"The dominant market logic has so far ignored key risks resulting from not addressing sustainability issues." Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen, German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE)

Research

"Science without conscience is the ruin of the soul." (François Rabelais, 1494-1553)

The Chair is clearly positioned within the faculty's research priorities, supports the UN initiative PRME, and incorporates the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The Chair actively promotes the United Nations (UN)-supported initiative Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) with its six principles purpose, value, method, research, partnership and dialogue. The Chair actively integrates ESD, Education for Sustainable Development, into research and teaching.

Sustainability-oriented capabilities include academic, education-related, professional, societal, private, entrepreneurial and governmental action. Competence development to realize sustainability is actively integrated into the research and education process in order to implement Education for Sustainable Development.

Sustainability-oriented transformation takes place in the context of urgency, pressure, scarcity, power, rules and uncertainty.

The challenges of sustainability and sustainable development are often situated in the following contexts:

• complex
• non-trivial
• multi- and interdisciplinary
• systemic

This requires adequate and also innovative concepts and solution approaches. Therefore, in addition to business and social science concepts, the following research priorities are explored in interdisciplinary collaboration.

• Strategic environmental and sustainability management
• Innovation and change concepts for environmental protection and the promotion of sustainable development
• Inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research
• ESD - Education for Sustainable Development in business and social sciences

Specifically, we research the following:

• Strategies, business models, and management and control instruments for long-term environmental protection and the promotion of sustainable development (e.g., energy efficiency, sufficiency, consistency)
• Analysis of trade-offs and rebound effects as well as solution options for quasi-dilemmas and options for action/design in dilemmas, e.g., using systems and risk analyses and the systemic further development of corporate instruments (e.g., LCAs, etc.)
• Harmonizing people, the environment, technology and society through intelligent systems and structures (e.g., circular economy, bioeconomy, bionics) and on the basis of adequate frames (neurosciences)

Innovative and largely unexplored research fields can be addressed very well using qualitative methods. In addition, mixed methods are used at the Chair.

Principles of Sustainable Corporate Governance

• Value orientation
• Long-term orientation & future orientation
• Careful use of environmental resources
• Assessing and recognizing risks
• Consistent focus on quality
• Re-design of non-sustainable products & services
• Activating self-renewal forces after disruptions
• Balancing consistency, efficiency and sufficiency
• Independent and competent oversight
• Building trust & credibility
• Creating new worlds of work
• Communication & transparency
• Living leadership as a virtue

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - Social responsibility and sustainability of companies consistently living

• Recognizing societal challenges
• Responsible corporate action
• Integrated social engagement
• Implementing sustainable strategies & instruments