Mission

Our Mission, Vision & Values

Our Mission

Energised by our regional edge on the west coast of Ireland, we are a globally engaged School of Business and Economics for the public good that makes a transformative impact for students, society and business. 

Our Vision

Striving beyond: from our regional edge on the west coast of Ireland, our vision is to make a global impact for the public good by addressing grand challenges through our teaching, research and influence on public policy.

• “Striving beyond” refers to our commitment to innovation and continuous improvement. We are not content only to reflect on what we’ve achieved, but are constantly seeking how we can move further for the benefit of our students, society and business.

• ‘‘Our regional edge on the west coast of Ireland” recognises that our unique location informs and inspires what we do: we are situated at the most western edge of Europe on Ireland’s Atlantic coast, but within a globally significant hub for technology, innovation and creativity. This location provides a unique blend of regional context and global outlook and impact.

• “Global impact for the public good...through our teaching, research and influence on public policy” refers to our commitment that everything we strive to achieve must ultimately be for the public good and have positive impact for our students, society, business and public policy.

• “Grand challenges” links to the significant challenges impacting the world today and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which we can make a contribution. We are particularly focused on the following grand challenges:
  • Digitalisation
  • Global and economic development, innovation, accountability and governance
  • Health and well-being
  • Social inclusion and equality
  • Sustainability, climate and environment.

Our research, teaching and public policy impact address the following specific UN SDGs:

• Good health and well-being
• Decent work and economic growth
• Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• Sustainable communities and cities
• Peace, justice and strong institutions. 

We recognise that sectoral grand challenges can be addressed in different ways. Many of our strengths lie in cross-cutting expertise and thus can address multiple SDGs and grand challenges. 

Our Values

J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics has adopted the University’s values of respect, openness, sustainability and excellence (https://www.nuigalway.ie/strategy2025/ourvalues/).

We have restated how each of these values is expressed and aligned within the School.

RESPECT: We foster a shared, inclusive environment where we respect and value each other by focusing on social responsibility and business and societal impact.

What this means:

• We believe in cultivating a culture where our work and interactions are rooted in trust and respect, and approached with positive intent, to have an impact on the success and sustainability of our people and communities.
• This ethos will underpin our engagement with our diverse and international communities, city, region and the world.
• We value and embrace a strong sense of collegiality among all staff in our School.
• We nurture an engaging and supportive scholarly environment for our students.
• We demonstrate strong, supportive, inclusive and collegial leadership in all our activities.

OPENNESS: We embrace change and are future-focused in how we engage with all stakeholders and our communities.

What this means:

• We champion business and economics education as a force for positive change in today’s society. We promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
• We are committed to social inclusion and providing a welcoming environment where everyone has a sense of belonging and can thrive.
• We are open to the world – to those who come to study and work with us and through our global reach with our international partners and networks.

SUSTAINABILITY: We will integrate the business, economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability for organisational, university and community operations and networks.

What this means:

• We embed sustainability across our learning, our research and the student experience.
• We provide leadership to inform the transition to a sustainable future through our teaching, research, actions and impact.

EXCELLENCE: We strive beyond to exceed expectations and deliver positive impact.

What this means:

• We deliver an excellent, student-centred, research-led teaching and learning experience.
• We produce excellent research that has a real impact on society, business and public policy regionally, nationally and internationally.
• We empower staff and students to make positive impacts on society regionally, nationally and internationally.
• We recognise that our distinctive location within a global hub for technology, innovation and creativity is key to our future success.