IE Business School holds the No. 3 position worldwide in Aspen Institute’s Beyond Grey Pinstripes ranking.
The biennial survey is the most important in its field, gauging the level of integration of social, ethical and environmental issues in the MBA and executive education programs of 149 business schools. In this latest edition, IE Business School has climbed from 9th to 3rd place, thereby further consolidating its position as a leading reference worldwide in the integration of corporate social responsibility into management education programs.
The Beyond Grey Pinstripes report examines the extent of each school´s inclusion of issues related to social responsibility, ethics, and the environment in MBA programs, aimed at shaping managers and directors with a sound awareness of how their business decisions impact the environment. The ranking is based on a total of over 80,000 pages of information provided by 149 business schools from 22 countries. Parameters include social, ethical and environmental content in MBA programs, and the level of student exposure to related issues. In this year’s edition, the MBAs of business schools include an average of 33 courses that feature content related to sustainability, while the IE Business School MBA includes over 90. The report also evaluates the opportunities schools provide for their students to devote time to ethical and environmental concerns, along with the number of teaching hours dedicated to such issues, the percentage of students who choose to get involved, and the relevance of MBA course content and research carried out by faculty.Since its inception, IE Business School has shown a solid commitment to society at every level. The School has a department dedicated to Social Impact management which plays a key role in the day-to-day of the School, managing issues related to ethics, social responsibility, sustainable development, protection of the environment or diversity. ´We are convinced of the importance of educating people to make them fully aware of how their decisions can impact an environment, which means reinventing the way we do business´ says Max Oliva, Director of Social Impact at IE Business School.
Social, ethical and environmental issues are core values of IE Business School, and as such form an important part of more than 90 courses of the MBA program. The School’s Department of Entrepreneurial Management runs the IE Venture Lab, which fosters the launch of sustainable and socially responsible start-ups. IE Business School students also design innovative solutions for the Base of the Pyramid and analyze the social and environmental impact of their projects and business plans.
IE´s Social Responsibility Forum is a world reference in the field, providing a platform for international experts to examine challenges and opportunities in the field of social innovation and sustainability. IE students also have access to initiatives like EcologIE and collaborate with organizations like Emzingo. Several recently travelled to South Africa to gain hands-on experience by working for 6 months with South African organizations involved in development, fundraising and corporate strategy.
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