Sustainable Value

A conviction that runs throughout Weatherhead’s core MBA curriculum is that today's pressing environmental and social challenges are business opportunities—chances to make a profit while making a difference. This notion has made an immediate impact outside the academy, too, as our faculty's research has helped more than 20 large businesses shift to greener, more responsible practices, from the way they source supplies to the standard of living their employees may expect.

Environmental sustainability and social responsibility are not just ethical imperatives; they are also part of creating sustainable value. A business can provide sustainable value for its stakeholders if it seeks to use renewable resources, recognizes the social and environmental impact of its activities, and at the same time, thrives as an enterprise. In recognizing the economic, social and environmental impact that it has on its surroundings, therefore, an organization lays the groundwork for its own success. No company exists in a vacuum—so in the long run, doing business responsibly sustains a company's capacity for value creation.

Weatherhead is a signatory to the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME), six principles that are derived from the United Nations Global Compact. Signing on to PRME means that we commit to providing business education and conducting research that benefits people and the planet.

Sustainable Value in the Classroom

In the MBA program at Weatherhead, students bring the concept of sustainable value to bear on many aspects of business, from industry supply chains to strategy development. They learn about entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and social entrepreneurship as means to improve societal conditions while starting or improving a functioning business. Many corporations have embraced these ideas and are actively seeking employees who are committed to generating triple-bottom-line results—results that impact business viability, human well-being, and environmental sustainability.