AKM Shahidullah, BSc, MBA (Dhaka); MNRM, PhD (Manitoba)
Assistant Professor, Business Administration
Phone: (709) 639-2704
Office: AS2024
Research Focus, Interests and Expertise
Entrepreneurship in the Anthropocene: Recognizing the vital triad between the economy, society and the environment.
The industrial age is over. In fact, our planet is paying for the prosperity those golden years enabled. As the world’s population increases and our resources dwindle, businesses need to rethink their actions and entrepreneurs should recognise opportunities in changing scenarios. The planet can no longer afford to compromise environment for business. Climate change is literally pushing us to a tipping point; setting an impetus to take a sustainable approach to entrepreneurship. As the ecological goods and services across the world are degrading, only sustainable, climate friendly, and eco-friendly industries can help the situation.
Ecologically responsible entrepreneurship has never been so important. We need big thinkers and new business models to help us navigate the dynamic new markets and opportunities this globalised, high-tech world has created. There is a growing demand for green and organic products and there’s been a pressing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Demand has skyrocketed for these sorts of products. But, there’s a lack of supply. The solution lies in reconciling demand-supply for these products with the current situation. More research should take place to decipher how business sectors can earn more money and benefit more people along the value chain. But at the same time the research must find ways as to how businesses should operate in the Anthropocene. Therefore, considering ecological component is of paramount importance for the business sectors to ensure sustainability -- as ‘sustainability is a triad between the people, planet and profit’.
There are so many issues surrounding sustainability that need to be tackled. Shahid explores sustainability issues of business enterprises. Drawing on his background with MNC, World Bank, SMEs and Development Organizations, Shahid entered in academia and became keen to pursue research on sustainability, social contributions, value chain and greening dimensions of business entrepreneurship and industrial sectors. As an academic, Shahid’s focus is to help various sectors adapt sustainability principles and come up with solutions to resource and environmental management issues through entrepreneurial means or strategic dispositions.
Research Interests and Expertise
Dr. Shahid’s research interests centre around socially responsible and ecologically sustainable modes of entrepreneurship. His research focuses on social entrepreneurship, cooperative entrepreneurship, and indigenous entrepreneurship. His areas of research also include business strategies, especially to explore and address issues underlying value chain and diversification potentials of new and existing enterprises or industrial sector. With such focuses, his future research plan is two-fold: to investigate the roles and manifestations of entrepreneurship in enhancing sustainability and improving quality of life in the local, regional and global contexts; and to explore the potential of innovations in new and existing ventures in relation to value addition, diversification, and sustainability. To complement this research agenda, his goal is to undertake major research projects investigating issues that positively affect or leverage the social-ecological roles of enterprises either based at communities or operate at private and public sector. As well, he welcomes potential research students with scholarly aspiration who wants to pursue research in the similar areas. His key areas of research interests and expertise are:
- Social entrepreneurship
- Value chain
- Indigenous entrepreneurship
- Cooperative entrepreneurship
- Green microfinance
- SME strategies for sustainability
- Climate change and agro-entrepreneurship
- Aquaculture, medicinal plants, and herbal enterprises
Teaching
- BUSN 4010 (Strategic Management)
- BUSN 3800 (Innovation Management)
- BUSN 1020 (Introduction to Entrepreneurship)
Representative scholarly contributions
Publications (in refereed Journals)
Shahidullah, A. K. M. (2023). ‘Community-based adaptive entrepreneurship’ addressing climate and ecosystem changes: evidence from a riparian area in Bangladesh. Climate Risk Management, 41, 100543. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2023.100543
