Iscte Business School stood out in the 2021 edition of the Positive Impact Rating (PIR), which assesses the social impact of business schools in the area of ​​sustainability. According to the results presented at the UN PRME Global Forum, Iscte Business School reached Level 4 (out of 5) of the PIR, achieving the distinction of “Transforming School”. This is a distinction awarded to universities that have a culture of positive impact incorporated into their management and systems and which include other reputed international schools, such as ESADE Business School (Spain), Aalto University School of Business (Finland) or the Maastricht University School of Business and Economics (Netherlands).

The PIR consists of a rating carried out by students and for students. “Participating in the PIR demonstrates the importance that Iscte Business School places on the voice of its student community,” says Maria João Cortinhal, Dean of Iscte Business School. "There is no one better than our own students to assess how the School deals with social and sustainable challenges and prepares them to become responsible business leaders."

Students answered a survey with 20 questions that covered seven dimensions of impact of three areas: “Energizing”, “Educating” and “Engaging”. The overall PIR score was then used to position the universities in five levels, which refer to the school's stage of sustainability development.

Data collection was carried out by ISCTE Junior Consulting, achieving a total of 255 survey answers. “ISCTE Junior Consulting distributed the questionnaires and monitored the answers in order to guarantee the eligibility to participate in this rating”, says Sofia Lopes, the Director of Management and Strategy at ISCTE Junior Consulting during the period of collection of students' opinions.

With an overall score of 7.5 out of 10, Iscte Business School achieved results equal or above the global average on the assessed categories: 7.8 in the “Energizing” category (which assesses dimensions such as School’s governance and culture), 7.3 in the "Educating" category (where the dimensions of teaching methods, programmes and student support are included) and 7.4 in the "Engaging" category (which includes the role model and public engagement scores).

Katrin Muff, President of the Positive Impact Rating Association, said: “PIR is designed as a tool to improve and transform business education. It enables schools to understand what a positive impact for society is, according to their students. The PIR highlights the potential for improvement, even for leading schools.”

The PIR was created by concerned business school experts together with global NGOs - WWF, Oxfam, and UN Global Compact. International student associations oikos, AIESEC and Net Impact are also part of the PIR, which is supported by VIVA Idea and Fehr Advice. 

To access the full Positive Impact Rating report, click here!