A Statement from the Deans of the Council on Business & Society

· by · in Community News. ·
The month of June 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the Council on Business & Society (CoBS), which now counts seven member schools of business and management, all triple-crown accredited and leaders and educational pioneers in their respective countries. As leading educational institutions in our respective countries, the member schools of the Council on Business & Society have a direct local and national impact on issues such as job and career prospects for our graduates and executive education, providing industry with talented individuals, offering engagement with – and economic value to – our local communities and giving knowledge and insight to policy-makers and governments at the highest level. Internationally, our alumni – some 231,000 among the seven member schools – work on every continent in leading corporations, government bodies, institutions and NGOs and, in many cases, have created employment and innovation through their entrepreneurial talent.
The Council on Business & Society (CoBS): ESSEC Business School, France-Singapore-Morocco; FGV-EAESP, Brazil; School of Management, Fudan University, China; IE Business School, Spain; Keio Business School, Japan; Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Warwick Business School, United Kingdom.

The Council on Business & Society celebrates its 10th Anniversary

The month of June 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the Council on Business & Society (CoBS), which now counts seven member schools of business and management, all triple-crown accredited and leaders and educational pioneers in their respective countries.

As leading educational institutions in our respective countries, the member schools of the Council on Business & Society have a direct local and national impact on issues such as job and career prospects for our graduates and executive education, providing industry with talented individuals, offering engagement with – and economic value to – our local communities and giving knowledge and insight to policy-makers and governments at the highest level. Internationally, our alumni – some 231,000 among the seven member schools – work on every continent in leading corporations, government bodies, institutions and NGOs and, in many cases, have created employment and innovation through their entrepreneurial talent.

Our mission, our purpose

Society has new expectations on how business should be done. Managers and leaders have new aspirations with respect to the purpose of corporations and their impact on society and the planet. And students want to give meaning to their lives and careers.

The seven schools of the Council on Business & Society are convinced of the importance of business and management education in bringing research and culture for the economic and social development of their societies, countries and the world. We are also convinced of the need for a multi-cultural approach on global issues, practices and projects – and indeed we strive to lead in the areas of diversity and gender equality through which the future managers and leaders graduating from the schools will imprint their mark on their organisations and beyond.

Our philosophy and actions are based on our values of academic excellence, global perspective, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, social responsibility and the common good. The Council on Business & Society and its member schools reach out to the world in a number of ways. Through top-ranked, full-time and executive education degree programmes integrating tracks and modules on responsible leadership and sustainable business practices. And through internationally recognised research at the crossroads of business and society. In  addition, the CoBS publishes weekly research-based thought leadership via CoBS Insights, a quarterly magazine Global Voice, downloadable books, online masterclasses and debates open to the wider public, as well as tracks and workshops in international research seminars for academics and researchers.        

10 years on

Originally founded in 2011, the alliance’s initial purpose was to promote the teaching of responsible leadership among its member schools and bring stakeholders from business, academia and society together to tackle the major issues facing the world at that time. These have included, in 2012 – Responsible leadership and governance, in 2014 – Health and healthcare, and in 2015 – Energy and the energy transition. A number of CoBS colleagues have initiated discussions on how the network could deliver executive education aimed at senior leaders of organisations in the area of ethical leadership and climate action. These proposed executive education engagements would be aimed at making a substantive impact in facilitating transition to more sustainable operations and management across a wide range of industries and sectors.

Ten years on from 2011, we can justifiably consider that the alliance was visionary in its concept. Indeed, over the last three years there has been a very noticeable interest globally in the issues traditionally covered by the alliance. We have witnessed the creation of many establishments, centres and institutions – or indeed existing ones – taking on a CSR/sustainability dimension. In every case, the CoBS is happy to accompany and collaborate with our peers. Particularly, we have very close and regular working ties with the UN PRME, GBSN, GRLI and OECD.

So as the Council on Business & Society celebrates its 10th birthday this month of June, and whether through the full-time or executive studies offered at our institutions, or the initiatives and knowledge we propose to the wider public through our online presence, we invite you to join us in playing a role in shaping business and society for the common good, and for the long-lasting health of our planet.

Signed,

The Deans of the Council on Business & Society

ESSEC Business School, France-Singapore-Morocco; FGV-EAESP, Brazil; School of Management, Fudan University, China; IE Business School, Spain; Keio Business School, Japan; Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Warwick Business School, United Kingdom.

The month of June 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the Council on Business & Society (CoBS), which now counts seven member schools of business and management, all triple-crown accredited and leaders and educational pioneers in their respective countries. As leading educational institutions in our respective countries, the member schools of the Council on Business & Society have a direct local and national impact on issues such as job and career prospects for our graduates and executive education, providing industry with talented individuals, offering engagement with – and economic value to – our local communities and giving knowledge and insight to policy-makers and governments at the highest level. Internationally, our alumni – some 231,000 among the seven member schools – work on every continent in leading corporations, government bodies, institutions and NGOs and, in many cases, have created employment and innovation through their entrepreneurial talent.
The month of June 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the Council on Business & Society (CoBS), which now counts seven member schools of business and management, all triple-crown accredited and leaders and educational pioneers in their respective countries. As leading educational institutions in our respective countries, the member schools of the Council on Business & Society have a direct local and national impact on issues such as job and career prospects for our graduates and executive education, providing industry with talented individuals, offering engagement with – and economic value to – our local communities and giving knowledge and insight to policy-makers and governments at the highest level. Internationally, our alumni – some 231,000 among the seven member schools – work on every continent in leading corporations, government bodies, institutions and NGOs and, in many cases, have created employment and innovation through their entrepreneurial talent.

Learn more about the Council on Business & Society

Council on Business & Society, The CoBS, Global Voice magazine, CoBS Insights, CoBS Research Pods, CoBS Publishing books, CSR, leadership, responsible leadership, diversity, inclusion, diversity & inclusion, social accounting, environmental reporting, CSR reporting, management, sustainability, gender equity, sustainable supply chains, greentech, TechForGood, green finance, sustainable development, ethics, ethical supply chain, governance, CSR governance, social enterprise, SocEnt, philanthropy, corporate giving.

By Tom Gamble, Executive Director of the Council on Business & Society

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