Innovating Business and Education for Sustainable Development (Sustainable Business Development)

In a world where sustainability is no longer optional, this open access volume explores how business, education, and society can evolve together toward a more resilient and responsible future. This comprehensive volume brings together thought leaders, researchers, and practitioners from around the globe to explore strategies in sustainable marketing and business model innovation. Delving into the circular economy and environmental innovation, Part 1 provides practical frameworks and visionary insights, from digital transformation in Vietnam to regenerative ecosystem thinking and circular breweries. Part 2 turns to the social dimension of sustainability—examining job-related well-being, social ventures with dual missions, and the rise of senior women entrepreneurs in India. From Chinese online platforms in Switzerland to nearshoring in Central Eastern Europe, Part 3 dissects the shifting landscape of sustainable commerce. Part 4 focuses on governance and sustainability reporting. Finally, part 5 highlights transformative approaches to education for economic and sustainable development. With real-world case studies—from IT service-learning in rural South Africa to design thinking in business education—chapters in this part showcase the power of collaboration between universities and businesses to shape future-ready professionals.

This volume for academics, entrepreneurs or corporate leaders offers global perspectives and inspiring pathways to embed sustainability at the heart of businesses.

Arie Hans Verkuil, Professor, PhD, is a theologian and holds a doctorate in business ethics from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. He has a postgraduate degree in nonprofit management from the Institute for Association, Foundation and Cooperative Management (VMI) at the University of Fribourg, and Swiss Postgraduate Studies in Human Resource Management (SNP). He is a lecturer in management, mindful leadership, and ethics at the School of Business, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, and heads the Institute of Management there. He was a strategic advisor to the Swiss Federal Administration for many years. He is a member of various international scientific advisory boards and reviewer for international conferences and scientific publications.

Uta Milow, Professor, PhD, is a lecturer and researcher of economics at FHNW with a research focus on sustainable and international entrepreneurship. She attended the University of Mannheim, Germany, and the University of Oregon, USA. After finishing a master’s degree in economics, she continued her studies with a PhD program in Economics at Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen, Germany. She participated in an interdisciplinary postgraduate research program on European integration (political science, law, and economics). Since 2000 she has been a lecturer at the School of Business FHNW. She is head of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs at the School of Business, FHNW, and is responsible for all executive education programs of the Institute of Management, FHNW.

Andreas Hinz, Professor, PhD, is Program Manager of the Swiss-Asian MBA and of the MBA-MCI programme, Ho Chi Minh City/Vietnam, at the School of Business, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland. His research focuses on entrepreneurship, business model innovation, startup incubation, startup competitions in Switzerland and Asia, and digital transformation. His current research projects are on startup incubators for refugees, digitalization and smart service portals of public organizations, and in-vitro diagnostics / e-Health.

Mahmoud Al-Kilani, Professor, PhD, is at the School of Business, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland. He has a PhD from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK, and has a postgraduate degree in teaching and learning in higher education. His research focus is on business model innovation, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial ecosystems, business start-ups, and sustainability. He is involved in various projects, on the landscape of intangible reporting, which is a joint project of KPMG and the International Association for Accounting Education & Research; and on social innovation hubs in the Middle East.