"Either we have a sustainable and responsible business or we will not have a business at all"​

There is a generalized conception that being a “Responsible Business” has become an unstoppable Macro Trend, where there is a general acceptance of the importance of companies to include, more and more, their social and environmental concerns in the definition of their business strategies.

A “Responsible Business” goes way beyond the Environment, being a subject that covers areas that go from Ethics to Local Communities; from the way companies treat their employees to the existing Diversity of gender and racial discriminations to the way suppliers treat their own employees, from the interaction with the Media, to the way Clients are treated.

To correctly balance all these “stakeholders” will continue to be a competitive advantage to companies, and the “business case for action” is increasingly more obvious. In this Program, participants will be provided with the necessary tools to empower them to define the best strategies to face all these challenges.

Key Benefits / Main Advantages

• Increase consciousness of this Macro Trend;
• Prepare participants for the internal debates in their companies, about the best strategy to follow in order to tackle these challenges;
• Be introduced to processes and tools that can lead to the definition of these strategies.

Methodology

All themes will be addressed with successful (and unsuccessful) real cases of companies such as Unilever, Walmart, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Apple, Ford, Lego;

Videos regarding the key players in the development of “Responsible Business” strategies, will also be viewed and debated;

There will be a “Simulation Game” (that includes a previous class discussion and preparation session): “Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility”. The simulation uses quantitative and qualitative metrics to develop and evaluate a management model which is socially responsible and where one can see the real impact of the company’s performance based on the decisions made, through a 5-year “Business Plan”.

There will also be other videos regarding the main players in the development of “Responsible Business” strategies.

CEO's participation

• CEO’s from three relevant companies in Portugal will share with participants their experiences and the strategic challenges that come with this new trend.