Browse Topics
Tools
Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home News Dutch News Sponsored contribution: Sustainability and the Role of...

11/11/2008Sponsored contribution: Sustainability and the Role of the Business School

Ken Robertson, director of MBA Marketing and Admissions at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, reports.

Now is the most appropriate time for business schools to be involved in the discussion about sustainability because the issue has moved on from being just about the environment, to encompassing all aspects of modern life and development.  The social, environmental and commercial all have an interconnected role to play in ensuring that humankind spreads the benefits of progress “….without compromising the needs of future generations….”

So why do business schools, such as Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, have an important role to play in not just the debate about sustainability, but about the implementation of sustainable practices?

Business is the cornerstone of the standard of living enjoyed by so many of the world’s population, and the vehicle by which the overall standard of living has progressed continuously for many centuries.  Whereas the attitude was so often “profit at any cost”, this has changed with the realisation of the environmental and social consequences that this has brought.  

Without willing and informed input from business, not only will further progress not be possible, but many of the gains that have been made could very well be lost.   Some would see it as a positive to “rein in society”, but it would condemn those presently living in poverty to remain there, while others will join them: a poor basis for securing the present-that-will-be for future generations.

So what does the Rotterdam School of Management, and Erasmus University more generally, contribute to a better and sustainable future?

Research is the foundation of all successful efforts in sustainability.  Not research aimed at defining the problems, but in understanding the fundamental processes in play and offering insights into how and where these processes may be changed.  These insights must then be communicated in ways that students and society in general can understand.

0 reactions to this article

Discussion Forums

Legal Problems in the Netherlands

Moving to UK - what happens to my Dutch residence permit, by avocado

Discuss Dutch Culture

What do people of Africa descent think of Zwarte Pete?, by pepe C

Legal Problems in the Netherlands

Consequences of not registering with the gemeente?, by wesley-nl

Netherlands Soapbox

Random Thought of the Day, by wesley-nl

Employment in the Netherlands

Starting business as a partner of highly skilled migrant, by air23time

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Healthcare in the Netherlands

Healthcare in the Netherlands

Here’s a current guide to health insurance, doctors, dentists and pharmacies.

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2009.

The Netherlands at a glance

The Netherlands at a glance

Some basic facts and figures about living and working in the Netherlands.

Giving birth in the Netherlands

Giving birth in the Netherlands

The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.