12 years of expertise

It would appear that all schools – or nearly all – have now begun to follow the general trend and concentrate on sustainable development, but La Rochelle Business School has been working on the question for 12 years. This is not just a statistic: we have developed genuine expertise in sustainable development, as is apparent from what we offer:

> cutting-edge training programs in this area
> a solid network of partner companies
> key events
> research programs that have led to the creation of corporate chairs

Finally, staff and students at La Rochelle Business School are keenly aware of, and involved on a daily basis in, our Environmental Management System.

Through its expertise, the school is also directly involved in the development of the reference standard in sustainable development for the French Conférence des Grandes Ecoles. Inspired by the Grenelle environmental summit, this standard should lead to the development of a "Responsible Campus" label by 2013, an indicator of the commitment made by French business and management schools in this area.

Programs

La Rochelle Business School was the first of the French business and management schools to create a Masters degree in Environmental Management (1999). Five years later, the Masters in Sustainable Development followed, in partnership with the IAE in Poitiers. It must be said that La Rochelle Business School has much to be inspired by: it is located in a protected natural environment where sustainable development has been a local priority for a long time. La Rochelle was the first town (1976!) to set up a public bicycle rental system in the city centre.

• Responsible specialists and managers

“While there are management positions in the sustainable development sector as such, what is more important is that sustainable development has become an integral part of all businesses and corporate roles.” François Petit, Environment and Sustainable Development Director, La Rochelle Business School

On the basis of this observation, the school set itself the task of training both specialists in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and "responsible" managers.  

* CSR is the concrete application of the concept of sustainable development within a company.

This is now reflected by:

> a dedicated branch of Sustainable Development and CSR, with two post-graduate programs available as initial or continuous education: Sustainable Development and Management & the Environment
> cross-disciplinary classes in all programs in order to provide the human and social dimensions of management
> modules like SCAP (Sports, Culture, Activities for Personal Development) and Humacité, which introduce all students to social and responsible entrepreneurship

Companies

Fleury Michon, Primagaz, Alstom, Air France Industries, Bureau Veritas, EDF, Rhodia… these are some of the many large companies that call on the expertise of La Rochelle Business School in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility. Primagaz (link to Companies/Privileged partners) was the first major company (2001) to become associated with the school in this regard. Since then, it has regularly commissioned studies and other projects on QSE (Quality, Safety and Environment) and CSR from students at the school. Each year, Primagaz also awards the Primagaz student grant, based on merit and a number of social and financial criteria.

• Business club

At La Rochelle Business School we are convinced that forward thinking on CSR needs to be a collective effort and based on shared experience. This is why in 2005 we set up a business club known as the “Rencontres Environnementales de La Rochelle” (RER). It meets for one day on average three times a year, bringing together Environment and Sustainable Development directors from major French and international groups so they can exchange ideas and share their experiences. The aim of this meeting is to collectively resolve questions related to Corporate Social Responsibility that have not been met with satisfactory answers at the level of each individual company.

To help with this process, the following players are invited to attend:

• research professors from La Rochelle Business School, who offer their expertise in problem-solving

• students who, as part of their academic assignments, conduct studies and surveys on problems identified by companies

• leading specialists who offer their expertise and experience with key issues relating to operations and current affairs

• Club ISO 26000

Since 2008, via its Club ISO 26000, La Rochelle Business School has been working on the new standard, which was published in November 2010. A group of 10 companies have taken part in the club's activities with a view to implementing a CSR initiative based on the ISO 26000 standard. The club was founded in partnership with the French standards organisation AFNOR and sponsored by the MAIF insurance company. Since the beginning, La Rochelle Business School has been regularly consulted by companies looking for support in the implementation of this new standard within their business. The Fleury Michon corporate chair focuses on this issue.

• Corporate chairs

A Chair is above all a meeting of ideas between the school and a public or private institution. The objective is to create a lasting partnership by implementing long-term initiatives that are mutually beneficial. More specifically, it is about developing and disseminating our knowledge of CSR practices among companies by providing them with concrete responses to the problems they face and guaranteeing a contribution to the academic research being done in this area.

In 2010, at the initiative of François Petit, Environment and Sustainable Development director, La Rochelle Business School established two corporate chairs on the theme of “Social Responsibility Engineering and Innovation” in partnership with:

> Fleury Michon

The Fleury Michon corporate chair is part of a long-term partnership (patronage agreement signed for 3 years) that should allow both parties to contribute to academic research on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development and apply the main principles of the ISO 26000 standard within the company.

> Alstom Transport

This chair is also part of a patronage agreement for a period of 3 years. It focuses on the environmental, social and societal issues surrounding the company's rolling stock (trams, metros, conventional and high-speed trains) and more broadly addresses the development of a sustainable development strategy within Alstom Transport.

These chairs allow teams at the school to:

-           work on a collaborative project with a renowned company on a concrete and innovative question related to CSR
-           write academic publications in this field
-           guarantee financial support for research
-           involve students in a project with both operational and scientific aims

These corporate chairs are the concrete result of efforts made by the school in terms of research and the ongoing pursuit of knowledge that benefit both companies and students.

