VCU news

By Blake Birdwell

Van Wood, Ph.D., professor of marketing at Virginia Commonwealth University, will head up the School of Business’ new Globalization and Sustainability certificate program.

The program comes from a need to focus on sustainability and globalization simultaneously — something Wood says he has never seen in any other certificate program worldwide. The program originates from a partnership between the School of Business’ Center for International Business Advancement and the Environic Foundation International, a nonprofit research and education foundation.

Participants will learn that global forces once seen as obstacles are now opportunities for growth.

“We think this is significant, because we believe these two concepts represent the two ‘super-stories’ of our time,” Wood said. “And if individuals come to understand both of these stories and how they can lead to new insights into competitive advantage in business, differentiation of product or service offerings, and/or better positioning of one's brand when compared to competitor's brands, then it becomes apparent how such understanding can allow any organization to do well and do good.

“These ‘super-stories’ will dominate the 21st century.”

The curriculum of the program will include how globalization and sustainability impact organizations, how organizations can respond to these forces and how to integrate sustainability strategy into business strategy.

The program is limited to 40 participants, whose acceptance is based upon their backgrounds and interests. The three-hour class was launched this week and will continue every Wednesday for 10 weeks.

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