oikos International

oikos International
founding	1987
Seat	St. Gallen , Switzerland
motto	be informed, get involved, make a difference! ; ("Get smart, join in, make the difference!")
main emphasis	sustainability
Action space	Global
Website	www.oikos-international.org

oikos International - students for sustainable economics and management is an international student organization ( non-governmental organization ) that aims to raise awareness of sustainable development among future decision-makers by trying to sensitize students to long-term, prudent thinking. In practice, the work of oikos u. a. the organization of lectures, conferences, excursions, panel discussions, simulation games and workshops.

history

oikos was founded in 1987 as a local student initiative at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland by the students Paschen von Flotow, Kalle Gernandt, Athos Staub and Guido Boller. The founding advisory board included Hans Christoph Binswanger and Hans Ulrich . It was originally run under the name "oikos - The Environmental Economics Student Initiative at the University of St. Gallen", with a focus on environmental issues in the economy. Over the next few years, oikos has expanded its offering to include lectures, workshops and conferences in order to integrate environmental issues into the curricula of business studies. oikos became a driving force behind the founding of many organizations, namely the "ÖBU - Swiss Association for Ecologically Conscious Corporate Management", the "oikos Foundation" and the "Institute for Economics and Ecology" at the University of St. Gallen.

The "Oikos - Foundation for Economy and Ecology" was founded in 1990.

In 1997 oikos began to expand its activities on an international level and to strengthen ecological and social awareness not only among the students in St. Gallen, but also in the business and management faculties around the world. In the course of this process, oikos broadened its focus on social issues in business.

In 1998 four new chapters (local groups) were founded: oikos Cologne, oikos Prague, oikos International as an umbrella organization, with its headquarters in St. Gallen. Since then, many new chapters have been added and others have disbanded. Nevertheless, oikos International is a stable network with currently 30 chapters, most of which are in Europe. Since 2006 the representatives of the chapters and the oikos Foundation have been meeting regularly with the president and the board of oikos International to discuss further goals. In 2009 there were 30 chapters on 4 continents in which students are committed to oikos.

aims

The main goal of oikos is to increase the competence of future decision-makers with regard to sustainable development. To achieve this goal, oikos wants to:

Promote awareness of sustainable alternatives and challenges with an eye to economics and management students
not only support their skills in long-term analysis of economic, ecological and social trends, but also implement sustainable innovations
create institutional support for these learning processes by integrating sustainable topics into teaching and research

Etymology of the name

oikos is the Greek root of "economy" and "ecology". The word was chosen as a name to combine these two terms. Oikos (ancient Greek οἶκος) was the household community or house in ancient Greece and was the center of life.
The term " economy " is derived from the ancient Greek word οἰκονόμος (oíkonomos). It consists of the ancient Greek οἶκος (oíkos) "house" and νόμος (nomos) "law", and means housekeeper or landlord, which connects to the term "economy".
The " ecology ", from the ancient Greek οίκος (oíkos) "house / household" and λόγος (logos) "doctrine", the exact translation means the "doctrine of household", but today mostly means the sub-discipline of biology, which deals with the Environment is concerned and is often confused with environmental protection.

About sustainable business

The general definition of sustainability ( Sustainable Economics and Management ) from the Brundtland Report of 1987 states that sustainable development meets the needs of today's generation without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs and choose their lifestyle . As a result, the economy faces the challenge of minimizing the damage caused by its processes, while creating economic, ecological and social values. From oikos' point of view , the gap between sustainability aspects in training, which is required by innovative companies and the actual courses offered by many business schools, must be closed. oikos would like to prepare students of economics and management for the challenge of "sustainability".

organization structure

The practical work of oikos takes place under the umbrella of the international network "oikos International" in local working groups, called "Chapters". As a result, oikos combines global thinking with local action, based on the motto “Think global, act local!” .

The working groups

The individual chapters distributed all over the world are assigned to a university, whereby the members do not necessarily have to study at this university. The chapters are independent legal entities (associations registered in Germany) whose statutes conform to the statutes of oikos International. Each chapter is headed by a board of directors elected annually at the general assembly and supported by an advisory board, the members of which are usually elected every 2 years. To ensure the stability of the individual chapters, they must meet certain conditions that are prescribed in the statutes of oikos International. Therefore, a newly created chapter is initially a “Chapter in Accession” until it has achieved the stability that it needs for sustainable and successful work. The representatives of all chapters at the “Legislative Meeting” decide on the admission of a new chapter and the change of status from “Chapter in accession” to “Chapter”. This is the international general meeting that takes place during one of the biannual international meetings. Twice a year, in spring and autumn, members of all chapters meet for the "Spring Meeting" and "Autumn Meeting". The meeting is held at the location of a chapter and is also organized by this in cooperation with oikos International.

oikos International

oikos International is the umbrella organization of oikos , which by the International Board ( "Executive Board") and the President or the President is headed. Like the local chapters, there is an international advisory council. Oikos International is financially supported by the oikos Foundation. The members of oikos International remain members or alumni of their local oikos chapters.

The tasks of oikos International are the coordination of the work between the individual chapters and the connection between local and international levels. In addition, the foundation of new chapters and stabilization of the existing ones is supported. Specifically, this is realized through seminars, financial support, cooperation projects on an international level and contacts to key people in the region.