Take a deep dive into doing international business sustainably.
In this course students will study in a multidisciplinary environment in which they will learn to frame (international) business problems within the 17 sustainable development goals of the UN. The sustainable development goals are interconnected—often the key to success to one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another. The work of Jeffrey Sachs provides the theoretical framework. Students therefore start the course with a deep dive in the sustainable development goals, because they form the foundation on which the other elements of the course stand.
Sustainable development is a much broader concept than protection of the Earth. It implies a concern for future generations and for the long-term health and integrity of the dimensions of our living environment. It embraces concern for the quality of life (not just revenue growth), for equity between people in the present (including making sure products and services are accessible to all), for inter-generation equity (people in the future deserve an environment which is at least as good as the one we currently enjoy, if not better) and for the social and ethical dimensions of human welfare. It also implies that further development should only take place as long as it is within the carrying capacity of natural systems, because this environment is where (international) business takes place.
Admission requirements
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Duration
- September 2nd, 2024 - November 15th, 2024
- September 2nd, 2024 - February 7th, 2025
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Requirements in general for admission
- You have followed or are following education on Bachelor level, or comparable to Bachelor level
- You have work experience relevant for the programme you want to follow (Exchange students are exempted from this requirement)
- You are max. 35 years old at the start of the programme
- Good speaking and writing skills in English
- For Exchange students: to be determined by the sending institution
- For free movers we accept the following qualifications:
IELTS: a minimum score of 6 (overall band score) - not older than two years.
TOEFL: TOEFL iBT with a minimum score of 80 - not older than two years.
Cambridge: B2 (First), C1 (Advanced) or C2 (Proficiency)
- Good computer skills
- A video call might be part of the application process (Exchange students are exempted from this requirement)
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Available scholarships
- Erasmus+
Themes
Students are taken on a learning journey in which they discover that environmental, social and governmental challenges are interrelated, and an integrated approach is required that undertakes action at various levels simultaneously. Subjects are:
- History and politics of the sustainable development goals.
- Cross-cultural theories, many cross-cultural experiences, their implications in business.
- Nation branding for individual countries and groups of countries (i.e., the EU).
- Sustainability marketing.
- Organizational strategy related to sustainability.
- Sustainable and regenerative businesses models.
- A political economical perspective on capitalism, socialism and feudalism.
This course will provide students with a unique learning experience in which they will both become aware of the complexity of building a better and more sustainable business world while at the same time providing them with knowledge regarding this very important challenge for the professionals of the 21st century.
Classes and assignments
The learning environment consists of lectures, self-study, seminars, workshops, debates, group assignments and excursions. There will be many practical tests and assignments in which Dutch and foreign students are expected to show both that they have gained sufficient theoretical knowledge and that they are able to apply the newly acquired knowledge. Most importantly, students learn to express themselves in English, because that’s the working language of this minor.
Courses September - November
Cultural Encounters
- Topics: Over a period of six weeks, students will participate in cross-cultural experiences. The goal of these organized experiences is to discover how culture works in practice and how different cross-cultural theories can help in getting a better understanding. The assignments in this program are diverse. The first is a group assignment, in which students describe cultural differences and to name risks for cooperation in their project group. The second assignment consists both of a group and of an individual element, in which students show their cooperative skills and their knowledge of cross-cultural models. The third assignment consists of a reflection paper on the qualities and strengths of their project group in general and their own role in that team in particular. Of course, students are supposed to use relevant sources and readings in all their work, such as Hofstede, Trompenaars, Schein and Meyer. The goal of this is to help students become better cross-cultural professionals.
- EC: 5.0 EC
Sustainable Marketing
- Topics: In this assignment a group of two students need to identify a particular sustainability issue in a business or an industry, and they need to critically assess it from the perspective of sustainable international business concepts, theories and frameworks (coming from the works of amongst others Wit (2020) and Beltz & Peattie (2012)). They will have to write a research report, that also includes an advice to the organization or industry, and they need to do a presentation. The goal of this assignment is to make students aware of the (un)sustainable impact that businesses have and how this can be improved.
- EC: 5.0 EC
Sustainable Development
- Topics: This individual assignment consists of an essay in which the student needs to critically reflect on the theoretical work of Sachs (2015) related to the sustainable development goals. Student needs to show they master such topics as stewardship, shalom, resilient cities, poverty, development goals, planet, climate and biodiversity.
- EC: 5.0 EC
Courses November – January
Nation Branding
- Topics: In this group assignment students undertake a project in the field of nation branding. First, students do research on the application of the SDGs in a number of preselected countries. Secondly, they jump into the topic of nation branding and find out how the same preselected countries give shape to their nation brand. We also take a closer look at the nation brand of the European Union, a very particular one as research shows. Finally, students combine the learnings of the two previous assignments and draft an advice for the government of one of the preselected nations, so that this government can improve its nation brand from the perspective of the SDGs. We make extensive use of Simon Anholt’s work on nation branding in this course, and we take recent scientific research for up-to-date examples. The goal of this assignment is to provide students with the opportunity to gain business experience on sustainable nation branding.
- EC: 7.5 EC
Sustainable and Regenerative Business Models
- Topics: This part of the program builds on the Sustainability Marketing course to find out what the future of sustainable business models looks like. Through a combination of business visits, research on new sustainable business developments and extensive discussions, students discover what a regenerative business models might look. Students will apply their newly acquired knowledge in a business plan for an existing business to re-do it in a more sustainable and regenerative way.
- EC: 7.5 EC
“Because of the study programme at CHE, I could myself try out in the world, especially in a modern and well-equipped school where they provided us practical knowledge. We discussed things more than just study it and this gave me more room to create my own opinion about strategies and understand them deeper.”
Ágota, Hungary
Enrolment information
Fees on campus programme
The fee for a single programme (Sep-Nov) is €4,000.00. The fee for two consecutive programmes (Sep-Jan) is €5,700.00. This fee is exclusive of travel, accommodation, study materials, insurance and visa costs.
Exchange students from our partner universities do not need to pay a tuition fee.
Deadlines for application
- Application date Free movers: 1 May 2025
- Nomination date Exchange students: 1 May 2025
- Application date Exchange students: 15 May 2025
Step by step
1. Select the course you want to follow at the CHE
2. Complete and return the Application Form (https://www.che.nl/en/form/application-form)
3. If you have additional questions, please contact the International Office (internationaloffice@che.nl)
4. After admission you can start preparing your stay
5. Check 'practical information'
More information
If you have any questions (e.g. application form, travel and stay, visa, conditions of the scholarships), please contact our International Office through internationaloffice@che.nl.
If you are interested, please complete the application form and send this together with the requested documents to internationaloffice@che.nl (application form through our website or on request by email).
