four School of Management Undergraduate Honors students learned from experts in sustainable development and networked with like-minded peers from around the world. Now they're sharing that experience with the UB community.
During a summer job at a bakery, Matt Taboni, BS '21, JD/MBA '25, saw firsthand how much food tends to be wasted. Now, he leads a grassroots effort to improve food accessibility at UB and in city neighborhoods.
Taboni helped to found and run UB’s food pantry, Blue Table, as an undergraduate. As a graduate student, he has continued his advocacy by opening a UB chapter of the Food Recovery Network to fight food insecurity by recovering perishable meals that would otherwise go to waste. He has been recognized for his efforts with the Student Leadership Award for Sustainable Action from UB Sustainability.
As part of the school’s growing array of global programs, students can experience sustainable business practices in action in Costa Rica. Past trips have taken students inside Coopedota, where they discussed social innovation and sustainability with the leaders of the world’s first carbon-neutral coffee cooperative.
Academic Programs and Teaching
Through their coursework, students look at sustainability from multiple perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of its impact on business strategy and operations.
Examples
In this MBA course, students get a hands-on look at why sustainability makes smart business sense. Working in teams, students develop an idea or company to advance one of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, and create a concept paper, short video pitch and a longer live pitch to sell their idea to a panel of judges.
Gain the technical and managerial skills needed to solve the world's most pressing transportation and logistics questions. In collaboration with the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, we offer a Master of Science in Sustainable Transportation and Logistics that gives graduates the tools and knowledge to excel in a competitive global marketplace. Emphasizing environmentally friendly and socially responsible technologies and practices, the program integrates analytical and engineering problem-solving skills with management principles to prepare graduates for a variety of rewarding careers.
To reduce their carbon footprint, organizations must examine their entire operations and supply chain—from how they acquire, warehouse and transport materials, to how they manufacture products, to how customers use and eventually discard those goods. In the “Sustainable Operations” course, students learn how firms can ensure both profitability and social responsibility, including such concepts as life cycle assessment, carbon footprinting, recycling and remanufacturing, energy efficiency, and eco-certifications.
As part of UB’s Advanced Certificate in Sustainability and the MA in Sustainability Leadership program, the School of Management offers a graduate-level elective, titled “Business Management Implications of Sustainable Development.”
Partners in Progress
The School of Management works collaboratively within the UB and Western New York communities, and with organizations around the world, to help develop sustainable solutions to today’s many challenges.
Our partners include:
Speaker Series
To spark conversation and inspire change, we bring thought leaders from around the country to campus to discuss the business of climate change.
Past speakers
- Feb. 24, 2023 - Author Andrew Winston on How Courageous Companies Thrive by Solving the World’s Challenges