As a knowledge center, most of the activities carried out by the CRB are developed on this front, including courses for undergraduate and master students, programs for the Executive Education, research notes, different sorts of projects, a weekly newsletter, and the dissertation thesis written by the master students under the guidance of the CRB.
The CRB focuses its research activities on four different areas: Purpose, Sustainable Development Goals, Responsible Leadership, and Impact Accounting, in which it aims to find answers to the following questions.
Purpose
Responsible Leadership
Sustainable Development Goals
Impact Accounting
In its efforts to contribute to the development and promotion of knowledge, the Center has conducted research and studies that lead to the definition of the following concepts, integrated into our DNA. You can read more about it in our research notes.
Responsible Businesses refers to companies that have sustainability, in the holistic sense, at the core of their business strategies, as a source of competitive advantage, always embracing an integrated view of the relevant stakeholders' interests, in order to advance society's well-being, sharing the same broader purpose.
Responsible Leadership is the ability to align stakeholders around a common aspiration that goes beyond their direct interest, by putting people, customers/consumers, and other relevant stakeholders first, all-embracing a shared purpose treating profit as an outcome rather than the goal.
Responsible Leaders drive the agenda of Responsible Businesses and focus their souls and minds on value creation, both for their company and society. Their core skills include values, vision, innovation, trust, and leading from the heart. In the image below you can find a proposed framework that includes all the characteristics of a Responsible Leader.
Purpose is the “reason for being” of a company, one that is able to unify all stakeholders around the same systemic aspiration and, by consequence, be a guiding light for decision making, that is able to bring to the company a sustainable competitive advantage.
In its efforts to promote knowledge, the Center has issued the following Research Notes:
Based on a systematic review of the main Responsible Business practices, this research note aims to shed light on the importance of businesses to act as Responsible Businesses and to understand what sort of Leadership should be expected from corporate leaders. If its relevance has always been undisputable, now, more than ever, the concepts need to be fully incorporated in every leader’s agenda.
This research note aims to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the sustainable development agenda and the risks and challenges ahead for business and humanity. It also highlights the immense opportunity COVID-19 represents as a reset moment for the world and as a chance for the Corporate sector to take leadership and definitely embrace sustainability as a strategy for its own success and a global shared prosperity.
This research note aims to contribute to a stronger conceptualization and implementation of Purpose by offering a comprehensive definition of Purpose, based on a set of five principles defined by the authors. It also revises the existing evidence on the value creation potential of adopting a purpose-driven strategy and proposes a process framework to enable purpose-centric organizations.
This research note integrates the rise of sustainable consumption into the concept of Purpose-driven Consumption and Purpose-driven Brands. Consumers as decision-makers are important players in the business ecosystem and are critical to the success of companies and associated brands. This engagement can be long-lasting and represents a source of competitive advantage to companies that share the same values with their customers. Igniting the dialogue about the role of Purpose between companies and consumers is the goal of the current research note.
This Research Note aims to analyze the water-stress problem in a clear and concise way, exposing how critical it is for companies to act on this problem that is affecting their entire value chain and, consequently, their bottom line and license to operate. It also highlights what water-related risks should companies take into consideration in the definition of their business strategies, as they try to achieve a competitive advantage, and proposes a Water Stewardship approach for companies to actively engage in water management strategies through their core operations, using efficiency, re-use, and awareness mechanisms.
The Research Note on Mental Health at work aims to contribute to the literature by exploring the historical evolution of the problem, how it affects individual and organizational performance and bottom line, and providing a business case for action that mobilizes organizations around a shared purpose of better workplace health and wellbeing.
This case study results from a project conducted by the Center in close collaboration with Efacec, a Portuguese company with global operations in the energy, mobility, and environment sectors. The main goal of the project was to support the organization in choosing and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along its core strategy and business operations. This case study describes the processes undertaken to achieve these outcomes and was developed with the goal of supporting students and other companies better comprehend the hurdles, benefits, and cutting-edge strategies to bring the 2030 Agenda to the center of organizational strategy while creating economic, social and environmental value for its stakeholders. It also encompasses a teaching note that aims to develop further knowledge and critical thinking around the questions that arise during the implementation of the project, focusing on discussing the main learnings of this process.
The first annual report of the Observatory of the SDGs in Portuguese Companies assesses the implementation of the SDGs by the Portuguese private sector. It also presents an analysis of the Portuguese context, followed by the development of a theoretical framework, and the study of 60 of the largest companies operating in the Portuguese economy, as well as 103 SMEs. You can find more information about this project here.
With the support of Fundação Magnum Gaudium and BPI Fundação "la Caixa", the CRB has launched the research "Responsible Leadership: what does it Mean and the Future for Portugal" in November 2022. The study encompasses a systematic literature review, a questionnaire that includes two samples based in Portugal and one in the USA, and a qualitative study that includes 15 interviews with Portuguese leaders from different companies. The study concludes that, despite the barriers identified, responsible leadership is the most correct and viable way to ensure the company's long-term survival. Companies without purpose and values, where the only concern is profitability, risk failing in the long term unless they take the initiative to change how they conduct their business.
This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of what identifies a "responsible leader" from both academic and practical perspectives and to help organizations to reflect on their leadership styles and what should be done to ensure that Responsible Leadership prevails.
The Observatory of the Sustainable Development (SDGs) Goals in Portuguese companies is a study that aims to understand and accelerate the implementation of the SDG Agenda in Portugal’s private sector by assessing how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Large companies are incorporating the SDGs. You can download the first report, launched in October 2022, here.
The study is funded by BPI Fundação "la Caixa" and Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos and aims to:
1. Promote a clear understanding of the involvement of Portuguese companies with the SDGs;
2. Promote and disseminate good practices in the implementation of the SDGs at the core of the corporate strategy;
3. Stimulate knowledge about the SDGs among the business community, and promote their implementation in the private sector.
This project consists of an in-depth analysis that focuses on how and in what measure the SDGs are being implemented by the Portuguese companies and represents a clear opportunity for the private sector to lead the Sustainable Development transformation.
Its methodology consists of a longitudinal analysis that foresees annual cycles of data collection and analysis and preparation of an annual report. Annually, the same sample companies will be assessed, and their progress monitored. Over the years, good practices will be disseminated between the community and the public at large to inspire good practices.
Throughout the years 2021 and 2022, the close collaboration between Efacec and the CRB was embodied by a hands-on ground project, where the center advised this Portuguese company on its SDGs implementation strategy.
The project followed 4 main steps:
1. Deep dive study on Efacec’s profile and strategic ambitions;
2. Alignment between the company mindset and value chain with tth Sustainable Develoment Goals;
3. Strategy definition, where the company’s SDGs were chosen at the company’s highest level in a teamwork group with the company’s CEO;
4. Implementation plan.
The CRB team consolidated this project in a case study that describes the project’s steps and elucidates the best practices that allow for the adoption of the SDGs by the private sector. It is also a learning tool for the classroom context and can be used as a guide for other organizations that wish to align their strategy with the 2030 Agenda.
In July 2022, the CRB promoted a Mental Health Summit in the Workplace. The event targeted companies and organizations that want to share, know more about the topic, and start or accelerate specific activities and solutions for the challenges they have.
The event was the catalyst for the launch of the “Pact for Mental Health in the Workplace,” in November 2022, with the goal of mobilizing Portuguese companies to place this issue as a strategic one in the corporate Agenda. The Pact also aims to challenge organizations to assume their responsibility in adopting measures to mitigate the problems raised by mental health in work environments and encourage them to promote mental well-being practices. For more information, please contact the project manager, Frederico Fezas-Vital at ffezas@ucp.pt
The "Pacto para Gestão da Água", or Water Management Pact, was launched in 2021 with the goal of placing the topic of water at the center of the Portuguese national Agenda, mobilizing action, and coordinating efforts of Portuguese organizations. The CRB is the coordinator of this initiative, which was founded in partnership with 13 other institutions. The members of the Pact take responsibility for adopting more sustainable strategies in order to contribute to more efficient management of water as a resource. More info on the website of the initiative or via email: pacto-agua.clsbe@ucp.pt
Within this context, the CRB has organized, coordinated and/or promoted different activities, such as corporate event days, where the members of the Pact had the opportunity to spread its message and their best practices regarding water circularity. Some examples are Greenfest Braga, the Greenfest Valongo and the Greenfest Carcavelos, in 2022.
The Pact also designed a campaign for Rock in Rio Lisbon 2022 to raise the public’s awareness of the efficient and conscientious use of water, through signs placed near the washbasins. This achieved more than 300,000 people!. It also organized a training afternoon at CITEVE, a clarification and awareness-raising session for one of the most important sectors of the Portuguese business fabric, and one with the greatest intensive use of water.
Moreover, the Pact focused on developing two other projects, that will soon be launched:
With the support of Fundação Magnum Gaudium and BPI Fundação "la Caixa", the CRB has launched the research "Responsible Leadership: what does it Mean and the Future for Portugal" in November 2022. The study encompasses a systematic literature review, a questionnaire that includes two samples based in Portugal and one in the USA, and a qualitative study that includes 15 interviews with Portuguese leaders from different companies. The study concludes that, despite the barriers identified, responsible leadership is the most correct and viable way to ensure the company's long-term survival. Companies without purpose and values, where the only concern is profitability, risk failing in the long term unless they take the initiative to change how they conduct their business.
This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of what identifies a "responsible leader" from both academic and practical perspectives and to help organizations to reflect on their leadership styles and what should be done to ensure that Responsible Leadership prevails.