Business For Good Will Be The Post-Covid Business Of The Future

Free online short course to discover how

Public expectations are changing around the world about what corporate social responsibility should look like against the backdrop of COVID-19. Surveys conducted during the pandemic highlight the global resurgence of corporate citizenship and the shift in opinion of people wanting businesses to focus on measures to help society and people(1) to ensure social progress, so that no one is left behind as post-pandemic recovery begins.

Certified B Corporations (B Corps), the growing global movement of businesses committed to positively impacting society and the environment, are at the centre of this.

To support those interested in the global B Corp movement, Media Design School (a B Corp) through its sister school, Torrens University Australia, in partnership with B Lab Australia and New Zealand (the global non-profit entity that certifies B Corps) has launched a free online short course that will provide an introduction to the values, processes and standards that underpin B Corps.

The Championing Organisational Change – Introduction to B Corps course outlines the benefits of certification and provides an overview of the certification process. It encourages participants to apply B Corp thinking to their role and their business.

The course is offered 100% online and is mobile friendly, allowing participants the flexibility to study anywhere, at any time, at their own pace. It is run over five modules and there are no entry requirements.

B Corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability in order to balance profit and purpose. B Corps consider their impact on employees, the physical environment and the community, taking a holistic assessment of their business. They are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

There are currently more than 3,500 B Corps globally, with over 300 in Australia and New Zealand (34 of those are in New Zealand). That number has grown since 2013, when there were around 13 businesses certified as B Corps in Australia and New Zealand (one in New Zealand).

“COVID-19 has tested businesses in how they treat their stakeholders. As a B Corp, we have a longstanding commitment to making decisions based on the impact to our students, our employees and society more broadly – not just our shareholders – and we have remained steadfast in this approach as we’ve addressed the challenges of the pandemic,” said Bryce Ives, Vice President of Public Affairs at Media Design School and Torrens University Australia, which have been Certified B Corporations since 2015.

“The societal values that business leaders apply now during the COVID-19 crisis are critical to how businesses will recover in the future. Our B Corp certification will continue to guide us in understanding and improving our impact in the ‘new normal’ of business,” Bryce said.

Media Design School and Torrens University’s commitment to change lives through education and make a positive, enduring impact in the community is demonstrated through the mission: ‘to champion the power of people to connect the world for good’.

This online short course is among 15 being offered for free by Torrens University Australia until the end of the year. Since April, more than 15,380 free online short courses have been undertaken, equating to a contribution from the University of over $2.1 million worth of learning.

To register for Championing Organisational Change – Introduction to B Corps, go to: https://bcorp.torrensonline.com/catalog/info/id:359.

All participants will receive a certificate of completion.

(1) In a global poll conducted by Kekst CNC in June 2020 from a representative sample of 6,000 people in six countries about their environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities, consumers were asked to choose between environmental, social and governance issues. While all of these topics are interconnected, Kekst CNC found that there has been a shift to the ‘S’ of ESG, with a significant proportion of those polled wanting to see businesses focusing on the measures to help society and people.

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