The European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS ) is a unique alliance of companies, business schools and academic institutions, with the support of the European Commission, committed to integrating business in society issues into the heart of business theory and practice in Europe.

EABIS was established in 2002 after CEOs and Business School Deans across Europe agreed on the urgent need for improved knowledge and skills on business in society issues. Since then, through almost 20 collaborative multi-stakeholder projects, the EABIS network has aimed to:

• Shape and enhance the quality of debate on the role of business in society in Europe

• Equip current and future business leaders with the mindset and capacity to put business in society at the heart of the way companies are run by integrating the changing role of business in society into the mainstream of business research, education and training

• Transform the way business leaders, academics, policy-makers and others interact and communicate on business in society issues amongst themselves and with a wider audience

• Inform policy-making on issues of business in society

IESE Business School is an international business school committed to the education and development of business leaders worldwide, and the generation and communication of new business ideas with impact. IESE´s mission is to create an outstanding learning context for business leaders who are able to direct organizations that are successful in the long-term, develop people around them and contribute to new challenges that society has to face.

IESE is a unique school because its programs and research are based on:

• An international character that combines a global mindset with an understanding of the different cultural, institutional and social dimensions that play a role in business in different regions. 

• A general management view of companies business problems and challenges.

• A culture of learning that helps participants ask not only what, but why and how.

• The human and ethical values indispensable for personal growth and corporate sustainability.

• The belief that business leaders can have a profound impact on people and society through professionalism, integrity and spirit of service, fostering in this way true corporate social responsibility.

• A personalized approach to management education.

• Rigorous research on real problems which are relevant to the business world.

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 provide 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 endeavors 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.
   

Created in March 2006, the “la Caixa” Chair of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance takes an interdisciplinary, applied and global approach to the concept of social responsibility.

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.