UTAR Teh Hong Piow Faculty of Business and Finance (THP FBF) academics Assoc Prof Dr Au Yong Hui Nee, Prof Dr Abdelhak Senadjki and Assoc Prof Dr Zam Zuriyati Mohamad were recently awarded the Best Paper Award at the 7th International Conference on the Roles of the Humanities and Social Sciences in Engineering 2025 (ICoHSE7).
From left: Dr Au Yong, Prof Abdelhak and Dr Zam with their certificate
The conference, themed Connected Futures: Sustainable Societies through Digital Innovation, was held on 10 and 11 September 2025. Organised by the Faculty of Business and Communication, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), ICoHSE7 served as a platform that bridges academic discussion and public debate, envisioning ways of reconciling the innovative prospects of science with its much-needed social accountability and credibility.
The UTAR academics won the award for their paper titled Integrating an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Metrics for Sustainable Development of Malaysian Industries. Their research proposed the development of an ESG index for Malaysian industries, using a quantitative and cross-sectional design to evaluate current practices across firms of different sizes.
The study highlighted that while mid-sized firms demonstrated strong environmental performance, larger firms excelled in social and governance aspects due to resource accessibility and established frameworks. The findings also revealed a performance gap among Malaysian companies, with the top 10% of firms achieving near-optimal ESG scores and the lowest 10% showing limited engagement, underlining the need for stronger frameworks and awareness in ESG adoption.
Speaking on their success, the winners said, “Our topic on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is timely and relevant, aligning well with the conference theme. We applied robust methodology to build a solid research foundation and presented clear findings with insightful results. We are overwhelmed and excited to receive this recognition, which reflects our dedication, hard work and achievement.”
They further added, “ICoHSE7 is an established international conference that provides an excellent platform for networking with academicians and industry leaders from both Malaysia and overseas. The opportunity to present our work and to be recognised at such a level is truly rewarding.”
The award-winning study was inspired by the growing need to address questions surrounding ESG practices among Malaysian industry players. The researchers mapped ESG attributes to create an index that could serve as a benchmark for companies to enhance their ESG performance. The practical application of the ESG index allows decision makers to align with Malaysia’s commitment to green growth, while also contributing valuable insights to agencies such as MITI and state development corporations. On a societal level, the study supports the Malaysia Madani concept, emphasising unity and sustainability as pillars of national development.
The project also supports UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, by encouraging fair employment policies, ethical business practices, and inclusive growth. The ESG index serves as a tool to help firms align financial decisions with responsible management, ultimately promoting job opportunities, efficiency, and resilience in the economy.
Reflecting on UTAR’s role in their achievement, the winners expressed appreciation, saying, “This Best Paper Award is a direct outcome of the ESG analysis project developed under the FRGS research at UTAR. The University’s commitment to sustainability through research funding, ESG workshops, and institutional initiatives such as solar adoption, diversity, inclusivity and accountable governance created the environment for this success. UTAR’s strong support for SDGs and ESG has been instrumental in shaping this project.”
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