Alliance Manchester Business School featured prominently in a Financial Times article published this week on the rise of sustainable MBAs. Xavier Duran, the MBA Programmes Director spoke to Andrew Jack about the trend toward more sustainable business education.
"In the late 1990s, they came with a totally different set of expectations, when the MBA was a passport to jobs in consultancy, finance or banking,” says the director of MBA programmes. “Now, we find more and more applicants from the third sector who want business and management skills to mobilise in non-governmental groups and international organisations.”
These themes are becoming more widespread. Alliance Manchester is one of more than 200 business schools that responded late last year to a call from the Financial Times to find institutions active in responsible business practices. It is one of 20 schools highlighted by a panel of external judges, chosen for its focus on sustainability teaching. Duran says a focus on sustainability reflects demand from students, business school accreditation bodies and employers. “They are looking for slightly different attributes from our graduates. They want them to be more global, versatile, able to navigate uncertainty and trustworthy. Responsible business is good business too.”