Corporate purpose
- How to define the business purpose?
- Does purpose lead leaders to have different ways of thinking, deciding, and creating value?
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.
Research Areas
Responsible Leadership
- What is a Responsible Leader?
- How does Responsible Leadership impact the performance of companies?
Sustainable Development Goals
- How to accelerate the performance of the 2030 Agenda with private sector input in collaboration with the public sector and civil society?
Strategy for Impact
- Does sustainability have a clear economic argument? How to prove it?
- How to define and operationalize a strategy aligned with sustainability?
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 and Annual Reports:
Publications
Research Note - Responsible Leadership: what does it Mean and the Future for Portugal
Research Note - Mental Health in the Workplace: A State of Art and Guidelines for Action
2022 Annual Report - Observatory of the SDGs in Portuguese companies
Case Study: The Strategic Implementation of the SDGs at Efacec
Observatório ODS nas Empresas Portuguesas
The Observatory of the Sustainable Development (SDGs) Goals in Portuguese companies is a flagship initiative of the Center for Responsible Business & Leadership that seeks to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda within the Portuguese business sector. Through research, stakeholder engagement, knowledge dissemination, and practical tools, the Observatory supports companies in integrating the SDGs into their strategies, operations, decision-making processes, and reporting practices.
Since its launch, the Observatory has monitored how Portuguese Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Large Companies are incorporating the SDGs, generating evidence-based insights into the evolution of corporate sustainability practices in Portugal. The annual reports provide a unique longitudinal perspective on corporate engagement with the SDGs and can be accessed here.
Funded by BPI Fundação “la Caixa”, the Observatory has now entered its second cycle (2026–2029), shifting its focus from measurement and diagnosis towards action and implementation. In this new phase, the Observatory aims to support companies in translating SDG commitments into concrete business practices, contribute to the design of the post-2030 sustainable development agenda, and strengthen collaboration between businesses, policymakers, academia, and civil society.
The Observatory develops applied research, sectoral studies, practical guides, events, and collaborative initiatives designed to help organizations identify opportunities, address implementation challenges, and contribute more effectively to sustainable development. By fostering knowledge sharing and disseminating good practices, the Observatory seeks to strengthen the role of the private sector as a key driver of sustainable transformation in Portugal.
Responsible Leadership
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.