Global Competitiveness Report (GCR)
Coordinated by: María Luisa Blázquez.  

In collaboration with Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, IESE is the official Spanish partner of the World Economic Forum for Global Competitiveness Report (GCR).  This effort, formerly directed by the late Prof. Eduardo Ballarín, is coordinated by María Luisa Blázquez with the support of the Center for Globalization and Strategy.

The report utilizes two complementary indices to analyze the competitive situation of each country: the Growth Competitiveness Index (GCI) and the Business Competitiveness Index (BCI).

The rankings are the result of data published and of the Survey of Executive Opinion, a detailed survey carried out by the World Economic Forum, and in the last year included more than 8.700 leaders of business of 104 countries.

Spanish Chapter  of The Global Competitiveness Report 2003-2004.

Spanish Chapter  and Press Release  of The Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005.

Spanish Chapter  and Press Release  of The Global Competitiveness Report 2005-2006.

Spanish Chapter  and Press Release  of The Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007.

More information

Governance and Contracts:
Coordinated by: IESE professor África Ariño and research assistant Iryna Barodzich.

Africa Ariño’s work has significantly contributed to the research carried out in this field, with particular emphasis on the dynamics and evolution of strategic alliances. This work includes analyses of negotiating processes, factors that may influence the shape and dynamics of the alliances formed, the relationships between the different partners, quality, and the levels of trust between the parties involved. Against this background, Professor Ariño has studied various aspects of the strategic alliance process in order to offer a better understanding of the added value that such alliances bring.

Over the last year, research in this area has included two new aims: firstly, to provide greater in-depth knowledge of the contractual aspects of strategic alliances, and secondly, to provide an accurate way of measuring the results.

Foreign Direct Investment: Decision Models
Coordinated by: IESE Professor Africa Ariño.

The study analyzes the decision making criteria used by top executives when deciding whether to involve their company in a foreign direct investment, focusing on which target and market characteristics are the most important for evaluating an international joint venture or acquisition opportunity.

China was selected as the context of the study as it is a rapidly expanding market, providing foreign companies with excellent opportunities for strategic investment. Using a report of thirty potential investment opportunities in China, executives in Europe and America are asked to evaluate the attractiveness of each venture. As a result, we are able to analyze the criteria executives use when the decision-making process takes place.

The research project is a joint initiative with Prof. Beverly Tyler, North Caroline State University, and Prof. Jeffrey J. Reuer, University of North Carolina.

Social Entrepreneurship
Coordinated by IESE Professor Johanna Mair and research assistant Kate Ganly.

This year, the conclusions from the "Social Entrepreneurs as Competitors and Partners in the Global Market" workshop are being recorded in tangible documents. The workshop analyzed how companies can work with social entrepreneurs to speed up the creation of new markets and position themselves as trusted suppliers. The main strategies that companies must adopt in order to implement sustainable development were identified.

The book Social Entrepreneurship (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) by Johanna Mair, Jeffrey Robinson, and Kai Hockerts was recently published. The work sums up findings from the "International Social Entrepreneurship Research" conference and offers an in-depth and comprehensive discussion of this growing area of research. Buy

Strategies to Fight Global Poverty: An Institutional Perspective
Coordinated by IESE Professor Johanna Mair and research assistant Kate Ganly.

Given recent and impending changes to the legal aspects of foreign investment in India, it has become increasingly attractive for multinationals to do business there. However, the institutional, social and cultural aspects, along with India's incredible diversity still provide an enormous challenge to getting it right.

The purpose of this research project is to better understand how the institutional fabric in India impedes social and economic progress for all, and in particular, for the poorest citizens who make up some 80 per cent of the population (79.9% of India's population live on less than $2 a day). What is needed is not just a better understanding of the local realities of economic life in India, but also of the broader framework of both formal and informal institutions, the institutional gaps that may exist, and the institutional logics at play in this context.

The research will examine a number of large, successful social entrepreneurial organizations based in India to address the following questions:
· How are markets created in India?
· What are the different institutional logics in place that might impede market access and how do they compete and create conflict?
· What kind of organizing structures do motivated entrepreneurs build to enable the poor to access markets and to address their basic needs? 
· What can companies learn from these entrepreneurial actors in terms of addressing potential new markets and successfully doing business in India?