BI considers it an essential purpose for a business school to empower people and improve business. Close interaction with business and society has always been the trademark of BI.
In 2015, BI established the BI Sustainability Council. The council will run, develop, refine and evaluate BI’s efforts and initiatives within ethics, responsibility and sustainability. BI recognizes its responsibility as an institution with major impact ability on these issues. Ethics and corporate social responsibility must be an integral part of a business school, efforts must be coherent and reflected in all of BI’s activities.
During the year, BI has demonstrated impact on innovation, value creation and competitiveness by sharing research-based knowledge with business and society. BI faculty contributes through an average of ten articles and comments in Norwegian media every day.
Several of BI faculty and staff participate in national and international boards and committees sharing their expertise with the public. Professor Richard Priestley and Professor Hilde C. Bjørnland are among BI faculty with significant impact on public policy and current issues in the Norwegian economy during the past year.
In 2015, BI as an institution has contributed in developing public policy for knowledge, research and higher education. BI put its weight behind the demand for national policy for developing education and competence, including a national strategy for recruiting international students and incentives for continuing education.
Several times a year, BI and the student unions invite key figures from business and politics to give guest lectures. Notable guests in 2015 include the Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
BI implemented organizational changes to improve the quality of interaction and relations with key stakeholders, including students, alumni, corporate partners and society. As a result, BI commenced the establishment of an international Advisory Board in 2015.
BI is committed to engage alumni in the life and support of BI and foster relations that last a lifetime. More than 70 000 alumni worldwide engage in networks, events and giving back to students every year.
Since 2007, BI has collaborated with Save the Children in an effort to give children the right to a quality education. The annual Christmas gift on behalf of BI employees was a NOK 200,000 donation to The Norwegian Refugee Council and their efforts to put in place school and education for children and young people in conflict areas. BI is also a member of the organisation Scholars at Risk, which promotes academic freedom and human rights for academics all over the world. BI faculty and staff engaged in the Nordic chapter of UN’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in 2015.