The Center for Responsible Business & Leadership (CRB) is a strategic initiative in CATÓLICA-LISBON’s ambition to be a catalyst for impact creation, through knowledge development and innovation, in order to place Responsible Business at the core of the corporate strategy.
Responsible Business is becoming an essential part of corporate strategies and the CRB aspires to develop critical knowledge among students and executives in order to face these new trends as opportunities.
We aim to contribute to CATÓLICA-LISBON’s mission to be a top business school and create a position of intellectual leadership while finding the right answers for the world’s toughest challenges.
We believe that corporations able to act as a Responsible Business, integrating all its dimensions into their strategies and culture, will be the leading companies of the future. And we firmly believe that the future belongs to corporations that embrace Responsible Business as a fundamental aspect, integrating all its dimensions into their strategies and culture.
Our Purpose
To contribute to a society where we only have Responsible Businesses led by Responsible Leaders.
Our Mission
To become a European reference in corporate sustainability knowledge through research, teaching, and consulting, acting as an agent of change amongst students and executives, helping them to understand the impact of Responsible Business and its value creation in corporate strategies.
Activity Report
You can check our latest Activity Report for more details about the Center's main activities in the academic year of 2022/2023.
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.
The CRB values the power of partnerships in promoting and developing a more sustainable and purposeful world. The Center develops strategic partnerships to enhance its activities and has the support of organizations that share the same values and commitment to responsible management.
Our founding sponsors and partners are bp and Efacec, economic agents of great importance in Portuguese society that have responsively conducted their activities over the years, creating value for the society while taking into consideration sustainability in its strategy and operations.
Through this partnership, bp and Efacec support the development of projects and research, promoting knowledge and the dissemination of different concepts associated with what it means to be a “responsible business”.
We acknowledge the importance of developing and enhancing partnerships and thank our founding partners and sponsors for all the support given to our activities
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