Corporate Social Responsibility
Business schools play a vital role in preparing students for future employment, giving them the tools and skills to succeed in their professional lives. While this is a vital component of a successful business school, BGA believes that schools also need to focus on broader aspects of the personal and professional growth of graduates. This includes the cultivation of social skills, ethical behaviour, self-confidence, and humility, all of which form the foundation for responsible management.
BGA and Responsible Management
BGA was built to bring responsible management practices to the forefront of business education and to advance the sustainability agenda. In the information age, it is critical that stakeholders understand the role that the business school is playing in developing responsible managers of the future.
Further, business schools, as a social utility, must be at the forefront of responsible management and sustainability initiatives. It is for these reasons that BGA’s accreditation is achieved only by institutions that can clearly demonstrate their commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). BGA’s accreditation involves an independent panel assessment that rigorously assesses an institution’s sustainability initiatives and analyses the school’s commitment to – and delivery of – responsible management practices.
BGA Accreditation
At the heart of BGA accreditation lies the concepts of responsible management and sustainability. To achieve accreditation, business schools must evidence their commitment to the SDGs, through action, teaching and scholarship.
BGA believes that the successful attainment of accreditation should reflect a business schools’ ability to meet its key strategic objectives and overall mission, while operating sustainably and demonstrating a positive impact on key stakeholders. This encourages business schools to specialise and experiment with many forms of programmes and courses, while using BGA’s criteria and CIM to measure the success of their endeavours.
BGA’s consultative accreditation process also provides business schools with practical guidance on programme and curriculum design. Business schools can expect mentors and assessors to play a supportive role in integrating responsible management education principles.
Upon successful attainment of accreditation, the business school receives an impact report that highlights the areas of positive impact within a number of dimensions, including societal impact. The impact report offers clear insight into the reasons a business school achieved accreditation, and is an excellent marketing tool, highlighting the strengths of its business programmes and support services.
BGA Business School Services
The BGA Charter, which includes specific references to the SDGs, is a principled document that all BGA-validated and accredited business schools must sign if they are to join the BGA Network.
Upon joining the BGA network, BGA schools gain access to services structured to give them the tools they need to gain a competitive advantage and a leading edge in helping them serve their core markets of students, employers and society. This is achieved by supporting their continuous improvement, impact on individuals and society, and the ongoing development of responsible management practices.
BGA supports schools to improve their responsible management initiatives through consultative services, capacity-building workshops, promotion of impactful projects and initiatives, and ongoing general support. An example of a consultative service that is tailored to support schools to improve responsibly is BGA’s Desktop Review.
BGA’s school/programme review process is a complimentary service, available to BGA schools that evaluates a specific aspect of the business school. This may include a current marketing and admissions strategy, or a current undergraduate programme, that the business school is seeking to improve. The business school is confidentially assessed by an impartial business education expert, and provides the business school with an opportunity to evaluate its current offering against internationally recognised standards. This process enables the school to gauge an understanding of crucial steps that need to be taken in order to achieve quality recognition.
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