Reshaping Business Education

In the Reshaping Business Education project, we focus on a different orientation of the education and development of business students. We develop education that enables students to create businesses that are socially and environmentally sustainable and thus contribute to a fair economy.

The business model of today's economy ignores the limits of what the earth can yield and tolerate. It actively contributes to exclusion and injustice. This must change, and it can change! With the Reshaping Business Education project, we want to gain a better understanding of two important issues. What is the business ethos that is now being passed on to students? How does that ethos show up in policymaking? Based on the insights gained, we can renew curriculums and direct them towards a new, sustainable economy.

Starting at the beginning

In the project, we start at the beginning, by educating students. After all, they are the business leaders of tomorrow. Their education and development will determine what the economy of the future will look like. What worldview are they being taught? With what concept of business as usual will they enter the labour market? What theories, models and tools will they contribute? What business standards and values do they take for granted? What issues are important to them and how do they deal with them? The big question we ask ourselves is: what do we teach our students and why do we teach them that? In doing so, we are doing our bit to realise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and hope to change the entrepreneurial landscape of the future.

Various research

By conducting various research projects, we are looking for answers to these guiding questions. The current and planned research are described in the Reshaping Business Education programme. Recently, we have seen a number of fundamental changes that are having an impact on businesses and education. Take for instance the growing attention for a sustainable economy, the shift from shareholder value to a purpose, and the rapid rise and great influence of (digital) technologies on companies. In view of these changes, the Reshaping Business Education project focuses, among other things, on what students need in order to cope with these changes. How can they be successful in this changing environment? The Hague University of Applied Sciences is our basis for all of this. Here, in the economic domain, we give substance to the university of applied sciences' ambition to turn our students into global citizens.

Practice-oriented education

Reshaping Business Education is an initiative of the Centre of Expertise for Digital Operation & Finance in collaboration with the Centre of Expertise for Mission Zero, Faculty of Business, Finance & Marketing, Faculty of Management & Organisation and Faculty of Governance, Law & Security. Through practice-oriented research, we are building an economy that we can explain to our children. For us, practice-oriented research means being very close to education. What educational practices should we cultivate? How can we use educational innovation to move business education towards a sustainable economy? Professors, researchers, lecturers and students are researching this together.

Intended duration of the project

The duration of this project is from 1 September 2019 to 31 December 2021.

Partners

Rethinking Economics NL, Our New Economy, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Oikos, Het Groene Brein.

Objective

The aim of the project is to gain insight into the business ethos that is passed on to students and how this is reflected in policymaking. Based on the insights gained, curriculums can be renewed, aimed at a new, sustainable economy.

More information

Website: https://reshapingbusiness.org/

Faculties and/or minors involved

Faculty of Business, Finance & Marketing
Faculty of Management & Organisation
Faculty of Public Management, Law & Safety
Minor: Artful Business Creation (ABC)

Planned events

Workshops - New economy in higher education: https://www.ourneweconomy.nl/educatie/universiteit-en-hbo/workshops-hoger-onderwijs/

Project Leader

Martijn van der Linden - [email protected] 
Jacco van Uden - [email protected]

Team

The research team of Reshaping Business Education consists of the following people:

Dennis Bleker is a researcher within the New Finance research group and a lecturer in the Commercial Economics degree programme. He researches how business education can connect to modern social demands. He is also involved in research into the needs of people in FinTech companies. The underlying idea of his research is that there is much potential for improvement in business education.

Dominique Darmon is a researcher in the Change Management research group and a lecturer in the International Communication Management degree programme. She teaches students to look beyond the polite chatter of formal communication. She also explores the ins and outs of gossip and backbiting.

Ricardo Eradus is one of the co-creators of the KOIOS project which uses new (digital) technologies to realise educational innovation. In addition, Ricardo is developing the Trading Digital & Financial Assets minor, which will be taught through KOIOS.

Wypkje van der Heide is a researcher within the Change Management research group. She works as a lecturer and explores 'chief critical thinking' in the International Business degree programme. Wypkje wants to know how films and documentaries can contribute to students' critical thinking.

Chris van 't Hof is a researcher within the Change Management research group. For the Reshaping Business Education project, he is developing a framework for Technology Assessment in business education. Technology Assessment aims to investigate the social or environmental consequences of introducing new technologies. He is also an independent researcher and presenter on cybersecurity, provides training in crisis management and is secretary of the Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure.

Jordi Jansen is a researcher within the New Finance research group and a lecturer in the Finance & Control degree programme. He is building an open educational platform (KOIOS) to drive educational innovation.
Theo de Joode is a researcher in the Change Management research group and a lecturer in the Finance & Control degree programme. He asks aloud what would happen if stewardship became central to his degree programme. Theo is preparing a PhD.

Reitse Keizer is a researcher within the New Finance research group. He examines how visions of the economy influence the economics education at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Attention to these different visions of the economy is of great importance for renewing economics education.

Martijn van der Linden is a New Finance professor within the Centre of Expertise for Digital Operation & Finance.

Paul de Regt is a researcher in the Change Management research group and lecturer in the Human Resource Management degree programme. Paul examines how students can use theatre to draw out and explore HRM issues.

Jacco van Uden is a Change Management professor within the Centre of Expertise for Digital Operation & Finance.

Egbert Willekes is a researcher within the New Finance research group and lecturer in the Finance & Control degree programme. He is conducting PhD research on integrated reporting. In that context, he is specifically concerned with the impact of multiple value creation on accounting & control systems in practice. He believes it is crucial that this practical knowledge is integrated into the curriculum of the Finance & Control degree programme.

More information?

Send an email to [email protected] or contact one of the project leaders