Karachi, Dr. Prem S. Menghwar, a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Virginia, emphasized the dual purpose of business in addressing both profit-making and solving social problems during a lecture at Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) on Tuesday.
According to Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Dr. Menghwar’s lecture, titled “The Role of the Business Schools in Shaping Society: What Should We Teach and Do Research On?” was held at the Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto Auditorium, facilitated by the ORIC in collaboration with SMIU’s Department of Business Administration. He discussed the importance of creating value for all stakeholders in business and highlighted how enterprises could drive social improvement alongside economic benefits.
During his talk, Dr. Menghwar pointed out the positive impacts of businesses, such as improvements in human longevity and access to essential services, while also acknowledging the negative aspects, including industrial disasters in Pakistan and Bangladesh. He challenged the notion that educating and empowering the poor would undermine traditional power structures, using the stability of British and Dutch monarchies as examples to debunk this myth.
Dr. Menghwar called on students to consider the broader societal impacts of business practices and to strive for a balance between profitability and social responsibility. The event concluded with remarks from SMIU faculty, including Dr. Zahid Ali Channar and Dr. Mansoor Ahmed Khuhro, and was well attended by faculty and students, reflecting a strong interest in integrating ethical considerations into business education.