EFMD would like to warmly congratulate the following schools who have recently been re-accredited by EQUIS:

• Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
• ESSEC Business School, France
• Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, South Africa
• Nyenrode Business Universiteit, The Netherlands
• Thammasat Business School, Thammasat University, Thailand

EQUIS accreditation ensures a continuous quality improvement process, benchmarking the school against international standards in terms of governance, programmes, students, faculty, research, and foremost, internationalisation, ethics, responsibility and sustainability, as well as corporate engagement.

The Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town is strongly committed to social responsibility, addressing the key developmental challenges facing South Africa and other emerging markets. With excellent performance in the areas of ethics, responsibility and sustainability, it is the South African hub of social innovation, development finance and value-driven leadership, based on rigorous research. Kosheek Sewchurran, Graduate School of Business Director, commented: “The University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business is delighted for the continuous recognition by EQUIS. EQUIS accreditation symbolises internationalisation and this accreditation assures our stakeholders that we continue to offer quality education of very high international standards.”

Alliance Manchester Business School is one of the rare schools to have completed at least three continuous cycles of five-year EQUIS accreditation. It is a strong research-based business school with other focus areas such as community engagement and social responsibility. Considerable efforts are made to embed responsibility and sustainability in learning and teaching across programmes while justice and ethics form an important part of the curriculum.
Fiona Devine, Head of the Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, commented on the recent achievement by saying: “I am delighted that we have been re-accredited by EQUIS for a further five years which is testament to the excellent research and teaching, underpinned by a strong commitment to social responsibility, undertaken by colleagues at Alliance Manchester Business School.” She went on to say: “In 2019, we will be moving into a new state-of-the-art building complete with a unique data visualisation suite, behavioural change laboratory and enhanced facilities for staff, students, delegates and visitors. We are grateful for this significant investment in our infrastructure by the University of Manchester and Lord Alliance of Manchester. As the largest full-service Business School in the UK, engaged with local, national and international businesses, we look forward to the future with optimism, knowing that we can rise to the challenges that might face us and we will explore all the opportunities on offer in a fast-changing world.”

What differentiates the EQUIS approach is the inclusion of three transversal chapters dealing specifically with internationalisation, corporate connections and ethics, responsibility & sustainability, reflecting the importance that EQUIS attaches to these dimensions.

From the beginning, EQUIS has always distinguished itself as an international accreditation system and has worked hard to promote the internationalisation of the schools with which it works.

With internationalisation and corporate connections deeply anchored in its mission, ESSEC was re-accredited for the third time. The school follows its ambition – to be a world business school with French roots and global impact. “ESSEC has always been a pioneering institution that is passionate about evolving and innovating when it comes to higher education and research. This re-accreditation serves not only to reinforce our international reputation as a leading business school but also as proof of our efforts to continuously grow and offer high-quality programmes,” commented Vincenzo Esposito Vinzi, Dean and President of ESSEC Business School.

With excellent corporate connections, Nyenrode Business Universiteit is valued for excellent teaching linking theory to practice and aligning course content with the current needs of the markets. Their programmes can be also commended for being committed to ethics, responsibility and sustainability.

EQUIS looks for a balance between high academic quality and the professional relevance provided by close interaction with the corporate world. A strong interface with the world of business is, therefore, as much a requirement as strong research potential. EQUIS attaches particular importance to the creation of an effective learning environment that favours the development of students’ managerial and entrepreneurial skills and fosters their personal development and sense of global responsibility.

Thammasat Business School has a long tradition of endorsing social responsibility. The school was the very first in Thailand to become part of the PRME network. Their students are greatly involved in the community through charities and various outreach projects, thanks in part to its outstanding corporate connection. The business school is well-established and valued on the local and national market. The Dean of the Thammasat Business School, Pipop Udorn, shared his delight by saying: “The reaccreditation confirms our commitment to internationalisation, corporate connections as well as ethics and social responsibility. EQUIS challenges us to leverage on all our resources to provide innovative and practical education for the lifelong learning of our students, alumni and corporate partners. We thank EQUIS and all TBS’s stakeholders for their support which essentially enables us to remain within the circle of this prestigious 1 % of business schools worldwide.”

Martin Schader, Quality Services Associate Director, concluded: “I would like to warmly congratulate all the institutions that have successfully gone through the EQUIS re-accreditation process. EQUIS accreditation ensures a continuous quality improvement process, benchmarking the school against international standards. There are currently no substitutes for such an in-depth assessment of quality and all the schools should be commended for their commitment to excellence.”

EQUIS has now accredited 180 schools across 44 countries. Be part of 1 % of leading Business School. More information on our website.