KLINOVA’S expert shares insights on Business Ethics in the Green Era at Vinuniversity

The session was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Dinh Anh Tuan, the faculty member in charge of the course, aiming to provide students with practical perspectives on the intersection between ethical standards and corporate environmental responsibility in the context of globalization.

At the beginning of the discussion, Dr. Nguyen Phuong Nam emphasized that business ethics today no longer stops at human-to-human relationships or mere financial transparency but has expanded to include responsibility towards the planet and future generations. Through the topic of green transition and sustainable development, the speaker deeply analyzed the practical barriers that businesses are facing, especially pressure from international mechanisms such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and stringent climate disclosure requirements according to global standards.

A central part of the sharing focused on the challenge of implementing sustainability within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Dr. Nam pointed out that professional capacity and financial barriers often leave these businesses in a dilemma between maintaining short-term profits and investing in long-term values. However, through the lens of business ethics, pioneering green initiatives and transparently disclosing emission data is the only way for businesses to protect their reputation and build a sustainable competitive advantage in the green finance market.

The discussion session was highly engaging, with students continuously raising challenging questions regarding the boundary between adhering to ethical standards and the goal of optimizing business profits. The speaker delved into practical issues related to the lack of transparency in using sustainability labels—often referred to as "greenwashing"—as well as the ethical responsibility of multi-national corporations in leading and supporting their global supply chains through green transitions. In particular, inquiries regarding the roadmap to achieving Net Zero goals for resource-constrained enterprises received strategic advice on proactively building internal management capacity and effectively leveraging incentives from carbon finance. Through typical examples of shifting operational mindsets from real-world consulting practices, Dr. Nguyen Phuong Nam helped students visualize more clearly the challenges and opportunities when businesses choose to pursue a sustainable development path with integrity.

Concluding the session, Dr. Nguyen Phuong Nam expressed his impression of the critical thinking and deep concern for climate issues shown by the young generation at VinUni. The lesson not only equipped students with professional knowledge but also contributed to nurturing an ethical and upright mindset for future leaders, helping them understand that sustainable business is not a cost burden but the highest ethical commitment of an enterprise to the community and the ecosystem. The partnership between industry experts and international academic environments like VinUniversity is key to promoting a substantive green transition roadmap in Vietnam.

- Huu Hoang -