Principles for Responsible Management Education
Sharing Information on Progress Report
ISCTE Business School, March 2015
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Letter of renewed commitment
As an institution dedicated to creating ethical, effective and
holistic leaders, the School not only remains committed to
integrating the Principles of Responsible Management
Education throughout all its institutions, but it also hopes to
help develop new ways of teaching the competencies
needed in the ever-evolving and increasingly complex
global business environment.
Over the last years we have upheld and reinforced our
commitment to the quality of our teaching, supported by meaningful research published in top
field journals, and fully aligned with responsible management principles. These improvements
are reflected in a series of changes, of which I would like to highlight the new teaching model,
the curricula goal setting and the new governance structure.
IBS has created an insightful new teaching model based on four pillars: theoretical (critical
thinking) skills, analytical skills, digital skills, and creativity and innovation skills. The
development of soft skills places particular focus on innovation and creativity in order to enable
students to handle the critical challenges facing organizations and society.
We also introduced a requirement for all Programs and Curricular Units to define their Learning
Goals in our electronic platform, and approved a new policy for Faculty Qualification and
Sufficiency which have proved very effective in aligning assessments and the profile of faculty
with the mission of the School.
Moreover, the School governance is based on its Management Framework which is internally
guided by the Scientific, Pedagogic, Masters and Undergraduate Committees, and externally
overseen by a recognized Corporate Advisory Board, an Academic Advisory Board and a
recently established Audit Committee with a view to guaranteeing that all operational and
budgeting processes are carried out in accordance with the highest standards.
I would like to conclude by noting that the invitation extended to me by the Secretary General of
the United Nations Mr. Ban Ki Moon to join the group of Global Compact Leaders testifies to the
relevance and level of commitment the school has shown to the six principles of the Principles
for Responsible Management Education.
Professor Mohamed Azzim
Dean of ISCTE Business School
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1. About ISCTE Business School (IBS)
ISCTE Business School (IBS) traces its
origins back to the earlier department of
management sciences, created in 1972.
Nowadays, it is one of the four schools that
constitute the ISCTE-IUL University, along
with the School of Sociology and Public
Policy, the School of Social Sciences and
the School of Technology and Architecture.
IBS represents over a third of the
University's students, with more than 2,500
students currently enrolled in the 6
Undergraduate Programs and 12 Masters
Programs offered by the School. Nearly one
third of IBS students in Masters Programs
lectured in English come from abroad and are placed in organizations that have a wide range of
international activities.
Currently IBS has one of the highest ratios of exchange students of all Portuguese universities,
supported by a large list of more than 180 university partnerships in all continents. Each year
IBS more than 900 foreign students are enrolled in IBS Programs, including exchange and
summer school students, from more than 50 different countries around the world.
The School is recognized for its excellence in learning and research, the international and
multicultural environment, leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation, and strong links with the
business community that grant the exceptional placement of graduates. The School has a
consolidated position in the Portuguese management education industry offering first and
second cycle degree programs in the main functional areas of management.
The School is nationally accredited by A3ES (the national Agency for Assessment and
Accreditation of Higher Education), internationally accredited in the business administration
domain by AMBA (Association of MBA's) and is member of AACSB (Association to Advance
Collegiate Schools of Business) and EFMD (European Foundation for Management
Development).
In addition to membership of the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME),
IBS is also affiliated with and actively participates in important international associations,
notably the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) and the Academy of Business in
Society (ABIS), among others.
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2. Mission, Vision and Values
Mission
IBS, through teaching, research and outreach, contributes to the development of management
knowledge and practice, and prepares and develops managers and leaders to make a positive
impact on organizations and society, in a globalized world.
Vision
IBS wishes to be, and be perceived by its stakeholders to be, one of the leading Portuguese
Business Schools. It also strives to be recognized in Portugal and internationally for the quality
of teaching and learning experience, academic rigor and relevance of its research, and
excellence of its programs, for the reputation of its graduates and faculty, and for its distinctive
focus on the needs of organizations, individuals and society.
Values
The culture of the School is based on a set of deeply imbedded core values which are shared
by faculty and staff and communicated to all stakeholders in different ways. Social
Responsibility is the cornerstone of the six core values:
 Social Responsibility and Behavior;
 Excellence and Rigor;
 Open, Integrative and
Supportive Relationships;
 Close Links with the
Business Community;
 Multicultural Environment;
 Entrepreneurship and
Innovation.
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2. How IBS complies with the PRME
Principle 1 | Purpose: We will develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of
sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable
global economy.
The culture of the School is based on a set of six deeply imbedded values which are shared by
all faculty and staff and communicated to all stakeholders in different ways. The cornerstone of
the core values is Social Responsibility and Ethical Behavior. In line with its values, ISCTE
Business School organizes several conferences and workshops allowing academics, students,
politicians, policy makers and business to interact and to exchange experiences and views on
the topics of sustainable development, energy, governance and corporate social responsibility.
