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CBS Sustainability Quarterly

Volume 2, July 2012

Published by CBS Sustainability Platform

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Welcome to the second edition of the CBS Sustainability Quarterly!

The CBS Sustainability Platform would like to sincerely thank the following people, for contributing to this

issue of CBS Sustainability Quarterly - your inputs and contributions are greatly appreciated: Robert

Strand, Stefan Meisiek, Lucia Reisch, Jette Steen Knudsen, Sameer Azizi, Luise Noring Henler, Kathrine

Johansen, Simon Holm Klange, Anders Schultzer, Kristine Ohrt, Janni Raundahl

Research

Research

Research

Education

In this issue: Editorial p.3 Researcher’s Corner: Scandinavia, Birthplace of Stakeholder Theory? p.4 Rio+20 p.8 A Studio for Corporate Social Sustainability p.10 New Projects Supported by CBS Sustainability Platform p.13 Partnership2012: NGO+Business Towards a Sustainable Society p.14 The Emerging Frontiers of Public and Private Regulation of CSR p.19 The German Sustainability Code p.23 Update from 360⁰ Students for Sustainability p.26 CBS Goes Green p.27 How CBS is “Walking the Walk” Concerning Sustainability p.28 CIEL Goes Green at CBS p.30 Ph.D. Highlight: Sameer Azizi - Sustainable Development in Afghanistan p.31 New Ph.D.s p.33 The Economist: Sustainability in the CBS MBA p.34 Recent Events p.35 Upcoming Events p.38 CBS Sustainability Platform Leadership and Staff p.40

Students

CBS

CBS

Research

Conference

Conference

CBS

CBS

Events

Events

CBS

Research

Education

Research

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Editorial

Professor, Mette Morsing (Ph.D., Msc)

CBS

RIO+20 has set the agenda on sus-

tainability over the last many months.

The attention is again urgently di-

rected to the increasing pressure on

the planet’s resources: oil, coal, gas

and water at the prospects of the

growth of the global middle class

consumption. And again, the ques-

tion is asked among global leaders:

how do we deal with this? Rio+20

has in particular demarcated new

socio-economic developments and

new geo-political balancing acts. Ac-

cording to the recent sustainability

report from McKinsey, in 2030 more

than 3 billion people in Asia will be-

long to the consuming middle class

category wanting ”non-basic prod-

ucts” such as more leisure time and

leisure time products, service, trans-

portation, personal services and

communication. The report con-

cludes, that only 20% of future global

consumption will be spent on basic

needs such as food.

This time, more profoundly than be-

fore, corporations are not only called

upon to assist in solving global chal-

lenges, but RIO+20 seems to have

left its participants and audience in a

state of agreement – or naïve hope,

some have argued - that corpora-

tions are the only ones that can be

hoped for to solve the problems. Cor-

porations have the technological ex-

pertise, the global presence and the

organizing skills to act. And, not

least, the resources.

From a business school perspective,

this calls for more research on how

sustainability instrumentally may

open for new markets and new tech-

nologies to let not only business in-

novate but also societies grow in a

way that presumably will serve today

without endangering future genera-

tions, in the words of Brundtland. Im-

portant research and education is

being exercised here.

Equally important, from a business

school perspective, the conspicuous

call for corporations to act, also calls

for another type of sustainability re-

search and education that is less im-

mediately instrumental and manage-

rial, but one that critically questions

the role of business in the changing

global socio-economic and geo-

political power balances. Here re-

search questions are raised about for

example new forms of economic de-

velopment (sustainable capitalism),

the potential of degrowth, and the

political challenges of access to nat-

ural resources and to human rights

such as health, safety and education.

While the former instrumental per-

spective on sustainability may seem

of more immediate managerial rele-

vance than the latter, it is neverthe-

less both types of concern and both

types of questions that are raised

and debated at for example the CBS

Executive MBA core courses directly

related to Sustainability, at the re-

quest of the executive student audi-

ence. The same experience is ex-

pressed by the corporate group at

CBS’s ”CSR Knowledge Group”

headed by CBS associate professor

Steen Vallentin at the invitation from

AP Møller Maersk. Here the corpo-

rate audience of sustainability man-

agers have come to CBS - to a busi-

ness school - asking for theoretical

discussions and critical examinations

of current economic managerial

thinking and their own role as busi-

ness managers towards a more sus-

tainable society.

It is encouraging to be able to state –

as questions are asked by other

business school colleagues at

RIO+20, in the CEMS and UN PRME

communities and also now by

AACSB accreditors – that both man-

agerial-instrumental and critical so-

-political research perspectives are

researched and part of the educa-

tional programs at CBS.

