chair/professorship in management education for sustainability · pioneering new routes for...

Chair/Professorship in Management Education for SustainabilityRealizing the Sustainable Development Goals through education, leadership and business

Invitation for partners to express interest

A joint initiative by Antwerp Management School and Breda University of Applied Sciences

The challenge: rethinking sustainability

Sustainability has come a long way over the past two decades: from a topic in the margins of business it has developed

into an area of attention that touches upon all functional management disciplines, value creation processes, business

models and even ideas about what business is for itself. Visionary CEOs and courageous entrepreneurs have surfaced

as sustainability leaders, showing remarkable instances of what we could call sustainability intelligence. They are

pioneering new routes for business and society, are experimenting with innovative business models and crafting a

new narrative for sustainability. Many people – irrespective of their age, educational background, political affi liation

or sector they work in – see and feel the need to further explore and follow this path and acknowledge the need for

business to engage in a process of sustainable transformation.

Simultaneously, and unfortunately, it is important to recognize that despite all of the corporate initiatives, eff orts and

actions that we have witnessed over the past years, the world is in dire straits on many accounts. While the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs) present us with a much-needed comprehensive agenda for bettering the world, authorative

scientifi c research shows that we are actually still heading in the wrong direction.

This is the sustainability conundrum. It suggests that there is a profound disconnect between sustainability eff orts by

business and others on the one hand and sustainability – expressed in terms of actual sustainable development of our

society – on the other which, in turn, urges us to think how we got into this situation and how to reverse it. We agree

on the goal, but have so far fallen short in getting there. The fact that leading

sustainability thinker John Elkington recently recalled his triple bottom line

approach because it has not engendered the deep change we need, really

says it all. We need to rethink our sustainability eff orts to make sustaina-

bility truly thrive. A key component is to engage business in a sustainable

transition and in collaborative learning with respect to how to deliver on

promise. The main ingredient for making this happen is the development

of a new generation of sustainability leadership – the type of leadership

that business needs to address imminent sustainability challenges (more)

eff ectively.

It is for these reasons that Antwerp Management School (AMS) and Breda

University of Applied Sciences (BUas) have taken the joint initiative to

establish a Chair/Professorship in Management Education for Sustainability.

We want to accelerate the education of the future leaders business and

society needs, learn and explore new, eff ective approaches towards

sustainability and share our insights for the benefi t of us all.

THE SUSTAINABILITY CONUNDRUM

When it comes to the state of sustainability and sustainable business, one of the most striking observations is that

sustainability has many diff erent faces. Many stories of sustainability are developing – some more promising and

hopeful, some outright disappointing. So what’s the take-away from this sustainability conundrum? Probably that

the need for sustainability is widely recognized and that people and organizations need to fi nd better ways to make

sustainability a reality. Sustainability is not a win-win story by defi nition, but it is value-driven work in progress –

and everyone needs to step up their game to contribute.

▲ InvestmentWeek reports that currently more than U$23 trillion is invested in strategies that incorporate some

type of sustainable investment approach, equating to 26% of professionally managed assets.

▼ The Footprint Network has shown that patterns of socio-economic development as we know it go hand-in-hand

with large ecological footprints.

▲ The New Climate Economy estimates that tackling the challenges of climate change results in a U$26 trillion

growth potential.

▼ Research by the Bertelsmann Foundation signals that some SDGs actually compromise rather than spur

sustainability.

▲ Nearly all consumer studies suggest that by far most consumers (up to 78 percent) expect business to contribute

in a positive way to society.

▼ The Circularity Gap Report fi nds that the circular economy is basically non-existing and mainly stuck in simple

recycling activities.

▲ A 2018 study by Deloitte fi nds that ‘Citizenship and social impact’ are rated critical or important by no less than

77 percent of global business leaders, and that they rated this topic as the one they are least prepared for.

▼ The Guardian recently reported that the best fi nancially performing investment during the 35 years of the FTSE

100 was British American Tobacco.

▲ According to communications company CONE, 76 percent of Millennial generation employees would take a pay

cut to work for a sustainable company.

The Chair/Professorship: spurring management education for sustainability

Developing sustainability intelligence is critical for the prosperity of societies worldwide, for conservation of the

natural world, for achieving future business success and for the credibility of the concept of sustainability itself.

If there is one place where developing sustainability intelligence is crucial, it is management education. It is in business

schools that young, ambitious people from a variety of backgrounds fi nd a context in which they can develop their

belief systems, their moral values, and their attitudes. It is

in management education that they have the opportunity

to experiment with ideas and are challenged to test and

show their leadership. As a way of navigating between

the practice of business and theoretical insights, the

challenge of educating new generations includes enabling

critical thought, lighting up horizons and, ultimately,

stimulating them to set sail for making a contribution to

prosperity for all. Management education is the perfect

mechanism to intervene in the development of business

leaders in order to create the sustainable future we want

and need, and to unlock the potential for sustainable

solutions.

