Signatories
Details for Gordon Institute of Business Science
Communicating Participant
Type of Organization
Business School
Type of Education
Post Graduate, Doctoral, Executive
Institution is part of
University of Pretoria
Location
Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa
Website
Sign up Date To PRME
03 Nov 2009
Last Sharing Information on Progress Report Submission
01 Feb 2012
Sharing Information on Progress (2012)
Gordon Institute of Business Science, Sharing Information on Progress Report - View Report
The first report by the University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). This document is part of our commitment to the PRME and details the various activities that GIBS’ undertakes in responsible management education.
Achievements Curriculum Integration in the Field of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
The University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), started in 2000, is one of Africa’s and the world’s leading business schools, having been ranked 67th in the 2011 Financial Times Executive MBA rankings and in the top 50 in Executive Education for the last 4 years. GIBS is located in the heart of Africa’s business hub in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is now considered a large business school by international standards and has over 100 business education programmes, more than 450 executive part-time MBA students annually, a full-time Entrepreneurship MBA class, and runs executive education courses for over 65 partner companies. 2011 also saw GIBS run corporate education and academic programmes in 23 countries, including the global module on the MBA.
As confirmation of its existing activities in the business in society arena, and its fundamental belief in creating societal value through business education, GIBS signed the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in November 2009.
GIBS has made substantial progress in mainstreaming environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into the academic activities and curricula over the last two years. In academic programmes there are numerous elements of global social responsibility incorporated into the curricula. While there have been notable successes in incorporating ESG issues into the Post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration, the focus of this mainstreaming has been in the part-time MBA programme which incorporates the following important core courses:
• Leadership Assessment and Development as part of the Genesis programme
• Human behaviour and performance in South Africa
• The Environment of Business which includes:
o The political economy
o HIV/AIDS
o Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility
o Ethics and responsible leadership
o Organisational development and transformation (Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment)
Both company specific programmes and executive programmes have been successful in mainstreaming GSR issues into the curriculum. GIBS partners with over 65 companies to deliver customised programmes – in 2011, GIBS ran customised programmes for 14 of South Africa’s 20 largest listed companies. GSR issues were taught on over 30% of these programmes. It therefore reaches thousands of business leaders at various stages of development and has the potential to have substantial influence on perceptions and understanding of GSR in the South African business community.
Achievements Research Development in the Field of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
Academic programmes now incorporate corporate responsibility and sustainability into the research component. The Transnet Programme and the Base of the Pyramid Roundtable both include a requirement to undertake research and contribute to the body of knowledge.
GIBS follows a partnership model with companies - several company programmes have incorporated sustainability as a core theme and many action learning projects for these programmes are supervised under the sustainability banner. GIBS runs leadership and management education programmes for over 70 companies and so scope exists to increase the sustainability component.
As confirmation of our continued commitment to the PRME, the business school aims to ensure that our management education remains relevant to both the business community and society at large, and that we continue to build on our extensive business in society activities and thinking.
Key objectives and activities planned at GIBS in the near and long-term future include the following:
Ensuring the continued incorporation of sustainability content and teaching into all academic programmes including the MBA, PDBA, DBA and certificate programmes;
As well as the teaching and incorporation of sustainability content into corporate programmes such as the global Executive Development Programme and the African Leadership Programme;
Continuing to engage with the business community and civil society on sustainability and GSR issues, in particular addressing those issues that would enable our students to be better citizens and managers in the diverse South African business-political landscape;
Extending the GIBS’ body of knowledge on GSR, with particular reference to case studies, research on GSR and journal articles; and
Advancing the internal sustainability strategy at GIBS through tactical, relevant and high-impact activities, including annual sustainability reporting, education and awareness campaigns, and community outreach programmes.
