How can a business school connect with
stakeholders on issues it considers critical?
At California State University in San
Bernardino (CSUSB), one way the Jack
H. Brown College of Business and Public
Administration (JHBC) meets this goal is
through a radio program devoted to global
and local sustainability issues.
The show is the brainchild of Breena
Coates, emeritus professor of corporate
strategy, and was developed with the input
of dean Lawrence Rose. Coates—who still
teaches courses in corporate behavior, ethics,
and sustainability—serves as the show’s
host, producer, and director. She also researches
topics, writes scripts, and arranges
for guest appearances. She is supported
by Merlyna Phan, an MBA grad student who
was trained as an engineer and who handles
the radio hardware and software.
The show airs monthly on Coyote Radio,
the university’s online radio station, and
Coates promotes each episode by making
announcements on electronic boards and
posting fliers around campus. She opens
every show with a monologue that addresses
some particular sustainability concern
before narrowing the focus to explore how
the CSUSB campus is addressing it.
The show airs monthly on Coyote Radio,
the university’s online radio station, and
Coates promotes each episode by making
announcements on electronic boards and
posting fliers around campus. She opens
every show with a monologue that addresses
some particular sustainability concern
before narrowing the focus to explore how
the CSUSB campus is addressing it.
For instance, in a broadcast about the
effects of e-waste, Coates urges listeners
to “close your eyes and imagine a
post-Armageddon scene. The green fields
disappear and give way to mounds of hot
black and grey soot, which seem to go up to
the sky and cover the sun. Fires ignite, and
red glowing piles of smoldering embers dot
the landscape. … Your eyes sting,
your throat gets dry, and you
begin to cough incessantly.
It becomes hard to breathe. …
You have just entered a toxic
waste dump in Agbogbloshie,
a desperate slum outside its
capital city of Accra, Ghana.”
This monologue is followed by
information from Sam Sudhakar,
the school’s vice president of IT, who discusses the university’s efforts to
reduce e-waste. Other guests speak about
the cost of repairing computer parts and
note that CSUSB donates used computers
to disadvantaged populations.
Another show explores the ancient tradition
of tara bandu, a governance system
on the island nation of East Timor that
takes environmental, economic, and spiritual
practices into account. Guest speakers
include geography professor Rajrani Kalra,
who discusses sustainable cultural practices
around the world; and Frank Lin, director
of the JHBC Global Management Center,
who talks about a recent study abroad trip
to India that had a sustainability focus.
“‘The Sustainability Show’ walks the
strategic talk of the campus by bringing in
voices from the field—both executives and
faculty,” says Coates. She adds that the
program falls in line with broader initiatives,
such as “Resilient CSUSB,” a plan to
nurture a healthier community for the San
Bernardino and Palm Desert campuses by
focusing on areas such as energy, water,
waste, and transportation; JHBC’s commitment
to the United Nations’ Principles
for Responsible Management Education
(PRME) initiative; and AACSB International’s
guiding principles of ethics and corporate
social responsibility.
“The show also offers serendipitous
dividends by providing qualitative research
on sustainability issues by using CSUSB as
a case,” says Coates. “It serves as a tool for
advertising and other fundraising efforts at
the school.”
Listen episodes of “The Sustainability Show.” You also can download the Coyote radio
app from Apple’s App Store
or Google Play or listen to podcasts.