Shahidullah, A. K. M., Islam, A., & Kendall, L. (2023). Women agro-entrepreneurship promoting vegetables at a family level: a healthcare approach towards non-communicable disease risk reduction. Healthcare, 11 (15), 2165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11152165
Shahidullah, A. K. M., Islam, A. & Rahman, M. (2023). Knowledge, attitude, and practice of pesticide use by vegetable growers in Bangladesh: a health literacy perspective in relation to non-communicable diseases. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems,7, 1199871. DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1199871
Choudhury, M., Wu, H., & Shahidullah, A. K. M. (2023). Improving the feedback loop between community‐and policy‐level learning: Building resilience of coastal communities in Bangladesh. Sustainable Development, 2023, 1-17. DOI: 10.1002/sd.2686
Shahidullah, A. K. M., Choudhury, M. U. I., & Emdad Haque, C. (2020). Ecosystem changes and community wellbeing: social-ecological innovations in enhancing resilience of wetlands communities in Bangladesh. Local Environment, 25(11-12), 967-984. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2020.1849077
Shahidullah, AKM., & Islam, D. (2018). Social entrepreneurship by cooperative: examining value chain options of an Indigenous Fishermen’s co-op in Northern Manitoba. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 35 (4). [Link: https://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=96177]
Shahidullah, A. K. M. & Haque, C. E. (2015). Green microfinance strategy for entrepreneurial transformation: validating a pattern towards sustainability. Journal of Enterprise Development and Microfinance, 26(4), 325-342. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3362/1755-1986.2015.027
Shahidullah, A. K. M., Mohiuddin, H., & Haque, C. E. (2015). Institutional interplay in natural resources governance: toward a sub-sectoral approach for medicinal plants management in Bangladesh. Resources, 4(1), 93-109. Online: http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/4/1/93/htm
Shahidullah, A. K. M., & Haque, C. E. (2014). Environmental orientation of small enterprises: can microcredit-assisted microenterprises be green”? Sustainability, 6(6), 3232-3251. Online: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/6/3232
Shahidullah, AKM, Venema, H., & Haque C.E. (2013). Shifting developmentalism vis a vis community sustainability: can integration of ecosystem goods and services with microcredit create a local sustainability ‘dispositiff’? International Journal of Development and Sustainability, 2 (3), 1703-1722. Online: http://isdsnet.com/ijds-v2n3-4.pdf
Shahidullah, A.K.M., & Haque C.E. (2010). Linking medicinal plant production with livelihood enhancement in Bangladesh: Implications of a vertically integrated value chain. Journal of Transdisciplinary Environmental Studies, 9(2):1-18. Online: http://www.journal-tes.dk
Publications (Refereed Chapters in Books)
Shahidullah, AKM & Islam, A (forthcoming). Non-communicable disease literacy and vegetable production: Perception and practices among the farmers in Bangladesh. In Haque, C.E., Ahsan, G.U., and Sabrina Islam (Eds) Red Alert! Non-Communicable Diseases in Bangladesh. Dhaka: Universal Press Limited
Shahidullah, AKM (forthcoming). Research Methodology: Reducing dietary related non-communicable diseases risks in Bangladesh. In Haque, C.E., Ahsan, G.U., and Sabrina Islam (Eds) Red Alert! Non-Communicable Diseases in Bangladesh. Dhaka: Universal Press Limited
Shahidullah, AKM., & Haque C.E. (2016). Social Entrepreneurship by Community-Based Organizations: Innovations and Learning through Partnerships. In R. Laratta (Ed.), Social enterprise: Context-dependent dynamics in a global perspective (pp. 79-101). Rijeka: InTech. doi: 10.5772/62469
Shahidullah, A.K.M. & Haque C.E. (2014). Medicinal plants conservation strategies for primary health care and livelihood at the local level: an examination of initiatives in South Asia. Pages 381-402 in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World - Vol. 1, A. Mathe, editor. Dordrecht: Springer Science. Online.
Shahidullah, AKM. (2007). Socioeconomic dynamics of extreme disastrous Event: lessons learned from Indian Tsunami. Pages 463-471 in Strategy and Implementation of Integrated Risk Management, Shaoyu Wang et al., editors. Qunyan Press, Harbin.
