Browsing by Author "Kenneth Paul Charman"

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Creating Shared Value in Cambodia
(CamEd Business School, November 15, 2020) Kenneth Paul Charman
This chapter presents the initial findings of a survey of firms in Cambodia based on structured interview and questionnaire to explore the intentions of local firms in Cambodia to address social needs as part of their business model. Addressing social needs whilst simultancously making a profit is a practice that would be interpreted as creating shared value. The Cambodian firms were located and interviewed by students taking the course. This was the first time that this survey was carried out. The timing of the study was highly appropriate during the COVID-19 pandemic as the sudden downturn in economic activity combined with the pressure on public services to cope with the pandemic, not to mention the concerns of the population facing the spreading threat of COVID-19, has focused attention on social needs as well as business performance. Whereas prior to COVID-19 business performance would more likely be primarily be assessed in terms of growth, market share and profit margins, during and post COVID-19 the contribution of a firm’s activities to the social good has arguably become more of the focus of attention. What the firm is actually doing and how this contributes to the needs of the community it serves is now a question more likely to be asked, rather than whether the firm has simply been able to find a profitable niche and source of growth. This survey is based on the components of creating shared value which provide a framework and is intended to provide an indication as to whether firms in Cambodia consider that they are contributing to social needs. The survey has included many small firms, a few large international firms and covers a range of sectors. Many of the firms are young, having been established in the last one-to-five years. Most operate either within Phnom Penh and/or in the regions of Cambodia. The results indicate that there is a strong sense of social awareness amongst firms even if they were not aware of the shared value concepts. The majority of the firms had specific intentions to address social needs as part of their business and this was consistent over a wide range of sectors. The survey can be used as supportive data in the development of a comprehensive framework to measure shared value based on firms’ intentions to address social needs. The fact that this survey was carried out during 2020, the period of the COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely to have influenced firme strategies per se.
How to Measure Creating Shared Value
(CamEd Business School, June 30, 2024) Kenneth Paul Charman
The concept of creating shared value (CSV) was put forward by Professor Michael Porter and Mark Kramer in 2011 to identify company strategies which directly address a social need for profit through the business model rather than addressing the same social needs through redistribution of profits already made. Many companies, including large corporations have adopted CSV principles to govern and guide their business strategies. CSV represents a further progression in rethinking the role of the firm from the more narrowly defined responsibility of providing shareholder value, to the wider perspectives of addressing the impact of the firm on its stakeholders through corporate social responsibility (CSR). The principles of corporate governance are well established to oversee the activities of firms, and sustainability reporting is common today, and which now extend to frameworks and guidelines for reporting. Responsible Business Conduct (RBC), put forward by the OECD has provided a framework to incorporate due diligence to guide actions to reduce or alleviate the negative impact of a firm on its stakeholders. More recently the growth of ESG accounting has provided metrics for measurement of the impact of the firm on the economy, social factors and its environment, creating huge steps towards sustainability accounting.
Prospects for the Biofuels Sector in Cambodia: The Opportunities and the Trade-Offs
(CamEd Business School, December 1, 2025) Kenneth Paul Charman
Biofuels: Perceptions of the Future. Biofuels are seen as an industry of the future, as well as the present and the past, representing both the origin of fuels for heat, for transport, and nowadays as a potential replacement, at least in-part for fossil fuels in the generation of electricity. Although thought of as a marginal contributor, biofuels are widespread, contributing nearly 30% of total fuel consumption in Cambodia, much of which is for domestic consumption in rural areas. Several industries, including the garment sector, choose to replace fossil fuels with biofuels for heat generation for industrial processing, reflecting the well-espoused principle of switching away from fossil fuels. In addition to having the potential to replace fossil fuels, biofuels present potential opportunities for exports, especially to regions such as the EU, which have specific targets to increase biofuel usage. Development of biofuels can also provide jobs, particularly in rural areas with the growth of biofuel crops and collection and processing of agricultural waste. Furthermore, biofuels have the potential for increasing farm incomes by generating another source of income by growing additional crops such as jatropha from which oil can be extracted to make biodiesel.
Public Financial Management Reform in Cambodia : SOEs and PAEs 2023 Study
(CamEd Business School, 2025-03-10) Kenneth Paul Charman; Casey Barnett; Muhammad M. Ma’aji; Chhomkeovoleak Kong; Sithika Thun
The Evolution of Strategy: An Opportunity for Cambodian Business Models
(CamEd Business School, December 1, 2025) Kenneth Paul Charman
The Case for Cambodian Business Models: Understanding the strategy process, from an idea or a concept to a business model that provides value for customers, to a genuinely profitable business, is core skill. Knowledge of the strategy process provides both a rationale and usable frameworks to measure and assess ourselves, the world around us and the decision-making environment in which we operate. Studying strategy is not a guarantee for an idea, let alone a successful business, but using the strategy process can help us stay on track and avoid mistakes. Strategy also provides a platform to showcase business successes and failures, an important component of what is a core discipline in business education.
Using ChatGPT: The Experience of Higher-Education Students
(CamEd Business School, December 1, 2024) Kenneth Paul Charman
In November 2022 ChatGPT was launched, and with it came the possibility to take a quantum leap beyond established search functions for a multitude of applications. The potential benefits of ChatGPT are attractive in higher education, where complex questions and lengthy assignments are commonplace, and where the uptake of ChatGPT amongst students would be expected to be rapid and widespread. Higher education students could provide an insight into how the rest of the population might adopt ChatGPT and other AI chatbots as a genuinely disruptive technology which could transform work processes. However, the benefits of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots run parallel with concerns as to the accuracy and reliability of information which AI chatbots provide, and ethical concerns as to the originality of the outputs and the potential over-reliance on AI chatbots that result.