Business programmes once taught the importance of maximising profit at all costs but leading MBA programmes are teaching of the power – and profit – that can be achieved through a very different approach.
Corporate responsibility and sustainability have become key factors in today’s global business world. Sustainable business practices have become increasingly important considerations for companies seeking to maintain a competitive edge. As a result, more and more organisations are embracing ESG (environmental, social, and governance) principles to guide their decision-making.
Professor Andrew Crane is the Director of the Centre for Business, Organisations, and Society at the University of Bath School of Management. He also leads the delivery of Responsible Business on the Bath Executive MBA programme, helping professionals to develop the skills and knowledge needed to navigate sustainability challenges.
“There are so many challenges facing the world with everything from climate change and inequality to biodiversity. Business has a role in contributing to those problems, but also for solving them,” he explains.
“Contradiction in organisational priorities can be difficult for business leaders. The MBA programme can be a powerful tool to empower and liberate them to do something positive and be the changemakers in their organisations,” he adds.
The Bath MBA programmes are designed to provide students not only with an awareness of ESG issues within business, but also to equip them with the practical skills needed to tackle them. Teaching is underpinned by a deep focus on embedding sustainability and responsibility throughout both teaching and research.
“Students leave Bath, not only with a passion to enact change, but with the tools needed to effectively execute positive change throughout the duration of their management careers,” he continues.
“We try to instil the conversation of social responsibility and concern for social impact across the breadth of business, from finance and marketing to operations and HR practices. We tackle the challenges in these areas and then empower students to bring this conversation into their organisations and to have the right literacy to do so. They have the language but now they also the skills and knowledge to become as close as possible to an expert.”
Professor Crane adds: “We want our graduates to be leading employers who know how to achieve impact in their communities.”
Testimony to the University’s commitment to ESG is its place in the Top 100 of the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2024 demonstrating a commitment to infuse sustainability throughout programme delivery at the University. The University of Bath ranked 92nd out of 1,403 universities, scoring highly in each of the three performance categories of Environmental Impact, Social Impact and Governance.
