Kent Business School (KBS) awarded BSIS label for positive impact
We are delighted to announce that Kent Business School (KBS), UK, has successfully completed the Business School Impact System (BSIS) assessment process and has been granted the BSIS label.
Several aspects of KBS’ positive impact dimensions were highlighted by the assessment team, including the school’s strong engagement with practice to enhance research relevance and benefit students. Notably, the school’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainable development, including its alignment with the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (UNPRME) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was also recognised.
Addressing the school for this achievement, BSIS Director François Bonvalet remarked:
“We commend Kent Business School for earning the BSIS label for the first time and extend our profound congratulations to the team as we warmly welcome them to the BSIS community. The seamless integration of sustainability across the curriculum and the significant societal contributions, particularly through addressing healthcare disparities and environmental sustainability, highlight the school’s unwavering commitment to positive impact and responsible management education. Furthermore, the dedication to SMEs in the context of Canterbury economy gives Kent Business School a strong local impact.”
Kent Business School (KBS)
Kent Business School (KBS) currently has 3,000 students enrolled and is part of the University of Kent, which has 17,000 students and seven divisions. Most KBS services, including career services, alumni relations, marketing and promotion, and IT, are centralised under the home university. KBS’s mission is to educate highly employable and innovative graduates as responsible leaders.
As a research and teaching institution, KBS places significant emphasis on a multidisciplinary intellectual approach. The school offers a full range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including an MBA and a PhD. While most bachelor students come from the local area, master’s students often come from abroad.
Located in Canterbury, a historic city 62 miles southwest of London, the university is in an area that attracts many tourists. The school offers a popular programme called Higher Degree Apprenticeships (HDA), integrating an internship that allows students to work and study simultaneously. This government-funded programme enables low-income students to enter higher education.
Transforming education and societal commitment
The BSIS impact assessment recognised several of KBS’ key contributions to the region and broader community, including its total financial impact of £191 million in the local area. The school demonstrates significant engagement with practice through initiatives like Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) and the Kent and Medway Business Summit, enhancing both research and student benefits.
KBS actively promotes entrepreneurial thinking and engagement via its ASPIRE programme and HDA, which positively affect students and employers. The school is fundamentally committed to societal impact, with student involvement in areas such as healthcare disparity, food and drink, culture and creative industries, transport and logistics, and net-zero initiatives.
Additionally, KBS strongly supports self-employed initiatives, outreach, and widening participation activities, aiding first-generation students in accessing higher education. The faculty at KBS are highly engaged and connected, continually seeking opportunities to integrate practical experiences into their research and teaching.
Professor John Board, Acting Dean, Kent Business School, commented:
“KBS found the BSIS process both insightful and thought-provoking. It has offered a stimulating opportunity to assess the broad and positive influence of our business school on both the local community and the wider world. The BSIS process will enable us to effectively communicate our impact and identify new opportunities to create positive change.”
About BSIS
The Business School Impact System (BSIS) is the first comprehensive impact assessment tool for business schools, covering more than 130 indicators across seven dimensions of impact. It provides a tailor-made data collection system for monitoring, assessing, and developing the impact of business schools.
The BSIS process involves the definition of the impact zone and institutional scope, data collection, impact assessment, and the report with recommendations for future development. Demonstrating the school’s impact on internal and external stakeholders, the system serves as a communication and negotiation tool externally and fosters an impact culture within the school. Schools that undergo BSIS are awarded the BSIS label for a three-year period.
- There are currently more than 80 schools across 20 countries that have received the BSIS label.
- To learn more about the impact assessment system, please visit the BSIS website or contact julie.comte@efmdglobal.org.
What is it like for schools to undergo the BSIS process? Discover the compelling journey of Blanka Cimcioch, International Accreditations Coordinator at Poznań University of Economics and Business, as she shares her insights on navigating the BSIS process, highlighting the challenges, seizing the opportunities, and reaping the rewarding results it has yielded. Read more.
For additional insights, announcements and perspectives about BSIS, visit the conversation here.
