UMN Seminar and REBORN “Sustainability Paradox: Rhetoric, Reality, and Response”

Material presentation by Prof. Dr. Hiram Ting. (Doc. UMN)

Tangerang—On Thursday, 17/04/2025, Universitas Multimedia Nusantara University (UMN) received a visit from Prof. Dr. Hiram Ting, Director of Responsible Borneo (REBORN), Taylor’s University, Malaysia. During this visit, Hiram presented a seminar on sustainability titled “Sustainability Paradox: Rhetoric, Reality and Response.”

Since its establishment, UMN has always focused on sustainability in various sectors. On this occasion, Prof. Dr. Hiram Ting also gave a seminar on sustainability in business, tourism, and marketing.

“Sustainability is a multidimensional concept that generally refers to the ability to survive and maintain its processes or systems over time, especially in the ecological, social, and economic fields,” Hiram said.

Hiram first discussed sustainability in business. For Hiram, this is the concept of how businesses carry out social and economic sustainability. Many companies also need to do this.

“I think the SDG concept is very useful; we have protocols and calculations. Without the SDG framework, we will not be able to know how to implement it, even if we implement it, we don’t know the impact and bad to the future,” Hiram explained.

Hiram sees that the SDGs started in 2015, and realistically, they cannot be achieved by 2030. Ethically, the SDGs are not yet correct. Hiram shared that even though the technology and protocols are correct, it will be useless if there is no change in action and behavior.

“Some of the problems we should know from the SDGs are conceptual vagueness, conflicting goals, and implementation gaps,” Hiram said.

Sustainability is also very important in the current tourism sector. Hiram used a case study of animal influencers as an example in his research. He researched animal influencers, namely “Moo Deng.” Moo Deng is a Pygmy Hippo famous for its funny behavior.

“I researched Moo Deng, and I think these animal influencers raise awareness about the Pygmy Hippo. People became aware that this animal is endangered,” Hiram said.

For Hiram, the notoriety of “Moo Deng” can negatively impact Moo Deng or other Pygmy hippos because of people’s desire for entertainment. However, many people are still concerned about this issue. Seeing the fame of “Moo Deng,” animal influencers can raise awareness in the community.

“Seeing sustainable tourism in Southeast Asia can be useful not only for the tourism sector but also for local communities, creating new jobs, introducing new cultures, and a sustainable economy, so that it can improve both micro and macro life,” Hiram shared.

According to Hiram, Southeast Asia has a considerable opportunity in sustainable tourism. Given its many and varied cultures, it could attract many visitors.

By Rachel Tiffany Tanukusuma | UMN News Service

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara.