The “la Caixa” Chair of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance exercises “la Caixa” and IESE’s commitment to the creation, promotion and dissemination of new knowledge that contributes to academic debate as well as to business management and management education.

In creating the Chair, “la Caixa” affirms its interest in and commitment to research promotion, management development and the building of a culture consistent with its values, as manifested in its Social Program. At the same time, the Chair is a potent means for IESE to pursue its mission of generating new knowledge through research, disseminating it and applying it to management education and development, in the service of companies and society.

The Chair’s research projects are focused on four areas:

• The role of companies in society. The goal is to understand how companies’ conception of their responsibility to society has evolved; what factors influence that conception; how companies identify their responsibilities; what tools are available to help them get to grips with social, economic and political change, etc.

• Integration of social responsibility in corporate governance. What role do stakeholder interests play in corporate governance? How can stakeholder dialogue be established? What part should employer and industry organizations play in that dialogue?

• Diffusion of social responsibility throughout the company. What methods do companies use to communicate social responsibility to their workforce and also to their customers and suppliers? Does corporate responsibility entail any specific knowledge, capabilities, attitudes or values? How can such capabilities, attitudes and values be promoted in companies? How do employees distinguish between social action and social responsibility? How does social responsibility bear on corporate strategy? And how does it affect day-to-day activities in the company?  

• Social responsibility in Spanish companies. Is there a Spanish (or European) version of social responsibility? How can small and medium-sized companies benefit from the experience and resources of large companies? What particular problems derive from the relationship between the headquarters and Spanish subsidiaries of foreign multinationals? How do Spanish companies relate social responsibility to the acquisition of a solid reputation? How do conceptions of social responsibility differ across industries?

The “la Caixa” Chair of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance will work closely with IESE’s Center for Business in Society, using the Center’s organizational structure and resources and raising its profile.

The Chair is held by Antonio Argandoña, Professor and Associate Dean of IESE.

Antonio Argandoña is a Member of the Barcelona Royal Academy of Economics and Finance. He was a founder and General Secretary of the Spanish Chapter of the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN), known as Ética, Economía y Dirección. Asociación Española de Ética de la Economía y de las Organizaciones. He is a member of the Anti-corruption Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce (Paris) and Chairman of the Professional Standards and Ethics Committee of the Catalan Economists’ Association.

He is also a member of numerous international academic organizations, notably: Mont Pelerin Society, American Economic Association, International Society of Business, Economics and Ethics, European Business Ethics Network, Society of Business Ethics, etc. 

At the same time, Argandoña is an editorial board member of the Journal of Business Ethics, Business Ethics Quarterly, Journal of International Business Education and Kluwer Series Issues in Business Ethics, and associate director of Business Ethics: A European Review. He has a seat on the editorial board of the business daily La Gaceta de los Negocios and on the advisory board of Transparency International Spain.

Argandoña is a member of the advisory board of Memòria Econòmica de Catalunya and the Council of Catalan Chambers of Commerce, and a member of the Economic Policy Group of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.

Professor Argandoña has written numerous books and articles on economics, especially on macroeconomics, monetary economics, international economics and the labor market. He is also the author of numerous books and articles on business and economic ethics and social responsibility.

The Chair will organize the following activities aimed at the business community:

• Business Forum. This yearly gathering will bring together Presidents, CEOs and General Managers of important companies to discuss specific issues relating to social responsibility and good governance. 
• Expert symposia and international conferences. Meetings of experts from around the world will be held at regular intervals to discuss matters of interest to researchers in their field.
• Keynote Lectures. The Chair will invite internationally renowned academics and industry leaders to give master classes, especially within the framework of IESE’s MBA and Executive MBA programs.
• Continuous Education Program. Some sessions or cycles of IESE’s Continuous Education Program (aimed at IESE alumni and other executives) will be devoted to promoting and disseminating the Chair’s knowledge in the field of corporate social responsibility and corporate governance.

In the medium term, the Chair will promote themed courses in IESE’s MBA and Executive MBA programs. It will also collaborate actively with existing courses in areas related to social responsibility and corporate governance, as well as with courses promoted by the Center for Business in Society.