IESE Insight - Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility

In Search of the Virtuous Banker

Cowton, Christopher Despite some progress over the past 10 years, the controls put in place to prevent another global financial crisis fail to address two key concerns: corporate culture and individual character. Christopher Cowton proposes a virtue framework, so that those in the profession can start to define and agree what makes a good bank as well as a good banker.

A Basic Ingredient for Finance to Avoid a New Crisis

Argandoña, Antonio A decade after Lehman Brothers' collapse and the global financial crisis, Antonio Argandoña insists that ethics is the fundamental requirement to restore our sense of security and confidence in the financial system that was cracked by the last crisis.

From Protest to Product: How to Reconcile a Social Movement With Business

Lee, Matthew; Ramus, Tommaso; Vaccaro, Antonino To help fight the Mafia in Sicily, a tourism business called Addiopizzo Travel was born. Addiopizzo Travel's key stakeholders -- i.e., anti-Mafia activists, tourists, tourism service providers and entrepreneurs -- don't have too much in common. But its secret to success is purposefully engaging all of them.

Understanding the Paradox of Socially Responsible Investing

Yan, S.; Ferraro, Fabrizio; Almandoz, John If social responsibility is about putting the common good first and successful investing is about maximizing profits, where does that leave the growing realm of socially responsible investing? Under what conditions does it thrive? A study of 19 countries shines a light on the paradoxical logics at play.

7 in 10 Spaniards Believe Their Company Makes it Hard to Reconcile Work and Family

Las Heras, Mireia; Jimenez, Esther; Grau, Marc; Palet, Gemma; Riera, Gemma Spain lacks formal work-life reconciliation policies and corporate family responsibility is almost absent from business culture and leadership, according to a study led by Mireia Las Heras.

Made in Prison: Turning Weaknesses Into Organizational Strengths

Mongelli, Luca; Versari, Pietro; Rullani, Francesco; Vaccaro, Antonino The setting is a women's prison in southern Italy. The context is challenging, to say the least. Yet "Made in Carcere" is successful as a social enterprise because it fosters development via four processes that address stakeholders' key vulnerabilities, this research finds.

Collaborate Yes, But Think About it First

Ramus, Tommaso; Vaccaro, Antonino; Brusoni, S. If you prefer swimming to sinking in turbulent times, IESE's Antonino Vaccaro urges you to wrap structure around your efforts to manage internal conflict. His 10-year study points to the importance of formalization in collaboration.

How Humility Can Outsmart the Smart Machines

Hess, Edward D. Staying ahead of tech requires that we embrace what the author calls NewSmart, whose hallmark is humility. This article details the mindset and behaviors that will increase your chances of success in a world transformed by technology.

Social Responsibility: Would Scrooge Really Change his Ways?

Hafenbrädl, Sebastian; Waeger, Daniel What do you believe? Is the business of business to increase profits, as Milton Friedman insisted? Or should management be more broadly concerned with society, which might ultimately benefit business, too? Most importantly, what do executives really believe when it comes to CSR and the bottom line?

Say No to Facilitating Payments

Argandoña, Antonio It's common to turn a blind eye to special payments that facilitate administrative tasks or procedures. But Antonio Argandoña warns that their negative impact extends far beyond that of an isolated irregularity.