One of JIBS guiding principles is to be "responsible in action". We seek to educate leaders guided by common societal values and not only the maximisation of individual returns.

To accomplish this, we make sure our programmes include elements that support students in gaining awareness and reflexiveness about sustainability related to business and economics and developing abilities to act in line with such awareness. There is a steady increase in courses with a direct connection to ethics and/or sustainability. These perspectives are primarily embedded in our courses, requiring students to reflect on ethical dilemmas and the sustainability impact of various decisions.

Since 2016 JIBS has offered the bachelor programme "Sustainable Enterprise Development". This niched programme was developed to meet a growing interest among students to focus on the intersection between business, management, and sustainability. The programme is designed to educate change agents with special competence to support companies and organisations in their transformation towards more sustainable practices.

In addition to course work, extra-curricular activities at JIBS provide further opportunities for students to develop knowledge and approach to being responsible leaders. One example is the "Innovation race for sustainability" first organised in collaboration with Jönköping Science Park in 2019. Another example is the initiative "Students for Sustainable Action" (SSA). This group connects students from all schools at Jönköping University in dedicated efforts to make the campus more sustainable.

JIBS is a signatory of the United Nations' initiative Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). This implies that we are dedicated to six principles for business schools, including promoting sustainability and corporate social responsibility, providing future leaders with the skills necessary to balance economic and sustainability goals, and drawing attention to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). JIBS has pledged to participate in the continuous development of education, research, and dialogue with the business community regarding corporate social responsibility and sustainability by adopting these principles. Read more about PRME here.

In the end, JIBS graduates are well prepared to understand and evaluate the effects of their decisions from ethical and sustainable viewpoints, ready to act as responsible leaders.