Publication (Book)
Shahidullah, AKM., & C.E. Haque. (2009). Medicinal plants production and livelihood: A participatory approach to management and marketing. VDM Verlag, Saarbrucken.
Publications (Non-Refereed, Web-Based)
Shahidullah, AKM (2015), “Training microentrepreneurs in green production methods: Supporting growth and responding to climate change”, Centre for Economic Policy Research, UK. Online: https://pedl.cepr.org/sites/default/files/Research%20Note_Green%20Microfinance_1752_0.pdf
Selected Technical Papers (Unpublished)
Shahidullah, AKM. (2020), “Cost-effectiveness analysis of livelihood improvement initiative” - Social Development Foundation–World Bank, Dhaka.
Shahidullah, AKM & Islam, A. (2018), ‘‘Social management framework for artisanal and industrial marine fishers” - World Bank-Dhaka Office and Department of Fisheries (DoF), Bangladesh.
Shahidullah, AKM. (2017), “Guidline and operational procedure to manage kitchen waste from the plant and residential facilities from gas exploration sites at Sylhet, Bangladesh” - Chevron Asia South Ltd.
Shahidullah, AKM. (2017) “Solar irrigation systems for sustainable crop and organic vegetable productions in wetland-communities of Northeast Bangladesh” – IUCN - Centre for Natural Resources Studies (CNRS), Dhaka.
Shahidullah, AKM. (2016), “Consumer surplus to the impact zone: The role of rural roads in enhancing social benefits of agro-entrepreneurs” - Social Development Foundation (SDF), Dhaka
Shahidullah, AKM. (2015), “Socioeconomic demarginalization of extreme poor: a transitional livelihood approach through gradual up-scaling of agro-entrepreneurial ventures” - Social Development Foundation (SDF), Dhaka
Shahidullah, AKM. (2013), “Economic valuations of common pool resources in selected open access areas in Bangladesh” - UNDP, Dhaka.
Shahidullah, AKM & Rahman, M. (2012)’ “Community as owner and manager: Institutional evaluation of community based disaster risk reduction program” - Swiss Development Corporation.
Shahidullah, AKM & Rahman, M. (2012), “Community based disaster risk reduction:benefit-cost analysis of multipurpose cyclone shelters” - Swiss Development Corporation
Shahidullah, AKM. (2011), “Ecotourism potentials in the protected areas” – USAID, Dhaka.
Shahidullah, AKM. (2010), “Development plan and policy support mechanisms for deemed exporter SMEs of Bangladesh” - The European Union, Dhaka
Shahidullah, AKM. (2009), “Ship-breaking att Sitakundu, Chittagong coast of Bay of Bengal: social - ecological consequences and economic dilemmas” - Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA)
Research Projects (Recent)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insights Grants, June 2023 -May 2026. Two-eyed seeing for climate-related disaster risk reduction: Decolonizing science, and strengthening community resilience | Applicant: Dr. C. Emdad Haque, University of Manitoba | CA$ 337,068 | Collaborator: AKM Shahidullah, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland Start-up Research Fund, Feb 2022- Jan 2024. Community-Based Developmental Entrepreneurship. | PI, AKM Shahidullah
| CA$ 10,000
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insights Grants, October 2017-Sep 2022. ‘Social-Organizational Learning Matters: Change management for resilience building | Applicant: Dr. C. Emdad Haque, University of Manitoba | CA$ 329,260 | Collaborator: AKM Shahidullah
Earlier research projects
Principal Investigator, “Green microfinance strategy for entrepreneurial transformation: supporting growth and responding climate change” - Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), funded by DFID, UK. | September 2013-March 2015 | GBP 33,000 |
See projects here.
Co-investigator, “Crop Insurance as a Strategy to Adapt Climate Change and Salinity Intrusion’. DoE, Bangladesh (funded by World Bank); Applicant: Mizan Khan, North South University | September 2008-March 2010 | US$ 200,000.