• Consultancy projects

Recent assignments completed by La Rochelle Business School for companies include (non-exhaustive list):

SAGE – 2010/2011                                                                                                        

For the SAGE group, a management software designer that mainly targets SME/SMI, we are currently conducting a study on the question of sustainable development in SME, and the most advanced solutions in this area, with a view to producing appropriate indicators of sustainable development.

Societhica and Orga Consultants – 2009                                &  

An evaluation of sustainable development strategies and approaches in major French companies and SME as part of the French and European awards for corporate social responsibility.

Caisse Régionale d’Assurance Maladie – 2009                                                     

“Managerial workshops” on sustainable development run in the centre-west region of France.

Port de Plaisance des Minimes – 2008                                                                         

Internal environmental audit in respect of ISO 14001.

Marsh – 2008                                                                                                           

Feasibility study of sustainable development measures in cooperation with the management team.

Air France Industries – 2007                                                                            

Support for the steering committee in its sustainable development approach: diagnostic, study and recommendations.

Events

For more than 10 years, the school has been organising events on the environment and sustainable development. Examples include our environment conference (2000, 2002 and 2005), the Franco-Québécois water forums (2006 and 2008), the ISO 26000 conferences (2008 and 2010) and our research conferences and workshops (2009 2010). Each of these events brings together between 100 and 200 professionals and academics.

A series of conferences entitled “Des entreprises et des hommes, ensemble pour entreprendre autrement” (firms and people working together on a new way of doing business) is also held throughout the year, with the participation of a new generation of entrepreneurs: management and culture, a new look at business models, human resources and CSR, and more.

II.IV Research

The research department for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development at La Rochelle Business School is made up of a dozen research professors who engage in multidisciplinary work on the different aspects of environmental policies and strategies as part of an approach to sustainable development. This department examines the development and evaluation of such policies and initiatives, as well as their relationship with the technical, socio-economic or philosophical context of sustainable development in the following areas:

• Human resources management (organisational learning and CSR, responsible management, quality working life, psychosocial risks, managing diversity)
• Strategy (integrating CSR in SME and major groups, specifications and standardisation, making CSR operational, project management and CSR, organising fair trade)
• Economics (environmental economics, economic theories and sustainable development, social economics, sustainable development and regions)
• Supply chain (responsible supply chain management, impact of sustainable development on relocations)
• Oversight and accounting (expanded accounting – triple bottom line – and environmental accounting)
• Marketing (responsible marketing, responsible tourism, eco-design of events)
• Law (CSR and business law, competition, consumption, distribution, trade, environment law)
• Philosophy (moral philosophy, business ethics, decision-making)

In order to make the most of their findings, our researchers actively participate in the scientific sphere. This is reflected in the organisation of scientific conferences, the publication of 2 books and over 30 research articles on sustainable development and CSR in 2010.

Internal sustainable development

La Rochelle Business School is not content simply to teach what must be done, but actually applies its own standards and best practices: the school measured its carbon footprint in 2010 and since 2008 has set up an Environmental Management System (EMS) designed to reduce its environmental impact. This system is based on three objectives:

• Streamlined consumption of natural resources
• Responsible procurement
• Waste management

To ensure the smooth implementation of its EMS action plan, the school has not only appointed a dedicated Environment director, but also relies on all its members, as well as student associations, to play a key role in increasing awareness among students, especially during the events they organise. The association Planet’Eco is an active contributor to actions taken on the ground.

The major initiatives taken by the school relate mainly to:

• Waste management

Bins for recycling paper; reduced paper consumption, with increased awareness about the re-use of already printed sheets for drafts and recto/verso printing; separate bins on school premises for cans, plastic containers, packaging, etc.; processing of IT waste in a "second life" recovery facility.

• Transport

La Rochelle Business School has put in place a plan for commutes that encourages car-pooling and the use of public transport among students and staff. LRBS has signed an agreement with the town of La Rochelle concerning alternative means of transport; the initial target of 5% has already been raised to 15%.

The school's other great initiative is known as "Biclos”: 200 bicycles made available free of charge to students throughout the academic year. This innovative scheme has been met with immediate success across the board.

• Energy and water management

An in-depth audit of facilities has been carried out in order to identify sources of waste and over-consumption, and systems have been put in place to detect movement in corridors, reduce lighting at night time and reduce water flow in taps.

Primagaz, a long-standing partner, made both financial and hands-on contributions to the school’s energy audit in 2011.

• Food, upkeep and biodiversity

Fair trade coffee and organic produce on sale in the cafeteria, use of “green” cleaning products by its service providers, and now the school’s committed approach has even been extended to the addition of beehives on the school roof (studies show that city bees, an endangered species, produce top-quality honey!).

• Diverse operations

In March 2011, in partnership with a neighbouring engineering school, EIGSI, the school launched “operation clean beach” to clean up Plage de Roux in the bay opposite the campus. It is also preparing “operation clean campus” for September of this year.