Sustainability in our ways of working
We simply cannot ignore sustainability in our way of working any longer. This means we are investing research, time and money in our sustainable future. This has been put into practice in our facility services and the way we maintain our estate. We have been voted one of the top 10 most amazing Business School campuses in the world. We are set in a serene location between the River Vecht and the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal. It comprises a 13th-century castle and a lovely setting that’s rich in wildlife and woodland. Our campus is home to many animals. So, next on our list is to start thinking about how we incorporate the natural environment of our estate into our buildings. It goes much further than just providing tools or knowledge on how to make the world greener. We want this to be mirrored in our campus too. Business Schools are often in a unique position in that most of their students work in, or have a close connection with, the business world. Students’ connections with business practice are key to their educational philosophy. Students bring the issues from their daily working reality into the classroom, and are offered the tools and mindset to make a difference as responsible leaders. ESG challenges, in particular, also demand an approach based on an integrated chain of responsibility. All parties must work together to resolve these issues. The chain is production as well as consumption. It starts with understanding the knowledge and awareness of the issues by all parties in the chain. It is key to bring these parties together in the classroom to discuss these issues and to understand the impact on society. We advocate bringing research and practice closer together to gain a better understanding of the impact on society, and to seek out solutions. For example, we bring our research output together in impact cases, which describes the impact of our research on society. The challenge for future leaders is to avoid looking at interests in isolation, and to deal with the increased complexity in a balanced and informed way. Education should be focused on bringing the various perspectives and interests of different stakeholders together in a learning environment. This requires human skills such as logic and emotional intelligence, creativity, and intuition.
Shaping future leaders to be socially engaged
At Nyenrode Business University, we focus on the leadership, entrepreneurship and stewardship values which create future leaders who are socially engaged and undertake social and inclusive initiatives. They deal with society and the environment in the most sustainable manner possible in order to contribute to a circular economy. In my opinion, all Business Schools need to focus on helping to build a better future. To sum up, the world today is moving at tremendous speed and it can be challenging to keep up with changing environments, new challenges and all the uncertainty that comes with unfamiliar territory. However, if we are to shift our lens slightly – to see not obstacles but opportunities – we have a chance to make a change. This is our perspective at Nyenrode Business University – that the current challenges of sustainability and climate change are a chance to come up with new, innovative solutions; things that haven’t been tried before, things that are ‘outside the box’. It’s a chance to give companies and businesses a new purpose, to instil a sense of meaning and thoughtfulness into their initiatives, and what they want their outcomes to be. Rapid digitisation is providing us with new tools and ways to learn and should be championed instead of shied away from. This is certainly a perspective that we support and encourage at Nyenrode Business University – and one that we advocate to all Business Schools. Of course, as individuals, we all have the ability to create change; however, together, Business Schools have the capacity to influence future generations of leaders –and to lead themselves.
BARBARA MAJOOR is Vice Dean, Professor of
Accountancy, and Director of the Center for Accounting, Auditing & Control at Nyenrode Business University. In 2021, she was appointed as a member of the Executive Board and Vice Rector Magnificus of Nyenrode Business University, with responsibility for academic and executive education. Majoor studied Business Economics at the University of Amsterdam. After obtaining a degree as a certified public accountant from the University of Amsterdam, she went on to obtain her Doctorate in 1997. Her research concentrates on audit quality, auditing standards, ethics with a special focus on the behavioural aspects and incentives of audit quality.
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