Purpose Beyond Profit – An Interview with Maurice Rosenstein
MSc Business Management student, Maurice Rosenstein, won second prize at the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) annual writing competition 2021, for his ground-breaking essay on “Purpose Beyond Profit”.
According to the organisers, the contest – organised for the past five consecutive years – saw some of its most compelling works ever submitted, in 2021.
Students from across the UK and Ireland were challenged to come up with unique ideas and write on the topic of Responsible Business and Management. Maurice decided to create a piece on the importance of purpose-driven business management and sustainable growth.
- What inspired you to choose the theme “purpose beyond profit”?
It was the [postgraduate] module “Building a purpose-driven organisation” led by Dr Miles Weaver. This was the best and most inspiring module that I had throughout my whole academic career. It tried to teach me and my classmates that you can approach business in a way I thought was impossible – with ethics, with a clear purpose of making this world a better place and still making profits.
- What were the biggest challenges when creating the essay?
The biggest challenge was to pinpoint what I wanted to say in an essay that had a restricted number of words I could write. Answering the question of what needs to be incorporated and what can be left out was difficult for me – especially because I really wanted to get the message right that “purpose beyond profit” is an important factor to be considered when it comes to entrepreneurship in times of crisis.
- How strongly do you feel that PRME work is important for the future and why?
PRME stands for Principles for Responsible Management Education. Principles are important to provide a framework to a wider audience to ensure that there is an agreed definition of what is good and what is bad business practice. We need new tools to respond to the great questions of our time and to ensure a just and sustainable transformation of our economies and societies in whole. Management is important to make sure that we understand that we are not bystanders in this existential crisis of our times. Education is needed to educate people of today and future generations to learn from the mistakes of the past, to raise awareness and to enable a better future for everyone.
- How do you think that Napier University helped and prepared you for the essay?
Edinburgh Napier University offers you everything you need to have an amazing time and to excel. I think that Napier has taught me to think critically, to reflect on myself and the state we are in. Therefore, I think the essay I wrote is a natural outcome of my journey of growth at Napier.
- Did the current state of the world influence your theme and why?
Yes, absolutely. The climate crisis is scary, and I cannot think of a more urgent, yet still so underestimated challenge. Everyone needs to wake up and contribute to the fight. Every part of society must play its part. Entrepreneurs have a direct impact on how their organisation influences the communities they touch. Therefore, I hope that my essay can be a part of a discussion on how we should understand entrepreneurship and inspire people to learn more about business purpose beyond profit and what it means.
Click here (https://www.unprme.org.uk/) to find out more about PRME, their work and upcoming competitions and to read Maurice’s essay that will be published in due course.