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International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) is the largest of the seven academic units of Xi’an Jiaotong – Liverpool University (XJTLU), one of a small group of pioneer transnational universities in China. Founded in 2013, IBSS’s mission is “to contribute to society through bridging East and West, delivering student-centred education and conducting impact-oriented research, and acting as a catalyst of business education and sustainable development”. The school’s vision is “to be a model international business school in China, driving impact creation in the business community and society we serve”. IBSS is international, with all classes taught in English and students exposed to elements of both the Chinese and UK educational systems.

Location and Campus
IBSS is located within the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), home to over 150 of the Fortune 500 companies and a total of 4,400 foreign investment projects in the area worth $34 billion. Suzhou’s position within the Yangtze River Delta region also provides IBSS and its students with geographic, economic and employment opportunities.

The six-floor IBSS Business School Building occupies around 6,500 m2 on the South Campus, and possesses a variety of rooms of different sizes. The IBSS building has the capacity to accommodate up to 2,800 Undergraduate students, over 1,000 Postgraduate students and around 90 PhD students at any one time. In addition, the building has facilities that are specially designed for interactive learning of up to 150 MBA students and 200 Executive Education students. There are 70 classrooms of varied sizes, including 13 Harvard-style lecture theatres and a large auditorium with an audience capacity of up to 500 people. Seven of the Harvard-style lecture theatres and the auditorium are equipped with simultaneous interpretation facilities, and 19 of the business school’s classrooms feature lecture capture technology. XJTLU possesses extensive sports facilities, catering facilities and many canteen-style fast-food options. Landscaped gardens complement pieces of modern art to create a campus environment that has become one of the most striking features of the Suzhou Industrial Park. XJTLU's South Campus, completed in 2018 and where the business school building is situated, serves a blend of modern and historical architecture.

History
IBSS was established in 2013 as the only school (distinct from a department) within the University, replacing the Department of Business, Economics and Management (BEM) at XJTLU. Key events in the history of IBSS are as follows :
 * 2006 Foundation of XJTLU as unique Sino-UK joint venture with first Undergraduate degree in Department of Business, Economics and Management (BEM).
 * 2011 Launch of the first Postgraduate programme (MSc Finance)
 * 2013 Appointment of the first Dean, Professor Sarah Dixon, and official launch of IBSS.
 * 2013 IBSS becomes signatory of Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative
 * 2014 Launch of the International MBA for Executives (IMBA) and the first Executive Education programme (Stanley Black & Decker)
 * 2014–16 Launch of nine new MSc programmes
 * 2016 Appointment of a new Dean, Professor Jean Chen
 * 2016 Award of Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) initial accreditation
 * 2017 New IBSS building completed
 * 2018 Award of EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) initial accreditation.
 * 2019 Appointment of new Dean, Professor Jorg Bley
 * 2020 Award of EFMD Business School Impact System (BSIS) label.
 * 2020 Award of Business Graduates Association (BGA) initial accreditation for IBL Programme.
 * 2020 Award of Association of MBAs (AMBA) initial accreditation and Triple Crown status.
 * 2021 IBSS hosts the 8th PRME Responsible Management Education Research Conference, the first time this conference has been hosted in China

Accreditation
IBSS was awarded Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Accreditation in 2016, EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) Accreditation in 2018 and Association of MBA (AMBA) Accreditation in 2020. This made it the youngest business school in history to achieve Triple Crown accreditation status, and one of approximately 110 business schools worldwide to possess this status. The school was also awarded Business School Graduate (BGA) Accreditation in 2020, in addition to the EFMD Business School Impact System (BSIS) label in the same year. IBSS became a UN Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) signatory in 2013 and cofounded the UN PRME China Chapter in 2020.

Academic Units
IBSS is comprised of five departments: Accounting (ACC), Finance (FIN), Economics (ECO), Strategic Management and Operations (SMO) and Intelligent Operations and Marketing (IOM). The School is involved in several joint programmes with, or provides modules to, other departments; for example, Computer Science, Mathematics and China Studies.

Programmes
IBSS provides a broad range of programmes covering each of the major business disciplines, such as management, accounting, finance, economics, operations, marketing, and information systems, all of which are reviewed regularly based on the needs of the local and international business community. These programmes are as follows : IBSS’s BSc Information Management and Information Systems programme (IMIS) was awarded the Brand Programme Development Project fund of the provincial DoE for four years in 2015. In 2019, Both IMIS and International Business with a Language (IBL) received further acclaim with their recognition as “Jiangsu Brand Programmes”. Both of these programmes then went on to become nationally recognised with the awarding of “National Top-ranking Undergraduate Programme” status in 2020.
 * BSc/BMan Information Management and Information Systems (joint with Computer Science and Software Engineering Dept.)
 * BA/BMan Accounting
 * BSc/BEcon Economics
 * BA/BMan Marketing
 * BA/BMan Business Administration
 * BA/BMan Human Resource Management
 * BSc Economics and Finance/BEcon Economics
 * BA International Business with a Language/BA International Business (joint with the Language Centre)
 * BSc/BEcon Financial Mathematics (joint with Mathematical Sciences Dept.)
 * BA English and Finance/BA English (joint with English, Culture and Communication Dept.)
 * BA English and International Business/BA English (joint with English, Culture and Communication Dept.)
 * MSc Finance
 * MSc Management
 * International MBA
 * MSc Economics and Finance
 * MSc Investment Management
 * MSc Operations and Supply Chain Management
 * MSc Professional Accounting
 * MSc Business Analytics
 * MSc Project Management
 * PhD Management
 * PhD Economics and Finance

IBSS is also a member of the Quantitative Techniques for Economics and Management (QTEM) Network and Global Business School Network (GBSN), which provide students with valuable exchange opportunities and support the growth of developing nations through higher education initiatives.

Research Centres and Labs/Platforms
IBSS has invested in growing a number of school level research centres and labs that focus on research relevant to local industries, with these found below:
 * Centre for Fintech Studies
 * Centre for Responsible and Sustainable Business Education
 * Biometrics Lab
 * IBSS Research Platform
 * Experimental Economics Lab
 * Research Institute for Operations and Supply Chain Excellence (University-level)

Executive Education
Over the past 6 years IBSS has launched and maintained a series of landmark executive education projects with leading firms and corporations. The school’s flagship CRRC International Talent Development Programme, held from 2016-2020, is most representative of what the business school has to offer in terms of internationalised executive education. The underlying rationale behind the programme was to equip the next generation of management with the skills and knowledge they required to bring the company success internationally.

In 2019, IBSS expanded its focus to include the development of open enrolment programmes. The first open enrolment programmes, titled “Finance for Non-Financial Executives” was launched in December 2019, and the school launched 6 more programmes in 2020.