1. Our Vision

In 2019, inspired by its founding commitment and under the guidance of the University’s vision and mission, the SBA developed a brand-new vision, “To build a first-class business school integrating economics, law, and management, while taking a firm hold in south-central China and facing the world”. “Taking a firm hold in south-central China” conforms to the original mission of ZUEL’s founding and carries the University’s heritage, whilst highlighting brand competitiveness and regional impact. Against the backdrop of globalization, “Facing the world” means that the SBA must take a path towards managing internationalized education by adhering to the principles of allinclusiveness, globalization, and the combination of “bringing in and going out”. “Integrating economics, law and management” means cultivating interdisciplinary talent in a systemic way to understand economics, law and management. This should be undertaken by exploiting ZUEL’s disciplinary advantages and considering the developmental concept of intersection, infiltration, and integration. “To build a first-class business school” captures our ambition and ultimate goal, which is to establish the SBA as a globally recognized institution and home to trailblazing researchers, change- makers, and socially responsible entrepreneurs.

2. Our Mission Statement

In alignment with ZUEL’s vision, the SBA further clarifies its mission statement, “To create business knowledge, contribute business wisdom, and cultivate business elites”. This mission statement indicates that the School strives for innovation and dissemination of business knowledge by exploiting two of its featured disciplines, Business Management and Applied Economics, and thereby expanding the breadth and depth of the theories and practices to China’s and the world’s economic development. By adhering to the integration of theory and practice, and by giving full play to its high-end think tank capabilities, the SBA contributes business wisdom to serve the community, business and the government. In so doing, the School aims to succeed in cultivating top responsible business minds with well-rounded abilities, solid academic backgrounds and a global vision.

3. Our Value(s)

To guarantee the smooth implementation of its vision and mission, the School upholds the philosophy that “Knowledge and practice bring you truth. Honesty and integrity take you far”. Confucian wisdom has it that knowledge guides social practices, and social practices in turn consolidate knowledge; only through an integration of knowledge and practice can one live a fulfilled, driven life and achieve a state of Nirvana, and this always rings true for learners and faculty alike. It’s the School’s belief that this Confucian wisdom can and should be readily applied to business education. “Honesty and integrity take you far” means that you can never lose your credibility regardless of the organization, institution, individual or matter. As an old Chinese saying goes, “A person does not stand without honesty and integrity whilst a bird does not fly without wings”. Similarly, the SBA cannot go far without honesty and integrity. In practicing this value, the School has spared no efforts in teaching equality and diversity, stressing the significance of honesty and integrity, and making sure that members of its learning community uphold the same values in their future business activities

4. Our Strategy

According to ZUEL’s strategic plan and goals and the School's own characteristics, the SBA updated its strategy in 2020: “pursuing international trends, embracing local practice, promoting School advantages, and delivering responsible education.”

Pursuing International Trends: Toward Cutting-Edge Global Education

The school aims to build an international educational profile, promoting global educational exchanges by adopting best practices in teaching, research, and services. The school has been working assiduously to adjust to a fast-paced, technology-focused world, helping learners reflect on challenges and opportunities they may encounter. It plans to encourage its faculty to incorporate real-world business scenarios and practices into teaching, research, and consultancy to help local and international businesses develop a sense of ongoing technological advances.

Embracing Local Practices: Toward Global Education Embedded in Local Conditions

While pursuing global best practices, the school is aware of the pressing need to develop strategies grounded in local realities. Embracing local practices implies that the research must align with China’s local characteristics. For years, SBA has funded China-oriented research projects, case studies, and teaching practices to promote a new era of international knowledge. Furthermore, the school prioritizes guiding economic transformation and upgrading. Thus, encouraging extensive fieldwork and conducting thorough research is fundamental before prescribing solutions to the pressing managerial problems plaguing local companies, markets, and the economy. Further, creating a forum that enables faculty and researchers to apply their expertise to real-world issues that affect local communities and governments is an equally important goal.

Promoting the School’s Advantages: Toward an Interdisciplinary Training Regime

In the near future, the SBA will reform its educational practices and principles to deliver quality educational experiences to an open-minded learning community. The school has long fostered a new generation of business minds with a solid background in economics, law, and management (ELM), by building on its traditional strengths and key advantages and developing comprehensive training.

Delivering Responsible Education: Making a Fair Contribution to Education, Research, and Practices Geared Toward Global Responsible Management

The school adheres firmly to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and strives to make valuable contributions to programmes, research projects, and social service activities to support responsible management. The school’s strategic planning and implementation are based on PRME’s six basic principles. Aspiring to establish itself as a world-class business school, the unit will promote its core values, as embedded in its founding motto, “Knowledge and practice bring you truth; Honesty and integrity take you far.” This will be achieved through organizational practices and by fostering an informed, empowered, and impassioned business community.