4 reasons to study at a sustainable business school

Sponsored by SBS Swiss Business School  

Sustainability is at the forefront of many businesses and people’s minds, especially when the 17 Sustainable Development Goals the United Nations were laid out in 2015 with hopes of achieving them by 2030. 

Switzerland, known for its beautiful landscape and tasty swiss chocolate, is also a leader in sustainability. The country's largest city, Zurich, has been recognized as one of the most sustainable cities in the world, according to Conde Nast Traveller.  

Conveniently located just a 30-minute drive from Zurich is SBS Swiss Business School. It places a huge emphasis on sustainability across its campus and degree programmes by focusing on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

But what exactly does this mean?  

It means the school wants to go beyond reducing carbon footprints and utilising renewable energy and focuses specifically on teaching students the importance of addressing societal and global challenges and encouraging them to lead such initiatives. Sustainability at the higher education level has a long-lasting impact on students by making them more aware of the environment and how they can be better global citizens.  

Here, we take a closer look at some reasons why you might want to study at a sustainable-focused business school.  

To enhance your critical thinking skills  

Critical thinking is a skill all professionals need to develop and excel at. According to PayScale, over half of hiring managers believe candidates lack critical thinking skills. 

In order to evaluate information and data objectively to make informed decisions, being able to think critically, rationally and clearly is vital. Critical thinking can help execute a business plan, analyse customer feedback and develop training sessions for your team.  

But how can a sustainable business school further enhance your critical thinking skills?  

SBS Swiss Business School’s Sustainability Report talks in great detail about how the school believes “that equipping our students – the leaders of tomorrow – with quality education and the knowledge and skills to embed sustainability in everything they do is key to creating real, lasting impact.”  

Undergraduate students have the opportunity to manage and organise student-led sustainability forums for the SBS Swiss Business School community. This demonstrates just one of the many ways in which SBS Swiss Business School critically works in partnership with its students, faculty, and staff on the 17 SDG goals.  

They also ensure that they enhance critical thinking through delivering on the SDGs of quality education and climate control when it comes to the creation of their college curriculum.  

To improve your ability to collaborate with others  

Another highly sought-after skill in the workplace is collaboration – where individuals work together for a common purpose or goal.  

In a business setting, for example marketing, collaboration sees various team members effectively working together to formulate ideas and execute a new campaign. Being able to do this successfully while keeping morale high is an important quality in every business.  

SBS Swiss Business School focuses on responsible production and consumption by creating an effective and accountable institution which has a positive impact on the wider community as well as the school.  

Its Sustainable Enterprise Creation Course and Sustainability Week aims to promote collaboration through global health and well-being, clean water and sanitation and numerous other SDGs to better the work and well-being of their students and faculty.  

To better your communication  

Each year, the Graduate Management Admission Council surveys corporate recruiters from all over the world to get their insights on the most critical hiring requirements and qualifications, and each year the survey finds that communication skills are still a priority.  

In business, effectively communicating with your team and across other teams in the organisation helps the company produce and operate effectively all the way from the bottom to the top. 

This is something that SBS Swiss Business School embodies across its degree programmes, extra-curricular activities and very own sustainable development initiatives.  

Various SDGs are utilised for these initiatives. One of which is partnerships for the goals which relates to the collaboration within the university and outside of it in order to help implement several of the SDGs. Another collaborative SDG is decent work and economic growth, which ensures that employees are happy and productive and the campus can continue to grow and add new programmes as needed to further these goals. 

To develop your creative mindset   

Many business professionals have the ability to think critically, but many of them lack the ability to think creatively. This skill can take you far especially as businesses in today’s market face new and unexpected challenges and opportunities which require a more innovative and creative mindset. 

Whether you’re a marketing executive who is looking to re-brand a company or a business manager who wants to think of new and exciting ways to support your team – being able to think creatively is crucial if you want to get ahead and stay ahead.

SBS Swiss Business School encourages student creativity through its sustainability initiatives. They aim to achieve this by allowing students to freely express and create new ways and ideas to be more sustainable and to execute on these projects that they have creatively thought up. 

To help facilitate these initiatives, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their consumption and production, as well as promote peace, justice, and strong institutions.  

SBS Swiss Business School applies the four 4 Cs (creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking) into their curriculum and across their campus and student life. These four Cs also contribute towards their initiative to continue becoming a more sustainable business school.