Rennes School of Business: partner of Social Change Rennes 2022
This second edition of Social Change Rennes, a day which is dedicated to sharing and learning about Corporate Social Responsibility and environmental transitions in the workplace, took place on the 18 October 2022.
A day to learn, get inspired and share
Rennes School of Business is a partner of Social Change Rennes, an annual event organised in Rennes that is dedicated to the topics of Corporate Social Responsibility and transition in the professional sphere. The event is organised by Ouest France and Agence API Ouest France.
Managers and employees from the region were invited to come and discover the initiatives of local companies and to discuss the issues at stake in both businesses and society. The event provides the opportunity for attendees to learn, get inspired, share and think about practical applications they could adopt in their own activities.
This partnership is coherent with Rennes School of Business’ CSR strategy: to develop responsible future business leaders by building a sustainable mindset and behaviours in our students on an eco-friendly campus.
Laurence Fort-Rioche, CSR referent for Faculty & Research, tells us a bit more about the approach to CSR at Rennes School of Business:
How is CSR structured within your school?
There are four of us in the CSR and Transition Unit at Rennes School of Business. The first person is in charge of this unit and sets the strategic direction and coordinates the actions linked to Corporate Social Responsibly and Sustainable Development at the School. The second person is a project manager who spends a lot of time “in the field” in terms of operational follow-up. We also have a work-study student who supports us with our various actions. I myself am the faculty, programme and research referent for issues related to CSR and environmental transitions at Rennes School of Business.
How does Rennes School of Business integrate CSR into its Programme Grande Ecole (Master in Management)?
We have been integrating CSR into the Programme Grande École (Master in Management) for over 10 years as one of the compulsory modules. More specifically, we have a dedicated CSR discovery track in the first year, and a possibility to specialise in this subject during the second year of the Programme Grande Ecole. It’s also interesting to add that we have a CSR referent for all our 26 student associations.
Is there a specialised master’s programme in CSR or specialised programmes in continuing education at your school?
We offer a specialised master’s degree in “Sustainable Management & Eco-Innovation” which was developed in partnership with UniLaSalle. We also have MBA programmes, which are very much imbued with these issues. We also offer various Executive Education courses on CSR and the food transition, such as the Managing Sustainability short programme. We have a very simple objective, which is that these CSR and transition issues should permeate all our programmes throughout the school.
Do you have an example of a recent CSR action carried out with the students?
I have a very recent example, as we have just welcomed our entire first-year Bachelor class with an event called the “Rennes Impact Challenge” which was developed in partnership with the Rennes Metropolitan Development Council. 300 people were involved and we worked on sustainable and responsible initiatives applicable to the Rennes metropolis.
- Find out more: The Rennes Impact Challenge 2022: a chance for Bachelor students to have a positive impact on the city of Rennes
I would like to add a second event which took place with our second-year Bachelor students, who were all made aware of the issue of diversity and inclusion through a workshop called the Diversity Fresco.
