Press Release

BSL MBA Students in the Top 10 in the Aspen Institute Case Competition

Lausanne, Switzerland, April 16, 2013 – BSL’s MBA team placed in the Top 10 and earned an honorable mention in the Aspen Institute’s 2013 Business & Society International MBA Case Competition. The team included MBA students Almendra Salazar, Jon Baguley, Juan Barbero and Mischa Liatowitsch. BSL is one of the 25 leading business schools worldwide, among which only 4 European schools, chosen to participate in the prestigious case competition this year.

The Aspen Institute’s Business & Society International MBA Case Competition represents a real-life business challenge at the intersection of corporate profitability and positive environmental, social and ethical impacts. Now in its fourth year, the competition encourages the next generation of business leaders to think innovatively about the role of business in solving the world’s most pressing issues.

This year, more than 800 students of 25 MBA programs worldwide tackled a new case study, co-authored by the Yale School of Management and the National University of Singapore Business School, focused on questions of regional economic development and environmental sustainability that Golden Agri-Resources – the world’s second largest palm oil plantation company – are currently facing. Students had three days to analyze and respond to the new business and society-focused case study. A total of 11 BSL MBA students competed in 3 teams and their work was reviewed by a BSL panel of academic judges which determined the first place campus team.

“I am proud of our MBA participants’ contribution, in such a prestigious competition. Their strategic approaches not only made business sense but demonstrated a solid understanding of how to engage with stakeholders to address a highly controversial business dilemma with significant impact on both the environment and society,” said Dr. Katrin Muff, Dean of BSL. “Our teams have proven an agility to look beyond business for inter-disciplinary solutions for the common good - truly impressive in the analysis and recommendations. It gives me hope that we are on the right path to educate future leaders capable of addressing the complex environmental, economic and societal challenges we are and will be facing.”

The BSL campus winner was selected from hundreds of student competitors in the Top 10 of 25 participating business school teams. BSL’s successful participation in the Aspen Institute case competition reflects the school’s orientation towards integrating sustainability and responsibility in management education.

“More than ever before, business leaders are responsible for contemplating and acting on how industry can best tackle societal issues that have direct impact on long-term business success,” said Nancy McGaw, Director of the Aspen Institute’s Center for Business Education. “Now in its fourth year, this preeminent case study competition aims to inspire the kind of visionary leadership needed at the critical nexus of business and society.”

BSL’s MBA program is open to students of any undergraduate major. For more information on BSL’s MBA program, visit http://www.bsl-lausanne.ch/programs/mba/mba/home or call +41 21 619 06 06 .

Learn more about the 2013 Business & Society International MBA Case Competition by visiting the Competition’s official website: www.AspenCaseCompetition.org .

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About the Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute Business & Society Program equips business leaders for the 21st century with the vision and knowledge to integrate corporate profitability and social value. Through our extensive work in management education, we help business educators incorporate issues of social and environmental stewardship into teaching and research by offering targeted resources, networks, and a platform to share cutting-edge practice among peers. We maintain close ties with over 150 MBA programs in 28 countries and our websites draw over 100,000 visits monthly.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC, Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and has an international network of partners.

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About Business School Lausanne Business School Lausanne is a leading innovator in business education and ranks 3rd in Switzerland (QS Global 200 Business Schools Report 2012/13). The school’s ACBSP accredited degree programs include BBA and Specialized Masters, full-time modular MBA, Executive MBA and DBA programs. BSL also provides Executive Training in Sustainable Business, General Management and Corporate Finance (with preparation for the CFA Level I examination) for qualified working professionals. BSL takes a pragmatic approach to learning by applying theory to practice and is backed by a multidisciplinary faculty of business professionals. BSL attracts students from around the world, creating a multicultural environment of more than 60 nationalities. Established in 1987, BSL is the co-founder of the World Business School Council of Sustainable Business (www.wbscsb.com).