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Sustainability at King's Business School

King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. We are dedicated to driving positive and sustainable change in society and realising our vision of making the world a better place.

King's Business School shares this commitment to making the world a better place through research, education and service. We help shape and transform local communities and societies around the world by sharing our time and expertise


We encourage our students and staff to make a difference. King's staff have a three-day service time allowance for voluntary activities, and students can participate in initiatives such as the King's Civic Challenge or the Student Sustainability Conference. 

King’s Vision is to make the world a better place. We see supporting society’s growing expectation that companies become more ethical, inclusive and sustainable as central to that effort.

As a Business School, we have an important part to play. Finding solutions to the world’s grand challenges – from climate change to inequality - requires rigorous, boundary-breaking research and strong links with business and policy makers to put that insight into practice. The education we provide must develop responsible leaders who, in both the private and public sectors, will help to further the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Professor Stephen Bach, Executive Dean, King's Business School

 

Education 

Support for the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals is embedded in our education programmes. 

'Business Ethics and Sustainability' is a compulsory across our undergraduate courses, and we are updating our curriculum to ensure that issues of ethics and responsible business themes run through all our modules. Students can also opt for further specialised modules, including a final year ‘Capstone’ module focussing on different sustainability issues each year.

Our MSc in ESG Management equips students with the knowledge and skills they need for roles addressing the complex environmental, social, and governance opportunities and challenges that businesses face. And our Executive MBA has been designed to help leaders to make an impact in their organisations and help them to adapt to society’s changing attitudes about the very purpose of business.

Research, engagement and community

The Business School engages in research and activities that contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Our Centre for Sustainable Business will extend and accelerate this work and provide a focus for multidisciplinary projects and industry partnerships.

Promote well-being for all and ensure healthy lives

King's is home to one of Europe's largest medical schools. Health and social care are important areas of study for our Health Economists and Public Services Management & Organisation group.

We also work with our colleagues in other faculties to offer the King’s Intercalated Health Care Management iBSc.

We encourage staff and students to walk or cycle to and from our campus, and when visiting other campuses.

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

The Business School is committed to widening participation in the education opportunities we offer. In the 2020/21 academic year, we launched our first dedicated K+ programme, a 2-year programme designed to support university applications by students from London and parts of Essex who are disadvantaged in accessing higher education. Students who successfully complete the programme are eligible for the K+ reduced offer to study at King’s and a £1,000 ‘start up’ bursary. Additionally, we host dedicated Business School sessions as part of the Sutton Trust programme, as well as a offering a number of scholarship opportunities for students.

Education is also an important research theme, with academics assessing the impact of changing educational policies or understanding how to expand the availability of high quality vocational education.

Achieve gender equality by empowering women and girls

Just over half of our students, 50 per cent of our Senior Leadership Team and 40 per cent of academic staff are female.

Mentoring is available to female students through our engaged alumni community. Mentoring is also available to students from black and other global minority backgrounds.

Gender equality is also an important focus for our research, with academics looking at topics such as gender in the workplace, the impact of gender on pay and employment prospects or the challenges facing entrepreneurs.

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Our Human Resource Management & Employment Relations research group takes a holistic approach to the subject, focusing on themes of employee wellbeing, performance, the future of work, representation, leadership, and equality.

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Several academics in our Strategy, International Management & Entrepreneurship subject group focus on global strategies for sustainability and corporate social responsibility, while others specialise in understanding and supporting innovation and innovative social models in enterprises of all sizes.

Several of our academics have been involved in the development of industry standards to promote responsible business practices in specific industries.

Achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources.

Academics in our Marketing research group are focusing on consumer ethics and loyalty, tackling paradoxes between consumerism and sustainability.

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Transparency and accountability are key to strong institutions. Our Accountancy and Financial Management subject group explore how money flows through organisations, the economy, and society. Our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in accounting equip students for the important role that accounts can play in ensuring the availability of sound financial information.