The 10th Taiwan-Philippines-Japan (10th TPJ) International Academic Conference hosted this year by the University of San Carlos (USC) School of Business and Economics (SBE) was held last November 10, 2018 at the Albert van Gansewinkel Hall with the theme “Culture: Driver of Sustainable Development.”
Three speakers shared their varied perspectives on the conference theme in the plenary sessions. Dr. Jose Eleazar R. Bersales, Head Curator of the newly-renovated University of San Carlos Museum and Business Manager of USC Press, shared interesting insights about culture and sustainable development in the post-2015 development agenda. Prof. Hye-Sook Park, who leads Mie University’s (Japan) ECO System Research Center, shared about strategic activities linking Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in her environmentally advanced university. Prof. Tomoko Kato (Seijoh University, Japan) drew creatively on the metaphor of “kaname” (a fan’s pivot) in her talk to show how to balance one’s national identity and cultural diversity.
This international conference is a long-term partnership of the University of San Carlos with Aletheia University of Taiwan and Cebu Normal University over the past ten years. The one-day conference looked at culture and its potential to drive and enable sustainable development. Issues surrounding the contributions and effects of culture were the inspirations for this year’s conference theme. Culture is a way of life: it includes practices, norms and lifestyles, influences how people think and act, is central to the individual and collective identity, and provides the social fabric that bonds communities and families. Sustainable development occurs within this cultural context, hence culture must be integrated into all sustainable development strategies.
A total of 34 papers were presented in seven parallel sessions including sub-themes such as Tourism and Culture, Resource Management and Sustainable Development, and Education and Culture. This conference is part of SBE’s endeavor to drive the discussion on how business can promote sustainable development in the context of cultural perspectives. A cultural night capped the day showcasing the USC Dance Troupe and Choristers to give the foreign delegates a taste of Filipino hospitality and culture.
by Melanie B. de Ocampo, Ph.D., Dean, School of Business and Economics
Tags: Events, Business and Economics