Digital business for the future

BEbusiness: Sustainable, digital and entrepreneurial

«We empower professionals, leaders and organisations to shape our transformation towards a sustainable, digital and value-driven economy and society.» - that is our vision. By studying at the BFH Business School our graduates will be instilled with creativity and initiative. They will become responsible and entrepreneurial members of the business community. We will also give them the practical skills they need to be interculturally competent and digitally agile.  

At the BFH Business School we define ourselves through research with real-world applications. Our research fields including new work, digital technology management and sustainable business are incorporated into our degree and continuing education programmes using flexible teaching methods.  

As service provider to the economic area of Bern, innovation and entrepreneurship are at the heart of what we do. We use our knowledge and expertise to support the public and private sectors as they undergo digital transformation.  

Digital skills are key in the future of management and our strategy will help us all overcome the challenges of the steep digital-learning curve. Together we are ready for a digital future. 

Our teaching and institutes

In order to achieve our vision and mission we continue to develop teaching, continuing education and research. We focus our effort on the following key topics in our “Focus Areas”. 

The Institute Applied data science & finance aims to establish itself as a leading Swiss research institution for data-driven, finance-based and strategic insights, analyses and value creation. An interdisciplinary team of around 25 researchers therefore researches and teaches on topics related to data science, data ethics, data and technology management, data-driven business models, corporate finance, digital finance, corporate finance, tax, accounting and financial reporting.

Institute Applied data science & finance (in German)

The skills, knowledge and system features that are necessary for the implementation of digitalisation projects will be the second area of focus for our research and services. The emphasis here will be on empowering individuals, organisations and society through digital skills; data use and management; open and linked data and robust and adaptive systems.
This also includes continuous development of professional disciplines (e.g. management, IT, HR) and interdisciplinary cooperation employing digital tools – without neglecting the ethical implications of their use.

Institute Digital Technology Management (in German)

We will be placing an emphasis in our research and services on the emergence and diffusion of innovation as the basis of entrepreneurial ventures, the definition and implementation of corporate strategies, and the modelling and simulation of complex value chains. Social entrepreneurship and “low-end innovation” are two specific concepts of interest to our research - both of which bring to the fore the importance and influence of decision-making in the innovation process.

Institute innovation and strategic entrepreneurship (in German)

Here we develop solutions in research and teaching for challenging problems of companies that operate in a networked world. In doing so, we also promote business-related communication and interculturality, thus enabling our students to develop their language skills through our institute. We use both quantitative and qualitative social and economic methods: We conduct state-of-the-art research in the areas of expertise of our institute.

Institute marketing & global management (in German)

Our research and services will place particular emphasis on leadership, organisation and personnel - in particular, issues relating to diversity and inclusion. Some of the current topics that are of particular interest are the recruitment of women in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and ICT (information and communications technology) professions, balancing work and family, issues relating to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, aging workforces as well as discrimination in the labour market. Our research on leadership and organisation will investigate, amongst other things, mobile lifestyles, organisational design and mindfulness/positive leadership - which we consider the human aspects of digitalisation.

Institute new work (in German)

Here, our research and services will focus on the changes and adjustments in the public sector brought about by digitalisation.
The emphasis will be on identifying new opportunities for participation through digital democracy, the infrastructure required for a digital economy and society. We will also investigate the processes of change in public sector innovation (e.g. health institutions and e-health).

Institute public sector transformation

Here we will focus on sustainable businesses, their underlying values and stakeholders. We will take a systemic approach aligned with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). This will also include investigations of the circular economy/sustainable value chains and sustainable consumption.

Institute sustainable business (in German)