Since its establishment, IESE has devoted special attention to corporate social responsibility. It is therefore in a position to make a valuable contribution to research in this field and to offer useful answers to the business community. Certain defining characteristics of IESE’s educational activities make it especially well-qualified to do so: 

• Humanistic approach. Since it was founded, IESE has  shown a clear determination to make the human being the central reference point for business decision making, and service to society one of business’s primary goals.

• International scope. IESE’s international dimension is apparent in every facet of its activity: programs designed in collaboration with other schools around the world; programs conducted in different countries; an international faculty that maintains close ties with the international business and academic community; alumni working in more than 70 different countries; active involvement in starting up other business schools in more than a dozen countries on four continents.

• Knowledge generation. Through its educational programs, IESE aims to instill action-oriented skills and knowledge. In its research activity, it endeavours to combine intellectual rigor with practical relevance, and makes every effort to translate leading edge research into specific applications for companies’ day-to-day activity.

• Multi-disciplinary, integrative approach. The variety of programs, participants and methods, combined with the diversity of educational backgrounds among IESE’s faculty, gives scope for a wide range of very different, yet complementary and mutually enriching responses to the same problem. Moreover, IESE serves as a meeting place, allowing dialogue between social actors and the exchange of opinions and points of view.