In order to do that, management education itself should be subjected to innovation, rethinking and reorientation, too.

One cannot expect simply infusing sustainability contents into management education as we know it to deliver the

right results. Practicing management education for sustainability should be more than that. It should critically inves-

tigate assumptions behind management education, it should explore new methods of teaching, it should create new

approaches to sustainable business – in fact, it should go all-in to educate, support and challenge the business leaders

we need and enable them to develop sustainability intelligence and bring their best for a better world.

Through joining forces on this important agenda and creating a joint Chair/Professorship in Management Education

for Sustainability, AMS and BUas recognize the urgency to rethink sustainability and the need to develop sustainabi-

lity intelligence. The establishment of this joint Chair/Professorship should also be seen as a strong signal of the two

institutions aiming to work together more closely, rooted in a cross-border region and with an international outlook, to

provide innovative educational programs and create an enduring positive impact.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE CHAIR/PROFESSORSHIP

The Chair/Professorship in Management Education for Sustainability aims to develop new knowledge and ideas

about the state of, strategies for and visions about management education for sustainability and apply and share the

insights within the educational and the business sector.

It will contribute to the process of a sustainable transformation by enabling the education of a new generation of

leaders for businesses that are willing to lead this process. The Sustainable Development Goals will serve as a guiding

framework in this. Exploring new approaches towards sustainability, experimenting with non-traditional ideas

about education and business, and undertaking education and research initiatives in a spirit of engaged scholarship

that emphasizes both a practical orientation and societal value will be its trade. Its signature will be more of a cata-

lyst than a critic, though with an activist touch. Its end goal is to make sustainability thrive.

The Chair/Professorship aspires to serve as a thought leader that is a force for change on the interface of sustaina-

bility, education, and business. Its impact is reflected in both furthering the agenda of management education for

sustainability worldwide and nurturing a new generation of sustainability leaders. This will manifest itself through

developing and providing access to curriculum content and leadership programs, exploring and sharing ideas on

novel didactics and pedagogies, and mapping and influencing the institutional infrastructure of management educa-

tion for sustainability.

The Chair/Professorship in Management Education for Sustainability, headed by Dr. Lars Moratis and Dr.ir. Frans

Melissen, will resort under the Sustainable Transformation Lab, complementary to the Chair of Sustainable Transfor-

mation held by Dr. Wayne Visser at AMS, and under the Designing, Measuring and Managing Experiences research

theme, complementary to the existing professorships Sustainable Experience Design and Sustainable Business held

by Dr.ir. Frans Melissen and Dr. Lars Moratis respectively at BUas .

Dr. Lars Moratis and Dr.ir. Frans Melissen will be appointed as professors within the Chair/Professorship in Manage-

ment Education for Sustainability. Their ambition is to let this joint Chair/Professorship become a leading initiative on

the interface of sustainability, business and education through practice-oriented and applied research, learning and

leadership development, and the development and dissemination of promising concepts and cases. The impacts of

this activity will not be confined to the boundaries of AMS and BUas, but will also benefit the management education

community (business schools and their students) and business. As part and parcel of this profile, the Chair/Professor-

ship will take a critical stance towards the orthodoxy of management education and sustainability, develop thought

leadership through opinionating and launching new ideas, apply an interdisciplinary approach (e.g., including the arts),

and practice innovative forms of engaged scholarship.

AMS and BUas invite you to become part of this initiative by expressing your interest for co-funding this unique joint

Chair/Professorship for a period of three years and, in doing so, be part of a group of like-minded leaders that aims to

support the education of future sustainability leaders.

Are you up for it? Have a look at what we offer to and expect from prospective Chair/Professorship partners

CHAIR/PROFESSORSHIP ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS

ResearchThe Chair/Professorship will conduct both practice-oriented and academic research, including quantitive survey

research to map the state of management education for sustainability and sustainability attitudes and knowledge

of young professionals, qualitative case research in order to identify and analyze best practices, and experimen-

tal studies to test innovative pedagogies. Research by the Chair/Professorship will build further on the concept

of sustainability intelligence already developed by Dr. Lars Moratis and Dr.ir. Frans Melissen. The proceedings of

the Chair/Professorship’s research will be shared ‘open access’. Central to the research endeavours of the Chair/

Professorship is a spirit of engaged scholarship which ensures alignment between academia and practice, an

orientation on relevant issues and societal contribution.

