Dr. Stefan Zagelmeyer, Reader in Comparative and International Business at Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS), has extensive experience in international higher education and research. He leads multiple programmes at AMBS and serves as the Teaching & Education representative on the executive board of the Academy of International Business UK and Ireland. He is member of the organizing team of the AIB UKI Sustainable International Business Global Poster Competition (https://www.aib-uki.org/poster-competition.html).

Reimagining Pedagogy for Global Challenges

Higher education faces growing demands to deliver teaching that is academically rigorous, practically relevant, socially responsible, and responsive to global challenges. Institutions and educators are therefore exploring innovative formats that can prepare students for the complex, multi-stakeholder environments they will encounter after graduation.

Posters have gained recognition as an effective way of combining academic analysis with creativity and communication. They require students to synthesise complex ideas into clear, visually engaging formats that can be shared with peers, instructors, and wider audiences. In doing so, posters help students develop critical skills in knowledge integration, design, and oral presentation, while also fostering collaboration and dialogue.

Poster competitions extend this format by situating learning in applied, participatory contexts. Competitions provide students with opportunities to present work to external audiences, benchmark against peers, and receive feedback. They also create platforms for educators to exchange good practice and for universities to showcase innovation.

Since 2024, the Academy of International Business UK & Ireland (AIB UKI) has hosted the Sustainable International Business Global Poster Competition — endorsed by UNCTAD and PRME — as a global initiative to reimagine how students, educators, and businesses can co-create solutions for sustainability. The competition provides a compelling case study of how poster pedagogy can become a transformative learning tool.

Why Posters? The Pedagogical Rationale

Poster pedagogy combines research, communication, and creativity in ways that mirror academic and professional practice. Posters require students to distil complex analysis into concise, visually engaging formats that can be defended in dialogue with peers, faculty, and external stakeholders.

The approach draws on constructivist, experiential and critical learning traditions by combining knowledge construction, collaboration, reflection, and real-world problem-solving. Posters also embody critical pedagogy by encouraging students to interrogate “wicked problems” and develop transformative solutions. They provide a pedagogical tool which is particularly effective for engaging students with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The AIB UKI Sustainable International Business Global Poster Competition

Launched in 2024, the AIB UKI Sustainable International Business Global Poster Competition has rapidly become a flagship initiative in responsible international business education. It provides a flexible framework for embedding posters into teaching which can be used across disciplines. Open to students at all levels — bachelor’s, master’s, MBA, and doctoral programmes — the competition challenges teams to design research-driven posters that explore how international business organisations can contribute to the SDGs.

Student teams select one of four analytical pathways:

• Wicked Problem Challenge – addressing systemic sustainability challenges.
• Agency & Transition Challenge – analysing how governance and ownership structures shape strategies.
• Portfolio Challenge – evaluating an organisation’s products, markets, partnerships, and activities.
• International Business Model Innovation Challenge – rethinking business models for net positive value.

Submissions must be analytically rigorous, visually compelling, and practically relevant. Posters may be embedded in coursework or developed independently, offering instructors flexibility in their use.

The competition’s philosophy is to empower three groups:

• Students acquire the skills and mindsets of future decision-makers by applying theory to real-world challenges.
• Educators gain access to innovative tools, shared resources, and a supportive community of practice.
• Businesses benefit from concise, research-informed proposals for sustainable transformation.

This model creates a global learning ecosystem that links classrooms with boardrooms, advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

For submission deadlines, teaching resources, sample posters, and details about the organising team and partners, visit: https://www.aib-uki.org/poster-competition.html. The AIB UKI poster competition builds on pioneering work at Rotterdam School of Management led by Prof. Rob van Tulder, who also provides practical guidance, templates, and SDG poster examples on the following teaching support site: https://www.principlesofsustainablebusiness.nl/posters/sdg-posters/.

Pedagogical Advantages and Challenges of Posters and Poster Competitions

Poster competitions deliver benefits at multiple levels:

• Students develop transferable skills in communication, teamwork, and synthesis, and gain confidence and motivation.
• Instructors gain an authentic assessment tool that evaluates subject mastery and communication skills.
• Universities enhance their visibility and reputation by positioning themselves as hubs of innovation.

To reach their potential, poster competitions must be carefully designed and supported:

• For students, posters can be time-intensive and require balancing aesthetics and substance.
• For instructors, implementation requires scaffolding, mentoring, and clear rubrics.
• For universities, competitions demand venues, digital infrastructure, and judging processes.

The AIB UKI competition demonstrates how these challenges can be overcome. Students are supported by tools such as the Better Business Scan while educators benefit from shared teaching materials and an expanding international community of practice.

Practical Illustration: Posters in the MBA Classroom

A vivid example comes from the MBA programme at Alliance Manchester Business School. In the International Business Strategy course, teams explored how Forbes 2000 companies engage with the SDGs and turned their findings into posters. The process — from initial analysis to peer feedback and final revisions — pushed students to think creatively and critically. The outcome was impressive: they not only tackled complex sustainability challenges but also learned how to communicate them with clarity and impact, while recognising that there are no easy fixes. The exercise showed how poster pedagogy can be both inspiring and transformative.

Takeaways

Poster competitions embody constructivist, experiential, and active learning principles, while also supporting critical pedagogy by linking academic knowledge to transformative societal action. The AIB UKI Sustainable International Business Global Poster Competition illustrates how such initiatives can empower students, energise educators, and engage businesses in addressing global challenges.

For educators, posters offer a powerful, student-centred learning tool — provided they are scaffolded and supported. For institutions, they enhance visibility, foster collaboration, and align education with sustainability agendas. For students, they build confidence, transferable skills, and professional networks.

Poster pedagogy is more than an innovative teaching method: it is part of a broader shift toward more engaging, relevant, and impactful higher education.

Resources

• AIB UKI Sustainable International Business Global Poster Competition (submission deadlines, learning and teaching resources, sample posters, and information on the organising team and supporting organisations): https://www.aib-uki.org/poster-competition.html
• van Tulder, R., & van Mil, E. (2023). Principles of Sustainable Business: Frameworks for Corporate Action on the SDGs. Routledge. Supporting website: https://www.principlesofsustainablebusiness.nl/

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