A mix of Happiness, Identity Marketing & Donut Economics
Who are you? And what is your Ikigai? How do you get international business to commit to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals? How does the art of happiness relate to doing business? What determines the ‘identity’ of an organisation? Can an organisation be both profitable and ‘conscious’ about people and planet at the same time? If you are intrigued by these questions, please read on since it appears that you have what it takes to fully benefit from our conscious approach to business.
Enroll as
It is possible to register using the following options:
Saxion-student Niet-Saxion-student- Code
M.992
- Start
February, September
- Type
Fulltime
- Language
English
- Max number of students
28
- Location
Enschede
- Minor Type
A: Available for any HBO course, provided there is no overlap with your current education/programme
- Audience
Saxion student, Non-Saxion student
Course content
This minor is built on the fundamental idea that business should look beyond ‘just’ maximising profit. Businesses should employ their enormous potential for a better world by taking full responsibility for the impact they have on people and the environment. This minor explores how conscious business can truly awaken the potential within the economy by working towards a regenerative and inclusive world.
Some of the classes that will be offered are:
- The art of happiness
- Identity marketing
- Economy of meaning
- Communicating with purpose
In today’s world most businesses still operate in an economic system (capitalism) in which the means of production of goods and services are privately owned and operated for a profit. Capitalism has been a key driver of the spectacular growth in GDP that most countries experienced and all the wonderful products that made our lives more comfortable and enjoyable. However, this focus on profit has also triggered some of the biggest social and planetary challenges of today. The capitalist system with profit as its primary indicator for success is not sustainable and needs to be reviewed.
As believers in an ‘economy of meaning’ we feel that the impact on people and planet should be an integral part of what we call ‘success’.
The minor is focused on 4 core competences. As a conscious business professional you will learn to be (more):
- Self-directing and self-conscious
- Critical, analytical and curious
- Expressive, argumentative and convincing
- Culturally and environmentally aware, responsible and unifying
Students that choose this minor will:
- learn how to make use of tools and models available to a ‘marketer of meaning’ in order to gain an in-depth understanding of an organisation’s ‘raison d’ être’;
- experience how to use their strong points to create more meaningful organisations;
- improve their communication skills;
- learn how to translate an identity into a realistic brand promise and plan of action;
- learn that true value can only be created inside-out and based on inclusion;
- research and learn about ways to ‘measure’ consciousness;
- learn how to apply their knowledge and insights to real companies;
- have a lot of freedom to be creative and express their own personal viewpoints and ideas.
The minor is open to all students in possession of their propaedeutic certificate, have a pro-active, open and positive attitude and show an intrinsic motivation to learn about themselves, their purpose in life and how this is connected to doing business in an economy of meaning.
Deliverables
Your personal identity, for example, will manifest itself in your own ‘Book of Life’ and Brand Passport and your take on the economy of meaning will be reflected in a portfolio with discussions and reviews.
Exams
Knowledge on theories and models related to Identity Marketing and Conscious Business will be tested in written and/or oral exams.
Project – report and presentation
The presentation of your conscious business plan will be your chance to demonstrate what you learned and convince your principal to actually realize your advice on how to become a conscious business.
>> Watch the trailer for the minor
"Since I had been working on developing my own consciousness I was immediately drawn by the title, consciousness in business, HOW COOL! And it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for." Max van Alphen, 4th year student Industrial Engineering at Avans Hogeschool Tilburg
"If you are interested in getting to know yourself better and learning about a circular economy, this minor suits you well!" Ezra Dirks, 3rd year Industrial Product Design Student at Windesheim Flevoland
"In my opinion, students should choose the minor Conscious Business, because it widens your view on the world. It challenges you to step out of your comfort zone and see things in another perspective. It teaches you that there is more than making money or making a glamorous career in life." Maurice Zwolle, 4th year student Bedrijfskunde MER at Saxion Hogeschool Enschede
"The minor has provided me with a completely new way of looking at the world. It sheds a new light on the operations of a business and an economy while emphasizing on certain aspects that were never taken into account before such as, the true identity of a company, and acknowledging that infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible." Moesje Berry, 4th year IBMS student at Saxion University of Applied Sciences
More details about the course content?
Would you like more information about the contents, subjects and tests of this course? Click the button and below to check all the details of this program in the Saxion Course Catalogue.
Open the Course Catalogue