29.4.2025
During three days, the new Nanterme building at ESSEC Business School played host to the “war room” for a global Business & Sustainability simulation competition. The competition brought together 67 MBA and master’s level students from 7 leading business schools, members of the Council on Business & Society (CoBS) alliance: ESSEC, Fudan School of Management, IIM Bangalore, Monash Business School, Smith School of Business, Stellenbosch Business School, Warwick Business School.
The Business & Sustainability Simulation features as the first module of three that make up the CoBS Advanced International Certificate in Responsible Business Practices. Reflecting the shared values of CoBS member schools and the spirit of ESSEC’s Transcend strategy, the simulation challenges students to compete in teams as market players—while keeping sustainability at the core of their decisions.
What cost and what ROI is achieved when setting up sustainability training for employees? What effect will implementing circular economy have on budgets, investor appeal and cleaner operations? How will consumers react to green innovation and potential product price increases? Does promoting team diversity and inclusion lead to greater innovation and more effective decision-making? What impact on will opting for sustainable and ethical supply chains have on results, performance, brand image and ESG rating? These are just a few of the many questions and decisions – some of them complex dilemmas – that increasingly face today’s companies.
“In this competition, and increasingly in the real world, Sustainability is not an afterthought. It is the heart of the matter, the core of corporate strategy”
ESSEC Prof. Adrian Zicari, Academic Director of the CoBS.
“Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the COBS competition. The simulation is extensive and we learned so much from the entire experience.”
Ddevh Sharrma, Monash Business School student
“Thank you so much for organizing such a wonderful and well-executed competition. It was a great experience, and I truly appreciate all the effort that went into making it a success. The OpenAI chatbot idea impressed me the most. I'm really grateful for the opportunity to participate and learn.”
Aditya Jain, Warwick Business School student
“It's really an unforgettable experience for us to take part in such an amazing competition, which helps us gain a lot of business insights.”
Lynn Yu, School of Management Fudan University student
Next stop? June and the second part of the CoBS AICRBP – a suite of online modules capturing expertise on global CSR and sustainability issues with a unique local and regional perspective from the faculty of the CoBS member schools. Watch this space!
For more information on the CoBS Certificate: https://www.council-business-society.org/advanced-international-certificate
For more information on the alliance and a host of downloadable learning content: www.council-business-society.org.
