Hi there Anders Sandoff, Teacher and researcher in business administration and member of the School’s council for sustainable development.
Why were you in New York?
I went to participate as the School's representative in the PRME Global Forum and at the launch of the results of the 2023 PIR report.
Why is the School a member of PRME? How does it contribute to our development and our sustainability work?
PRME, which stands for Principles for Responsible Management Education, is a collaborative initiative supported by the United Nations with the aim of being a global platform for business schools to drive the development and integration of sustainability in education. The School of Business, Economics and Law has been involved since 2010 and is so-called. Champion, which means that we also take a special responsibility to support this development by participating in a number of development projects. We are also part of a "Nordic Chapter", which is a collaboration between business schools and economics courses in the Nordics. Within the framework of this collaboration, a doctoral course in sustainability is given, among other things.
Why have you chosen to get involved in PRME?
For many years, I have been involved in research and education related to sustainability issues, among other things within the framework of the School’s Council for Sustainable Development. International collaboration is important to not only take part in what is being done internationally, but also to contribute to the development that is taking place.
What issues were discussed at the PRME Global Forum?
A large part of the content was characterised by the difficulties that exist in really preparing our students to address the challenges that exist, not only in business but also in society at large. A significant amount of space was devoted to discussing the importance of students in strengthening and speeding up this development.
What is Positive Impact Rating?
One of the projects that the School of Business, Economics and Law has been a part of developing and supporting is Positive Impact Rating, a strategic evaluation tool for business schools to assess how students perceive their school's sustainability integration. Over eighty schools participate and collectively build valuable knowledge about how students view their educational programs and schools. The year's results were presented at the Global Forum. It is the third time we have participated and the results show that we are at a stable level but that there are areas we can still develop.
Our subjects represent 30 percent of all university graduates in the world and many of these will have decision-making roles in society with opportunities to shape the future.
What will you take with you from the Global Forum?
Of course, the positive energy that marked the entire event, but also the significant challenges that exist. Our subjects represent 30 percent of all university graduates in the world and many of these will have decision-making roles in society with opportunities to shape the future. It is of course central that we create the conditions for them to be able to reduce the challenges we have faced in a better way than previous generations.
One of the more important changes for PRME to influence this is through members' sustainability reporting. At the School of Business, Economics and Law we have for many years done this through our SIP report, but now there are more demands on the format of the reporting, all to increase the possibility of making analyses and comparisons between the schools. I think it will have a very big impact on our opportunity to not only be inspired and learn from the work of others, but also to participate in the joint development projects for which this lays the foundation.
