School of Business sustainability work – part of educating future leaders
Sven Helin and Hannah Scharf
Örebro University School of Business is continuously working on sustainability issues related to both education and research. These activities, which are part of a UN initiative to get business schools around the world to take greater responsibility for these issues, have now also been collected in a report.
Read Örebro University School of Business's first PRME Sharing Information on Progress Report (SIP) and find out more about their work with sustainability.
PRME, the Principles for Responsible Management Education, is a United Nations supported initiative founded in 2007 to stimulate work on sustainability issues at business schools around the world. PRME has over 720 members and Örebro University School of Business is a member since 2016.
AACSB, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, is the largest international accreditation body for business education. Örebro University School of Business’s accreditation process is near completion, and a final decision on accreditation is expected by the end of 2019. The AACSB accredits less than five per cent of 16,000 schools worldwide.
Since 2016, Örebro University School of Business has been a member of PRME, Principles for Responsible Management Education – a UN initiative with the aim of stimulating sustainability activities in business schools. As a member of PRME, the School of Business reports the development of its sustainability activities in a report every two years.
“This is a way of recognising our sustainability work in all parts of the university’s activities and emphasising sustainability issues in the programme. At Örebro University School of Business, we train students who will have the opportunity in the future to influence and guide companies along a more sustainable path. Many times they will be in decision-making roles, responsible to also consider the various aspects of sustainability,” says Sven Helin, Head of Örebro University School of Business.
A milestone in the university’s work on sustainability issues related to education has been the establishment of a Master’s programme specialising in sustainable business.
“These issues have become increasingly important, and we have noticed increased interest among our students,” says Hannah Scharf, faculty officer at the School of Business, responsible for writing the first report for PRME.
A hallmark of quality
Within the framework of PRME, there are six guidelines that serve as directions for the School of Business’s sustainability activities. These are linked to education, research and dialogue as well as collaboration with society and the business community.
“They concern all three aspects of sustainable development: the environment, economy and social issues,” explains Hannah Scharf.
For the past few years, Örebro University School of Business has also been working on achieving accreditation by the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). An AACSB accreditation, which is the largest global accreditation association for business education, functions as a hallmark of quality for education, research and collaboration.
“Our ongoing work with sustainability is a crucial part of the accreditation process. We are in the final stages and are hoping for a positive decision on accreditation towards the end of 2019,” says Sven Helin.
Text and photo: Jasenka Dobric
Translation: Jerry Gray