LBS ranks second in the world for sustainability research

London Business School (LBS) is second in a Financial Times’ (FT) ranking of research intensity related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The result appeared in a FT Special Report on responsible business education; it was determined by a machine learning analysis of SDG-related content produced by business school faculty and published in FT50-listed journals from 2018-21.

LBS faculty were also recognised as part of the ‘Responsible Business Education Awards’ announced in the same report.

Stefano Turconi, Teaching Fellow of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at LBS, was highly commended in the ‘Business school teaching cases and pedagogical resources’ category for his ‘Natura &Co: Sustainability at Scale’ case study. Co-authored with former LBS students Pranjal Singh MBA2021 and Rui Wang MIF2017, the case focuses on corporate strategy development and execution. Unlike other cases that discuss sustainability exclusively at the business-unit level, this case scrutinises the role that corporate headquarters can play in a multi-business organisation in directing sustainability efforts through resource allocation and innovation.

Michael G. Jacobides, the Sir Donald Gordon Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at LBS, was highly commended in the ‘Academic research with real-world impact’ category for his work on ‘Regulating Platforms & Ecosystems’. Professor Jacobides and his co-author Ioannis Lianos (University College London) edited a special issue of top field journal Industrial and Corporate Change aimed at bridging the fields of strategic management, industry evolution, platform strategy and regulation. The editors hoped to catalyse research and provide a fresh perspective in competition law, acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding how the dominance of Big Tech should be addressed.

Sendil Ethiraj, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Deputy Dean (Faculty) at LBS said:

“I am delighted that Stefano and Michael’s important work on responsible business has been recognised in this way. The world faces a number of extremely pressing environmental issues and sustainability is one of the most important challenges facing business.”