Finally, it is with great pleasure that I

am able to officially welcome the new

co-director of CBS Sustainability

Platform, Stefano Ponte. Stefano is

employed at DIIS until September

1st, where he will take on the posi-

tion as professor at Department of

Business and Politics. Stefano’s

work on sustainability focus on global

economy, international political econ-

omy and economic development,

and his engagement will strengthen

CBS Sustainability Platform in these

areas.

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Researcher’s Corner Scandinavia: Birthplace of Stakeholder Theory?

CBS Ph.D. Graduate Robert Strand

and Professor R. Edward Freeman

of the University of Virginia Darden

School of Business recently co-

authored an article together (currently

under journal review) in which they

retrace the roots of Stakeholder Theo-

ry and demonstrate that a much larger

role was played by Scandinavian think-

ers in its development than is currently

acknowledged.

Professor Freeman is author of the

landmark 1984 publication Strategic

Management: A Stakeholder Ap-

proach. The article by Strand & Free-

man is titled “The Scandinavian Coop-

erative Advantage: Theory and Prac-

tice of Stakeholder Engagement in

Scandinavia” and draws attention to

important contributions to stakeholder

theory and exemplary stakeholder en-

gagement practices from Scandinavia.

We caught up with Robert to discuss

this article and what it is like to work

with the legendary Ed Freeman.

CBS Sustainability Quarterly: You

are co-authoring with Ed Freeman on

stakeholder engagement in Scandina-

via. How did this first come about?

Robert Strand: The story for me goes

back to my time as an MBA student at

the University of Minnesota some 10

years ago, where I first read an article

by Freeman on stakeholder theory in

which he distilled the key points of his

1984 book. That article by Freeman

really resonated with me as it was the

first time in my business school experi-

ence that I heard of strategy based

upon the premise of initially cooperat-

ing with stakeholders as opposed to

trying to beat them all, as I had grown

accustomed with Porter’s 5 Forces

model.

That article by Freeman included a

comment about developments in the

stakeholder concept as having come

from Scandinavia. That little comment

by Freeman spurred on my curiosity as

I was increasingly interested in the

strong and balanced economic, envi-

ronmental, and social performances

that could be seen by many Scandina-

vian companies like Novo Nordisk that

seemed to be a result, at least in part,

of companies engaging with their

stakeholders in a cooperative spirit.

In the time since I continued exploring

the theory and practice of stakeholder

engagement in Scandinavia, collecting

old management books from Scandi-

navia and engaging in conversations

with some remarkable individuals with

insight into Scandinavian contributions

to stakeholder theory, including the

late Juha Näsi from Finland.

We are really fortunate to have leading

scholars like Ed Freeman visiting the

Copenhagen Business School on a

regular basis and through this I got to

know Ed a bit on a personal level. So I

proposed the possibility for co-

authoring a paper to further consider

the contributions to stakeholder theory

and the practice of stakeholder en-

gagement from Scandinavia.

To my pleasant surprise, he said yes.

Robert Strand recently com-

pleted and defended his Ph.D.

He is affiliated with the Center

for Corporate Social Responsi-

bility (cbsCSR) and his Ph.D.

was co-financed by PwC Den-

mark. His Ph.D. project focused

on the role of leadership in cor-

porate social responsibility

(CSR), with a particular focus on

CSR discussions and activities

within the top management

teams (TMT) in large companies

(i.e. the “C-suite”).

Robert has a B.S. in Industrial

Engineering from the University

of Wisconsin (1999) and an

MBA from the University of Min-

nesota (2005). He has a decade

of experience in industry with

IBM and Boston Scientific in

manufacturing, supply chain,

strategy, and investor relations

roles and was a United States

Fulbright Scholar to Norway

(2005-06) during which time he

explored CSR across Scandina-

via. Robert is also a Lecturer at

the University of Minnesota

where he developed and leads

the annual MBA course

“Corporate Social Responsibil-

ity: A Scandinavian Approach” in

which U.S. MBA students visit

Norway, Sweden, and Denmark

to meet with Scandinavian com-

panies, NGO’s, governments,

and universities- including the

Copenhagen Business School.

Research

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CBS Sustainability Quarterly: So what do you say

in the article?

