The Sustainable MBA: A Business Guide to Sustainability

The Sustainable MBA is must-read book based on more than 150 interviews with experts in business, international organisations, NGOs and universities from around the world. It provides a cogent starting point and acts as a reference manual on how to elicit necessary sustainable thinking and acting in business. This book is the result of Weybrecht’s idea to blend business education with sustainability and provides useful insights on how to put the topic of sustainability into practice in one’s personal and professional life.

In the first part of the book, Weybrecht sets out to provide an orientation of what could be expected in the book, along with several definitions about sustainability, how it can be linked to business, as well as an idea about how to get started.

She then proceeds, in the second part of the book, to analyse the nine core areas/topics where an organization could work on sustainability, by organizing them into the following separate chapters: accounting, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics and corporate governance, finance, marketing, operations, organizational behaviour, and strategy. Each chapter explains why the topic is essential, defines the key notions, highlights the main challenges relating to the specific area, explores the latest trends and new ideas, and even provides additional information and valuable sources for further exploration.

The third part of the book specifies existing tools for monitoring, managing, and improving performance, as internal assessments, audits, environmental and social systems. Weybrecht also discusses various tools, which can be utilized for “greening” offices and buildings.

In the final part of the book, Weybrecht reiterates the entirety of information in the book and accentuates the core message of the book; that we could make a difference in our actions (regardless of how big or small) from all aspects of life, as employees, as consumers and as citizens.

Tripl3Leader recommends this book (as well as the updated second edition of this book) as a well-structured, easy-to-read book, to individuals representing all business levels ranging from employees, to managers, to entrepreneurs and CEOs. It can be used as a practical, easy-access reference manual, containing essential knowledge, tools and additional sources to help develop a more sustainable job and organization, and to ‘walk the sustainability talk’ for the benefit of your triple bottom line (People, Planet and Profit).