Profiled by AU (2013)

Professor Stories: Dr. Anshuman Khare (Business)

"I am constantly learning and preparing myself to be the right kind of facilitator."

Dr. Anshuman Khare's work, research and teaching has taken him all over the world and given him familiarity with everything from airports to car manufacturing to city planning to corporate stewardship. And now he is bringing all this knowledge and experience together to contribute to solving some of the biggest problems humanity has ever faced.

In his native country of India, Anshuman went straight from earning his MBA to working for what was then called the International Airports Authority of India. At that time, the authority handled four international airports, and millions of passengers went through those airports. Anshuman says, "And new airports were being built. My job was to make sure that the projects remained on time. Everything was on my table, and every day started with a challenge."

After four years, Anshuman returned to the university in India where he had graduated, but this time as a teacher. He then went on to do a post-doctoral in Japan where he researched just-in-time manufacturing.

"My academic advisor was very much instrumental in driving my research interests towards environmental issues," says Anshuman. "We did a lot of research on cars, but he never drove a car. If we had to go somewhere, we went on a bus."

"After Japan, I had an opportunity to go and do my second post-doctoral in Germany. At that time I made the decision that I was going to focus on environmental issues from cars and automobile manufacturing. And that has been one of my focuses for the last 20 years."

Later, after he joined Athabasca University in January 2000 and moved to Canada, Anshuman developed another research focus: city planning in the midst of climate change. He's a member of the steering committee for the Cities and Climate Change Network, an international research network funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. And in May 2013, a book he co-edited with fellow AU faculty member Dr. Terry Beckman made its debut. The book, called Mitigating Climate Change: The Emerging Face of Modern Cities, was a result of research and collaboration among members of the Cities and Climate Change Network.

"We know that by 2050, about 70% of the world's population will be living in urban areas," says Anshuman. "City planning, transportation issues, urban development, infrastructure are all under stress."

In Canadian cities, there is a lot of resistance to change," he continues. "We are so much focused on the economics of doing things that we tend to set aside the environmental and social issues. We don't have a long-term focus. So investment in long-term infrastructure is very limited."

"In some developed countries in Europe and Asia, they are thinking about 50 to 70 years ahead, and that's something that we are not doing. That's where I would hope we will turn our attention," he says.

Anshuman also finds it interesting that some people are still caught up in arguing about whether climate change is actually happening or pointing fingers about who's responsible. "Because I'm a business prof and it's not a question of whether it's happening or not happening. It's not a question of who's responsible for it," he says. "I think climate change presents us with some unique business opportunities."

"You can start a new business where you're looking at how you keep the air quality better, how you have cleaner water, what kinds of things you can do to provide safety from flooding. Some companies will see those opportunities and start a business, and others will miss out."

While Anshuman has a keen eye for business opportunities, he also stresses the importance of corporate stewardship and co-chairs the AU Faculty of Business Online Centre for Corporate Stewardship. "In today's projects, economics and the environment and social aspects, they all have to go together‚ otherwise it's not a successful project," he says.

Likewise, he sees his interactions with his students as much more than just teaching them about business. "It is about being at their side as they learn new things and share new experiences. It is about preparing them for bigger things in life, to be better citizens. But to be that guide, one has to learn and be ready for change too. I am constantly learning and preparing myself to be the right kind of facilitator."

Photo: Dr. Anshuman Khare advocates for city planning that accommodates multiple modes of transportation including bicycles.