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The Green Business and Sustainable Development School—A Case Study for an Innovative Educational Concept to Prevent Big Ideas from Failure

Author

Listed:
  • Jan Nicolai Hennemann

    (Department of Communication, University of Zilina, Sweco GmbH, Graeffstr. 5, 50823 Cologne, Germany)

  • Bernd Draser

    (Ecosign, Akademie für Gestaltung, Vogelsangerstr. 250, 50825 Cologne, Germany)

  • Katarina Repkova Stofkova

    (Department of Communication, University of Zilina, Univerzitná 1, 01026 Žilina, Slovakia)

Abstract

This article addresses the question of why initiatives in the field of green business and sustainable development often fail. Therefore, it dismantles some typical patterns of failure and shows—as a case study—how these patterns can be challenged through an innovative educational concept: the green business and sustainable development school. The applied methodology is a real-life project that is designed through methodological elements stemming from business model canvas, theory U, stakeholder participation, and design thinking. The results of the school initiative are discussed and evaluated by four distinctive stakeholder groups and the school’s supporting potential to overcome typical patterns of failure in the green business and sustainable development arena by the younger generation in the future is outlined. This article concludes with ideas to enhance the school concept to reach even more stakeholder-groups and increase its reliability and viability.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Nicolai Hennemann & Bernd Draser & Katarina Repkova Stofkova, 2021. "The Green Business and Sustainable Development School—A Case Study for an Innovative Educational Concept to Prevent Big Ideas from Failure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:1943-:d:497702
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dima Alina-Mihaela & Meghisan-Toma Georgeta-Madalina, 2018. "Reserch on implementing education for sustainable development," Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, Sciendo, vol. 12(1), pages 300-310, May.
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    3. Walter Leal Filho & Kay Emblen-Perry & Petra Molthan-Hill & Mark Mifsud & Leendert Verhoef & Ulisses Miranda Azeiteiro & Paula Bacelar-Nicolau & Luiza Olim de Sousa & Paula Castro & Ali Beynaghi & Jen, 2019. "Implementing Innovation on Environmental Sustainability at Universities Around the World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-16, July.
    4. Lukas Folkens & Volker Wiedemer & Petra Schneider, 2020. "Monetary Valuation and Internalization of Externalities in German Agriculture Using the Example of Nitrate Pollution: A Case-Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-19, August.
    5. Boris Mrkajic & Samuele Murtinu & Vittoria G. Scalera, 2019. "Is green the new gold? Venture capital and green entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(4), pages 929-950, April.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Sirous Bahmani & Panteha Farmanesh & Amir Hossein Khademolomoom, 2023. "Effects of Green Human Resource Management on Innovation Performance through Green Innovation: Evidence from Northern Cyprus on Small Island Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-16, February.

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