Business with Purpose

The phrase ‘business with purpose’ is not a new sector in the traditional sense, but terminology that seeks to define the changes we are seeing within the business world.

There has been a huge shift in the business sector over the last few years, with a large proportion of companies putting a greater focus on sustainability initiatives, social and environmental impact, and employee welfare. This is sometimes referred to as ESG: environmental, social and governance matters. As well as this section, take a look at the business and management overview, charity and social enterprise overview, and energy, sustainability and the environment overview in this Guide.

A huge range of roles exist in this area, from operational, financial and managerial (for example, sustainability manager, supply chain manager), to technical. Other roles use research or academic skills (for example, climate science, sustainability knowledge, wellbeing at work), or involve consultancy, teaching or training or technical skills (for example, material scientists, environmental scientists).

When conducting your job search, it is worth looking at the structure of individual companies to see if the organisation takes sustainability, environmental, and social issues seriously by embedding them within company values and strategic planning. If there is someone in a senior position within that company who is charged with leading on strategy for sustainability, for example, this is a good indicator that the company is looking at its suppliers, customers, environmental impact, communities, and wellbeing of employees alongside pure profit and shareholder interests.

One way of showing that you are a ‘business with purpose’ in a meaningful and recognisable way is by certifying as B Corp. In order to be certified, a company must undergo an evaluation process and impact assessment. These businesses are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. The majority of B Corps will also ensure their business goals are aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. There is more information on B Corps on bcorporation.uk.

The following insights and advice can also help:

•Develop expertise and relevant skills in a different sector before moving into a business with purpose. • Browse job adverts to understand which roles commonly require further study and qualifications.

Investigate career destinations of graduates as well as the backgrounds of the tutors of further study courses. • Ask alumni and others working in your preferred field for course recommendations. • The vast majority of roles are advertised as individual opportunities – check organisations’ websites, as well as sector-specific job sites such as B Work. • Consider the issues that are important to you. Do you want to work to minimise plastic use? Are you interested in innovating materials to be more eco friendly? • Unilever, Danone and P&G are taking great steps to move big business forward in this area. You could also look at Patagonia and Finisterre (retail/fashion sector), Ella’s Kitchen (fast-moving consumer goods),

Triodos Bank (finance) and Kickstarter (community and crowdsourced funding platform) for growth examples. See the B Corp directory for a list of certified companies.

Getting in and entry points

Competition for positions can be high so relevant experience on your CV is vital. Consider: • Advertised internships and short-term seasonal jobs. • Asking directly about jobs, internships or volunteering by networking and approaching speculatively.

Positions may not be advertised widely (or at all!).

Extra-curricular ideas

•Join or follow the work of relevant societies such as, the Oxford Climate Society, or become a member of your college’s Green Impact Team. • Seek out companies within the Oxford area who are seeking to do business better. Look at OXWash and certified B Corp ClimateCare as a starting point. • Submit articles for publications on issues relating to

‘business with purpose’. • Create a LinkedIn profile and follow business with purpose thought leaders like Paul Polman (ex-P&G,

Nestle and Unilever) and Colin Mayer (Said Business

School) to keep up-to-date.

More information

www.careers.ox.ac.uk/business-management www.careers.ox.ac.uk/charities www.careers.ox.ac.uk/sustainability-environment www.careers.ox.ac.uk/careers-with-social-impact www.careers.ox.ac.uk/entrepreneurship-socialenterprise