EGADE Business School is the only Latin American business school, from among 24 institutions worldwide, to be recognized this year by the international accreditation agency for its positive contributions to society.
By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL
EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey earned recognition within the 2021 edition of the Innovations That Inspire Program of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the most important business school accreditation organization in the world.
The school was honored for its initiative Sustainable Wealth Creation Through Innovation and Technology (SWIT), led by Carlos Scheel, EGADE Business School professor emeritus.
This year’s results were announced today, with EGADE Business School being the only business school from Latin America among the 24 institutions recognized within the program.
Every year, through the Innovations That Inspire program, AACSB International recognizes institutions from around the world that serve as champions of change in the business education landscape.
We're pleased to announce the highlights of our 2021 Innovations That Inspire initiative!
— AACSB International (@AACSB) March 30, 2021
24 business schools are showcased for addressing wide-ranging societal challenges including food insecurity, pandemic leadership, climate change, & gender equity.
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“Using a circular economy and systems-thinking approach, SWIT seeks to foster economic growth without generating waste or deteriorating natural resources in communities of developing countries. This program is also closely aligned with the Conscious Business development driven by EGADE and with Tecnológico de Monterrey’s Vision 2030, so I would like to congratulate Dr. Carlos Scheel and the entire team participating in this initiative, which earned recognition as the most innovative,” commented Osmar Zavaleta, Interim Dean of EGADE Business School.
SWIT is an innovative initiative supported by five fundamental pillars:
- Sustainable disruptive innovation inspired by nature.
- Systems view of growth.
- Circular economy extended systems.
- Clustering of industrial ecology systems.
- Problem-solving entrepreneurship approach.
“The SWIT group was created in 2007 with the purpose to provide an infrastructure with all the necessary tools, training and practices for the transition of firms, industries and communities, to a sustainable and resilient economy for emerging regions. This recognition gives the SWIT group wide visibility that may help to reach our goal of creating a critical mass of experts on circular economy and systems approach, for the assembling of new circular economy businesses ventures, mainly for Latin American countries. The methodologies, practices and experiences of the SWIT, can be replicated in other business schools as a sample of how to involve academia with the sustainable growth of the planet,” Scheel stated.
The SWIT model has already been used in diverse industries and countries, notably in the circular production of coffee and palm oil in Colombia; a sustainable single-use plastics initiative in Mexico and Ecuador; diverse new sustainable businesses in British Guiana; and a circular economy community in Higueras, Mexico.
“Business schools across the world are empowered to define impact objectives and strategies that align with the communities they serve, and the examples presented through the Innovations That Inspire program prove to perfection that business education is a force for good," commented Caryn L. Beck-Dudley, AACSB president and CEO.
In 2019, the SWIT initiative was recognized within “Tec projects with the potential to transform Mexico”, at the 49th Research and Development Congress of the Tecnológico de Monterrey.
EGADE Business School is accredited by AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA, the “triple crown”, the highest recognition a business school can obtain internationally and enjoyed by just 1% of business schools across the world.
Further information on the AACSB Innovations That Inspire program and the 2021 list of the 24 winners can be found here.
Visit the SWIT website here.