ESADE Business School

At ESADE Business School we aim to educate individuals, to generate and disseminate knowledge, and to favour social debate, by focusing on rigour and excellence, with a clear and international profile but also deeply rooted and committed with our environment. In the face of the major economic and social challenges of our world, we aim to transform society toward respect for individual dignity, pluralism and human rights.

We are pioneers, which means that we innovate and take risks, and also that we accept and embrace criticism. We have been leaders in Europe in holding the �triple crown� of quality certifications (EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA), and in creating and promoting international networks and activities in the field of corporate social responsibility. We have always believed that business does not operate in isolation, but is one of the actors in society, co-responsible for its governance. Thus, our strategy in regards to education, research and social debate is instrumented through this framework, where our training programs, our knowledge generating efforts, and our dialogue initiatives are constructed on the interaction and interrelation of businesses with the public sector and the third sector.

Again as a pioneer, ESADE Business School will be one of the few organizations worldwide, not just educational, in releasing an Annual Financial Report (2004) that will fully integrate social and sustainability issues in its core information.

Our MBA Program approaches these issues through program design, specific courses and specific tools. The program is built on our view of social responsibility and sustainability as a transversal issue that touches upon all management subjects. In fact, each professor is asked to explain how his or her course contributes to sustainability and social responsibility. Currently, 90% of our MBA core courses include some content related to how social issues have an impact on each course. Additionally, we generate training tools such as case studies through our research institutes on CSR and Public Management, networks and partnerships, or through specific research initiatives in the non profit sector.

However, we believe that coursework and research are only part of our strategy in this field. In fact, we understand that coursework and research illustrate the breadth of the sustainability scope at ESADE Business School, while the degree of institutionalization illustrates the depth. In that regard, one without the other would present only a one dimensional picture. Thus, we develop policies and practices that contribute to sustainable development, establishing dialogue with all our stakeholders, or building specific partnerships and alliances in which our different stakeholders can interact.

ESADE Business School is currently offering to its employees and students the �SUD� Program, which gives them the opportunity to participate in cooperation and development projects in developing Central American countries. Furthermore, we actively participate in national and international efforts and networks to generate social debate and knowledge on these issues: ESADE Business School hosted the latest Transatlantic Business Ethics Conference in October 2004 and recently led the creation of the Global Compact Center of the United Nations, based in Barcelona. We have been one of the founding partners of the European Academy of Business in Society (EABiS) and we are the only European Business School who is a member of the Social Entrepreneurship Knowledge Network (SEKN), led by Harvard Business School. IPES (ESADE�s Institute for the Individual, Corporations and Society), led by Professor Josep Maria Lozano, created the first Observatory on Socially Responsible Investment in Spain.