The Center for Responsible Business & Leadership (CRB) aims to be an international benchmark, from Portugal to the world, by bringing the most rigorous academic knowledge to the practice of companies, helping them place Sustainability at the core of their Strategy. To achieve this goal, we work on three strategic pillars that interrelate and reinforce each other: Responsible Leadership, Corporate Purpose, and Strategy for Impact.
Our Purpose
Enable businesses to drive meaningful and lasting value for society.
Our Mission
We combine knowledge and action, empowering business leaders to integrate sustainability into the core of their strategy through research, education, and collaborative outreach.
Activity Report
You can check our latest Activity Report for more details about the Center's main activities in the academic year of 2024/2025.
Business Case for Action: Without economic sustainability, it is hard for companies to focus their activity on social and environmental sustainability.
But what is becoming abundantly clear is that without social and environmental sustainability, companies will struggle to survive and find long-term economic sustainability. That is the essence of the Business Case for Action - the understanding that social and environmental sustainability drive competitive advantage creation, which will lead companies to pursue sustainable economic growth.
Purpose: Purpose advocates for an organization to be truly authentic to its reason for existence, providing a clear guide for decision-making and working as a unifying factor that creates a sustainable competitive advantage, reinforced by the understanding of the ecosystem where it operates.
This approach allows business leaders to move beyond the illusionary comfort of shareholder value maximization and to navigate the political tensions of stakeholder management, identifying the path to value creation that will sustain the organization's future.
Sustainable Development Goals: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a transformative framework for businesses. Integrating them into core operations unlocks business opportunities for positive impact. Strategic focus amplifies this impact, generating meaningful outcomes.
Measuring progress with relevant KPIs ensures accountability and transparency. Embracing the SDGs fulfills responsibilities and opens new business prospects by tapping into emerging markets, meeting evolving expectations, and enhancing corporate reputation. SDG integration catalyzes innovation, growth, and long-term success.
Responsible Leadership: Responsible Leadership is the ability to align stakeholders around a common aspiration that goes beyond their primary interests by putting people, customers/consumers, and other relevant stakeholders first, all embracing a shared purpose and treating profit as an outcome rather than the goal.
Responsible Leadership seeks to foster collaboration, envisioning a future where all stakeholders mutually benefit from sustainable business practices. By embracing Responsible Leadership, companies can effectively navigate the challenges and opportunities the market presents.
Businesses must recognize the interconnected nature of economic, social, and environmental aspects. By harmonizing these dimensions and actively promoting responsible leadership, companies pave the way for enduring success while contributing to society's and the environment's well-being.
Interested in our work? Want to know more about Responsible Business, engage through our events, be a partner of the CRB or join one of our courses?
Contact us at crb.clsbe@ucp.pt