Education

The Chair/Professorship will engage in teaching activities and contribute to leadership development, both relating

to young management students and participants in executive education programs. These initiatives will encompass

curricular as well as extracurricular contents. In addition, the Chair/Professorship will initiate the development of

experimental and innovative educational programs as well as shareable blueprints for such programs to be used

by other institutions and organizations. Activities will include guest lectures at business schools and companies,

leadership courses for young professionals and business leaders, and ‘educating the educator’ in order to build

capacity with management educators.

Writing

The Chair/Professorship will publish reports and briefs based on the research efforts, practice-oriented and academic

papers, and short cases for educational purposes. In addition, it will develop teaching materials that will be shared

‘open access’. As part of the ambition to be recognized as thought leader, the Chair/Professorship will regularly

publish opinion articles in popular media.

ProjectsThe Chair/Professorship will initiate projects aimed at spurring management education for sustainability, including

organizing an industry roundtable where business meets education to align expectations, explicate demands and

formulate policy recommendations as well as an open source best practice repository on management education for

educators. These projects can be initiated autonomously or in partnership with third parties. Projects will focus on

stimulating further development within management education for sustainability within AMS and BUas, but explici-

tly also within other business schools.

Concept and tool developmentThe Chair/Professorship will develop concepts and tools that are instrumental for spurring management education

for sustainability. These may include teaching tools and diagnostics, but also educational concepts that can be used

by business schools.

NetworkingThe Chair/Professorship will engage in national and international networks on management education for sustai-

nability and sustainability leadership, notably the PRME network and the SDG Charter, SDSN, and aspires to play an

active and meaningful role in these networks. The Chair/Professorship will take a critical yet constructive position in

debates on business school accreditations and rankings and provide solicited and unsolicited advice to stakeholders

of management education for sustainability.

Partner schemes: what we ask and what we off er

As a joint initiative of AMS and BUas, the Chair/Professorship

in Management Education for Sustainability will be suppor-

ted by and hosted by both institutions. In addition, a selected

number of organizations are asked to express their interest in

funding the Chair/Professorship and its activities.

In the context of this Chair/Professorship, three types of Chair/

Professorship partners can be distinguished: Founding Part-

ners, Prime Partners, and Supporting Partners. The diff erence

between these schemes relates to the fi nancial commitment

made by prospective partners and the practical benefi ts they

will receive in return for their commitment. By supporting the

Chair/Professorship in Management Education for Sustaina-

bility, partners will at the same time be associated with the

Sustainable Transformation Lab and Designing, Measuring

and Managing Experiences research line that this Chair resorts

under. Having said that, funding the Chair should particularly

be seen as an opportunity to support an important movement

to encourage and enable the education of future leaders and

taking part in an innovative initiative on the interface of sustainability and management education. We aim for part-

ners that recognize this opportunity and the importance of the goals and approach of this Chair/Professorship. Each

partner is expected to commit themselves for a period of three years to the Chair/Professorship.

AMS and BUas prefer a partner portfolio for the Chair/Professorship that consists of multiple, diverse partners within

these partner categories.

PARTNER SCHEME

Founding Partners

• 3-year commitment

• € 25.000 / year

• 1st tier exposure (output and

events)

• Opportunity for guest lectu-

ring and student contacts

• Opportunity to provide input

through Advisory Committee

• Participation in Industry

Roundtable

• Free access to outputs

• Participation in Annual

Sustainable Leadership Event

for 10 people

• Participation in Annual Sustai-

nable Leadership Dinner for 2

people

• In-company Sustainability

Intelligence workshop

Prime Partners


• € 12.500 / year

• 2nd tier exposure (output and

events)



• Opportunity to provide

input through stakeholder

consultation


Roundtable




for 5 people

Supporting Partners


• € 5.000 / year

• 3rd tier exposure (output and

events)



• Opportunity to provide

input through stakeholder

consultation


Roundtable




for 2 people

BIOS OF CHAIRS/PROFESSORS

Bio Lars Moratis

Dr. Lars Moratis is an expert in the field of sustainable business with broad experience within

both academia and business. Currently, he is a part-time professor of sustainable business at

both Antwerp Management School and Breda University of Applied Sciences. He has taught in

academic universities and universities of professional education in Belgium and the Nether-

lands and has explored new ways of learning in his role as a management educator. Being an advocate of applied

research and academic entrepreneurship, he is a founder of the SDG Ambassadors program at Antwerp Management

School and, together with Dr.ir. Frans Melissen, co-inventor of the concept of ‘sustainability intelligence’. Next to being

the author of books on management education, sustainable business models and sustainability management, his publi-

cations include academic and practitioner-oriented articles on these topics as well as on the Sustainable Development

Goals, the credibility of corporate sustainability claims and the psychology of sustainability. In addition, he regularly

publishes in national newspapers.