The Symposium on Ethics and Social Responsibility Research is of particular note due to its
relevance to research.
The School also provides extensive social and financial support to students in distressed
financial conditions through the university social services department; its mission is to ensure
students have the right conditions to obtain good scholar results by providing a range of
services (scholarships, emergency help, psychological counseling, fostering inclusion of
students, volunteering opportunities and benefit protocols). Regarding health services, a health
care clinic was recently installed on campus with more than 20 doctors and offering relevant
diagnostic tests specially directed to the university community, a pioneer event in the education
industry in Portugal.
Students actively support the management of the school. The school developed an internship
program composed exclusively of IBS students who take a wide range of responsibilities,
including supporting the development and monitoring of the school’s internal policies. All
policies are in line with leading sustainability practices.
Future Commitments
We intend to issue a sustainability report jointly with the school strategic plan, produced by the
management team with the support of IBS trainees and the student organizations. This report
and all associated policies and strategies will be communicated to all relevant stakeholders.
Principle 2 | Values: We will incorporate into our academic activities and curricula the values
of global social responsibility as portrayed in international initiatives such as the United Nations
Global Compact.
Ethics, responsibility and sustainability are drivers for the programs' orientation and are
integrated in the design and delivery of the curricula. The students have several course units
exclusively related to these issues: Environmental and Natural Resource Economics; Social
and Solidarity Economy; Ethics and Deontology; Energy Management; Health and Safety;
Quality Management; Leadership and Corporate Governance; Ethics and Code of Practice;
Ethics, Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility; Environment, Energy and Sustainability;
Stress, Health and Well-Being; Quality, Environment and Safety Systems. Additionally,
responsible management is highlighted in all classes, whether or not they are related with
sustainability issues.
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In each academic year, new and current topics raised in the UN Global Compact events and all
other relevant initiatives such as the UN Millennium Goals, the UNEP and UNEP FI are
included and discussed in the classes.
Mention should also be made of the start of the energy certification of the university buildings
under the infrastructure planning and management program and the preparation of an updated
ethics, behavior and code of conduct document to be signed by all Faculty.
Future Commitments
In addition to the abovementioned course units in the programs curricula, the school the school
will aim for further inclusion of global social responsibility issues in the various course units.
Principle 3 | Method: We will create educational frameworks, materials, processes and
environments that enable effective learning experiences for responsible leadership.
Principle 4 | Research: We will engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances
our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations in the creation of
sustainable social, environmental and economic value.
The following list highlights a set of articles published in the last years by IBS faculty in the top
ranked journals, which address topics related to the creation of sustainable social,
environmental and economic value:
 Isabel Maria Estima Costa Lourenço (with Jeffrey Callen, Manuel Castelo Branco
and José Joaquim Dias Curto), “The value relevance of reputation for sustainability
leadership”, in Journal of Business Ethics, Volume 119, Issue 1, pp. 17-28, (2014);
 Aristides I. Ferreira (with Timo Braun and Jörg Sydow), “Citizenship behaviour in
project-based organizing: comparing German and Portuguese project managers”, in:
International Journal of Human Resource Management, Volume 24, Issue 20, pp.
3772-3793, (2013);
 Carla S. Fugas (with Sílvia Costa Agostinho da Silva and Jose Luis Melia), “Profiling
Safety Behaviors: Exploration of the Sociocognitive Variables that Best Discriminate
Between Different Behavioral Patterns”, in: Risk Analysis, Volume 33, Issue 5, pp. 838850, (2013);
 Isabel Maria Estima Costa Lourenço (with Manuel Castelo Branco, José Joaquim Dias
Curto and Teresa Eugénio), “How does the market value corporate sustainability
performance?”, in: Journal of Business Ethics, Volume 108, Issue 4, pp. 417-428,
(2012);
 Aristides I. Ferreira (with Luís Fructuoso Martinez), “Presenteeism and burnout among
teachers in public and private Portuguese elementary schools”, in: International
Journal of Human Resource Management, Volume 23, Issue 20, pp. 4380-4390,
(2012);
 Inês Cruz (with Robert Scapens and Maria João Martins Ferreira Major), “The
localisation of a global management control system”, in: Accounting Organizations and
Society, Volume 36, Issue 7, pp. 412-427, (2011);
 Catarina
Roseta-Palma
(with Alexandra
Maria
do
Nascimento
Ferreira
Lopes and Tiago Miguel Neves Guterres Sequeira), “Externalities in an endogenous
growth model with social and natural capital”, in: Ecological Economics, Volume 69,
Issue 3, pp. 603-612, (2010).
