GSOM SPbU has entered the Positive Impact Rating 2021 (PIR), presented at the UN PRME Global Forum on June 17, 2021. The rating includes 47 business schools located in four continents and 21 countries that have reached the highest (3-5) levels in the final five-step scale.

GSOM SPbU was assigned the 4th level, with 24 schools, including such recognized leaders of world business education as ESADE (Spain), Antwerp School of Management (Belgium), Aalto University School of Business (Finland), Kozminsky Academy (Poland). At the same time, the high level of GSOM SPbU in its development of corporate culture focused on sustainable development was especially noted. GSOM SPbU is not the only Russian business school in the raking — the indicators of NRU HSE correspond to the 3rd level.

The rating is formed on the basis of independent surveys conducted by the student organizations of business schools. The PIR accesses the impact that schools have on society, as well as their efforts to train and form responsible leaders corresponding to its five levels of assessment:

• level 1 - beginning;
• level 2 - emerging;
• level 3 - progressing;
• level 4 - transforming;
• level 5 - pioneering.

Konstantin Krotov, Executive Director of GSOM SPbU, congratulated colleagues on the  rating and emphasized: “Customer focus is one of the values ​​that our Business School adheres to. We work on the premise that our students and listeners are our clients on an equal basis with their future employers. At the same time, they are also the main “product” that we present to the labor market. Our alumni are also the main measurement of GSOM’s reputation. Students' grades are important to us: they provide not only feedback, but serve also as a form of communication with the outside world. It is all the more significant that our students highly appreciate the efforts of the Business School team in the field of sustainable development, aimed both at society as a whole and at the development of the students."

More than 9000 students responded to the survey. The rating survey asks students 20 questions in seven relevant impact dimensions: governance and culture of the school; study programs, learning methods, and student support; the institution as a role model and its public engagement.

The students have provided an incredible wealth of constructive comments on how their schools can increase their positive impact:

1. Putting sustainability at the core of teaching on economics and business; 
2. Providing practical sustainability competencies; 
3. Engaging with NPOs for courses, projects, and career options; 
4. Creating social impact initiatives with local and global communities; 
5. Empowering and supporting students to act for sustainability; 
6. Educating all b-school staff in sustainability topics.

“The new development strategy of GSOM SPbU, adopted in 2020, deepens the orientation of the Business School on sustainable development, considers“ responsible leadership ”as one of our fundamental values. We set ourselves the ambitious goal of integrating UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ESGs into our curricula and course programs, research and partnerships. The reaction of students is one of the most important indicators of the success of our actions. This is an indicator of the real contribution of GSOM SPbU to the development of society. I would like to thank the undergraduate and graduate students who took part in the survey, the student council and personally the 4th year student Anush Yegiyan, who acted as the project coordinator fromGSOM SPbU,” said Yury Blagov, Director of the PwC Center for Corporate Social Responsibility at GSOM.

The PIR report emphasized that the corporate culture of GSOM SPbU, based on the GSOM Family construction, traditionally pays great attention to stakeholder engagement and sustainability issues — back in 2009, they were reflected in the Business School's code of ethics. In 2020, all members of the GSOM Family community took part in the creation of the new development strategy for GSOM SPbU until 2025.

The PIR was created by representatives of business schools in cooperation with global non-profit organizations — WWF, Oxfam (an organization dedicated to solving problems of poverty) and the UN Global Compact. Student associations OIKOS, AIESEC and Net Impact are taking part in the project. The project is also supported by VIVA Idea and Fehr Advice.

Additional information about the rating is available at www.PositiveImpactRating.org