Bio Frans Melissen

Dr.ir Frans Melissen is an expert in the field of sustainable experience design with broad ex-

perience in academia in various roles, including curriculum development and management.

Currently, he is the Breda University of Applied Sciences’ professor of Sustainable Experience

Design. He has taught and developed courses in relation to sustainability at academic univer-

sities and universities of applied sciences. He is the initiator and coordinator of the highly

successful minor Sustainability, Social Responsibility and Professional Identity – open to students from all academies

of BUas and other universities. Together with Dr. Lars Moratis, he is the co-inventor of the concept of ‘sustainability

intelligence’. He is the author of a number of sustainability-related academic and practitioner-oriented papers, as

well a number of (text)books, including Sustainable Customer Experience Design together with Bert Smit and publis-

hed by Routledge.. He also regularly publishes opinion pieces in national newspapers and delivers (keynote) speeches

at academic and practitioner-oriented conferences and dedicated meetings.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

L. Moratis en F. Melissen (2019). Sustainable Development Goals – Quo vadis? Kwaliteit in Bedrijf Trendbijlage, januari.

L. Moratis & F. Melissen (2018). Duurzaamheid dreigt twistpunt te worden in nieuwe klassenstrijd. Het Financieele

Dagblad, 10 december.

L. Moratis & F. Melissen (2018). De drie vloeken van duurzaamheid. Brabants Dagblad, 3 oktober.

Melissen, F. and Sauer, L. (2018). Improving Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry. Abingdon, UK/New York, USA:

Routledge.

L. Moratis and V. Swaen (2018). SDG Barometer 2018: Baseline insights on the engagement of organizations with the

Sustainable Development Goals. Antwerp Management School: Antwerp.

Melissen, F., Mzembe, A.N., Idemudia, U., & Novakovic, Y. (2018). Institutional antecedents of the corporate social

responsibility narrative in the developing world context: Implications for sustainable development. Business Strategy

and the Environment, 27, 657-676.

L. Moratis & F. Melissen (2018). How do the Sustainable Development Goals question rather than inform corporate

sustainability? Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 141, 253-254.

L. Moratis, F. Melissen en S. Idowu (eds., 2018). Sustainable business models: Principles, promise, practice. Springer: Berlin.

L. Moratis (2018). Work in/on progress: Interdisciplinarity, critical studies, and entrepreneurship as pillars of

achieving sustainability. In: M. Kaptein, R. van Tulder & L. Meijs (eds.), Mainstreaming sustainable business. SMO:

The Hague.

Melissen, F. and Smit, B. (2018). Sustainable customer experience design: Co-creating experiences in Events, Tourism

and Hospitality. Abingdon, UK/New York, USA: Routledge.

L. Moratis (2017). Challenging business as usual – Conceiving and creating sustainability value through hybrid

business models. Antwerp Management School: Antwerp.

F. Melissen & L. Moratis (2017). Developing fourth-generation sustainability-oriented business models: Towards

naïve, native, and narrative intelligence. In: S. Idowu and S. Vertigans (eds.), Corporate social responsibility in times of

crisis, Springer: Berlin, pp. 59-75.

L. Moratis en F. Melissen (2016). Duurzaamheidsintelligentie is meer dan alleen techniek. Het Financieele Dagblad,

August 10.

F. Melissen & L. Moratis (2016). A call for fourth generation sustainable business models. Journal of Corporate

Citizenship, http://dx.doi.org/10.9774/GLEAF.4700.2016.se.00003.

L. Moratis (2016). Decoupling management education – some empirical findings, comments and speculation. Journal

of Management Inquiry, 25(3), pp. 235-239.

N. Harré en L. Moratis (2013). Psychologie voor een betere wereld: Strategieën voor duurzame actie. Koninklijke van

Gorcum: Assen.

Melissen, F. (2013). Sustainable hospitality: A meaningful notion? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 21(6), 810-824.

When will the Chair/Professorship take off?

The plan is to let the Chair/Professorship start as from January 2020. Following partners’ 3-year commitment, the

Chair/Professorship will end in 2023. Upon evaluation, efforts to re-engage partners and perhaps the engagement of

new partners, the Chair/Professorship intends to continue its work beyond 2023.

Interested? Contact us!

Do you have any questions or need more information? Would you like to have a talk with the intended Chair holders/

Professors? Let us know at [email protected] and [email protected] and we will get back to you shortly.

chair/professorship in management education for sustainability · pioneering new routes for...

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