The following list highlights a set of Theses written in the last years by students, which address
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topics related to the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value:
 2014, Carmen Silva, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – The Case of Brisa;
 2014, Patrícia Nascimento, Corporate Social Responsibility;
 2014, Sérgio Beito, Portuguese Consumers’ Perceptions of Corporate Social
Responsibility;
 2014, Vanessa Wabitsch, How to Motivate Managers for CSR? Commitment to CSR
by Transformational Leadership in Meetings;
 2013, Anabela Pereira, Relationship between the perception of Corporate Social
Responsibility, the Engagement at work and Human Values;
 2013, Marta Albuquerque, Family Business and Determinants on Voluntary Disclosure
of Sustainability Information;
 2013, Mónica Maia, The Strategic Importance of Communicating Corporate Social
Responsibility;
 2013, Nuno Sousa, Ethics in Corporate Negotiation;
 2012, Francisco Ralha, Diagnosis of Internal Social Responsibility in Portuguese
SMEs.
Future Commitments
While encouraging our researchers to publish articles in the major academic journals and our
students to conduct research on the issue of sustainable development and responsible
management, we will define a procedure to introduce responsible leadership and social
responsibility in the training and development of both faculty and administrative staff.
Regarding infrastructure planning and management, we intend to develop new procedures to
manage waste and energy.
Principle 5 | Partnership: We will interact with managers of business corporations to extend
our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environmental responsibilities and to
explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these challenges.
The business community plays an important role in the School's activities. Several top
managers and entrepreneurs have seats on the Corporate Advisory Board of the school,
playing an active advisory role in many of the School’s activities, including social and
environmental responsibilities.
As a School devoted to entrepreneurship, emphasis must be given to the involvement in
relevant institutions that promote the generation of creative ideas with a visible value
proposition, and develop corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship supported
by a close relationship between the academic and corporate world (e.g. membership in
COEUR – Competence in European Entrepreneurship, GRACE – Reflection Group to Support
Corporate Citizenship).
IBS also takes advantage of its strong partnerships with subsidiaries and associated entities of
the university, notably with INDEG-IUL (Non-Degree Training), IUL Global (Consulting
Services), AUDAX-IUL (Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center), IPPS-IUL (Public Policies
and Social Intervention) and the SKC (Sustainability Knowledge Center). The strong link with
these entities and the high level of two-way synergies obtained lead to solid and frequent
outputs on sustainability issues.
Finally, IBS regularly organizes conferences and workshops that allow teachers, students,
politicians, policy makers and business people to interact and exchange experiences and views
on the topics of sustainable development, energy, governance and corporate social
responsibility.
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Future Commitments
We will continue to promote conferences and workshops involving the business community in
order to promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences, and to create potential
opportunities for joint-research projects.
Principle 6 | Dialogue: We will facilitate and support dialog and debate among educators,
students, business, government, consumers, media, civil society organizations and other
interested groups and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and
sustainability.
IBS organizes and participates in a number of workshops related with sustainability issues,
which gather different stakeholders representing different areas of society.
These workshops include:
 2015, 28-29 May (forthcoming), Symposium on Ethics and Social Responsibility
Research, University of Extremadura, Badajoz (Spain);
 2014, 9-12 October, Greenfest, Estoril Congress Center;
 2014, 19 September, Ethical Business Leadership in the Global Economy, ISCTE-IUL
Campus (with the participation of Prof. Ronald E. Berenbeim from New York
University, Stern School of Business Administration);
 2014, 18-20 June, IFABS Conference Lisbon, “Alternative Futures for Global Banking:
Competition, Regulation and Reform”, ISCTE-IUL Campus;
 2013, 9-10 December, University Social Responsibility, ISCTE-IUL Campus (with the
participation of Prof. Gilbert Lenssen, President of ABIS);
 2013, 22-24 November, Lisbon Sustainability Jam, integrated in the Global
Sustainability Jam, Lisbon Central Station;
 2013, 6 November, Sustainability and Geostrategy: New Thinking in Corporate
Strategy, ISCTE-IUL Campus;
 2013, 15-17 October, ABIS Colloquium: "Sustainability & Finance”, ABIS and
Nyenrode Business University, Breukelen, Netherlands;
 2012, 6 December, Conference: Green Economy and Economic Development, ISCTEIUL Campus;
 2012, 11 May, VI Iberian Colloquium on Cooperativism Cooperatives and Social
Economy, ISCTE-IUL Campus;
 2012, 2 May, “Sustainability and Green Economy in a Financial Crisis Time”, ISCTEIUL Campus.
Future Commitments
IBS will foster an open debate on new ways to integrate principles from the UN Global
Compact that are not adequately addressed by business schools, such as transparency, anticorruption and human rights.
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