The UGM Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) hosted the 27th annual Network of International Business and Economic Schools (NIBES) meeting on July 3-5 on the UGM campus.
NIBES is an international network that enhances internationalization and global understanding in business and economics education. Currently, NIBES consists of 21 world-class business schools from 21 countries.
Sixteen delegates from 11 countries attended this year’s meeting in person. Additionally, eight representatives from six countries participated virtually.
“During the three days, the delegates engaged in productive discussions and exchanged ideas on topics related to educational and research cooperation,” said the Dean of FEB UGM, Professor Didi Achjari, to journalists on Monday (3/7).
Furthermore, the dean stated that this international meeting allows faculty members to present their research findings on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Indonesian context.
Professor Nurul Indarti, a lecturer from the Department of Management, explained in her presentation that social entrepreneurship contributes to creating sustainable and inclusive employment, supporting local-based development.
She mentioned that social enterprises have already benefited around 871 million people in Europe and Central Asia by providing services and products worth 6 million pounds and creating jobs, especially among the most marginalized social groups.
According to her research, there are approximately 124,058,696 workers without disabilities in Indonesia, accounting for 94.63%, while there are about 7,040,000 workers with disabilities, accounting for 5.37%.
Generally, workers with disabilities face social barriers such as social stigma, limited access to education and employment, and obstacles to full social participation.
The Indonesian government has issued Law Number 8 of 2016 on Persons with Disabilities to provide a legal framework for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities and providing guidelines for equal protection.
“This law supports empowerment activities and participation in all aspects of life,” she explained.
According to Professor Indarti, further research on workers with disabilities is needed to recommend strategies, approaches, and social entrepreneurship business models to understand the root causes of barriers further and find solutions to overcome them.
“The dynamics of partnerships between social entrepreneurs and other stakeholders also need to be examined, as well as measuring the impact of social enterprises on persons with disabilities,” she said.
In this 27th NIBES meeting, the delegates had the opportunity to present the progress of their respective universities and introduce new NIBES members. They also watched the Ramayana ballet performance in the Prambanan temple area, visited the Borobudur temple and the Ullen Sentalu museum, and enjoyed Yogyakarta’s natural and cultural beauty.
Author: Gusti Grehenson