Robert Strand: A key contribution we make is to

draw additional attention to important contributions

to stakeholder theory that have come from Scandi-

navian thinkers over the years, most notably those

of the Swedish scholar Eric Rhenman. In Free-

man’s 1984 offering, he acknowledges Rhenman

and other Scandinavian academics of the 1960’s

and 1970’s as having contributed to the stakeholder

concept. However, he attributes the important con-

tributions to stakeholder theory from Scandinavia as

having stemmed from previous work that was per-

formed at Stanford in the early 1960’s.

Without question the work at Stanford was key in

the early development to what has now become

known as stakeholder theory, but I am rather excited

that in this article Ed and I offer an important clarifi-

cation to his 1984 book where we show key contri-

butions were being made in Scandinavia in parallel

to work at Stanford. For example, this includes the

publishing of the first stakeholder map for which Ed

and I are aware within Eric Rhenman’s 1964 book

on industrial democracy.

These kinds of stakeholder maps are now common-

place. I really like Rhenman’s version as the over-

lapping ellipses accentuate the jointness of interests

between stakeholders.

Here Rhenman also offers one of the earliest defini-

tions of ‘stakeholder’—or ‘intressent’ as it was first

called in Swedish in that 1964 volume and later

translated to ‘stakeholder’ in the 1968 English publi-

cation of Industrial Democracy and Industrial Man-

agement. That is a great book by the way.

CBS Sustainability Quarterly: What is it like to

work with Ed Freeman?

Robert Strand: First off, I think it is a real testa-

ment to the humility of Ed Freeman to agree to co-

author with a nobody like me. Ed set me at ease

from the beginning, which was very important be-

cause I was proposing a modification to his land-

mark 1984 volume. In fact when I proposed co-

authoring this article to Ed I said something to the

effect of ‘and of course you would be the first author’

but when Ed agreed to writing this together he said I

should take the first author. My sense from other

Ph.D. students I know at various U.S. universities is

this is not how it always works.

Over the period of time that we have written the arti-

cle we have had a nice series of back and forths

where I have learned a great deal from seeing

where he chooses to edit and add commentary.

Prior to pursuing my Ph.D., I worked for quite some

time in Corporate America. One of my roles was

investor relations in which I wrote scripts for the

CEO and CFO types for the quarterly Wall Street

earnings calls.

I learned so much about these individuals by the

edits they chose to make to my drafts where you

kind of feel like you get inside the mind of a person

through this. In working on this article with Ed, I feel

Research

Eric Rhenman’s stakeholder map from his 1964 book

on Industrial Democracy

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the same to some degree as I learn what areas he

considers of greater importance by the edits he sug-

gests and how he constructs his blocks of text and

links to the existing text we have. It has become

very apparent to me that Ed sincerely wants to offer

credit where credit is due for the development of

stakeholder theory. And we show that more credit is

due to contributions having come from Scandinavia.

CBS Sustainability Quarterly: Is it fair to say that

you have an agenda with this article to draw attention

to activities from Scandinavia?

Robert Strand: Absolutely. We lead off the article

by explicitly stating we have an agenda to advocate

for increased stakeholder engagement on the part of

companies and we contend lessons can be learned

by looking to Scandinavia- particularly from the U.S.

In this article we advocate for companies to adopt

what we call a “cooperative strategic posture” in

which stakeholders are first considered as partners

with whom to cooperate prior to considering competi-

tive aspects. In a manner consistent with stakehold-

er theory we argue this opens up more possibilities

for value creation between stakeholders.

The U.S. business context has been characterized

as having a romance with competition so we are per-

haps a bit devious in trying to spur on a competition

of sorts by U.S. companies for who can cooperate on

par with the likes of Scandinavian companies. This is

important for sustainability reasons because govern-

ment and civil society organizations alone cannot

effectively address global challenges like poverty,

disease, human rights abuses, resource depletion

and water shortages, and global warming without

cooperation by companies.

And no single company can effectively address these

challenges alone. So we need to encourage cooper-

ation between companies and their stakeholders.

Ed Freeman and Robert Strand (both lower right) with students at CBS

Research

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CBS Sustainability Quarterly: Are you claiming that Scandinavia is the

birthplace to stakeholder theory?

Robert Strand: I do not think any individual or institution or region can lay

claim to stakeholder theory

as it represents a summation

of centuries of thought that

includes Adam Smith’s The

Theory of Moral Sentiments-

and really goes back to the

moment the first two people

came together to create value

together through commerce.

But we can say with confi-

dence that Scandinavian

thinkers like Eric Rhenman

and his Scandinavian con-

temporaries made founda-

tional contributions to what

has come be known as stake-

holder theory and that some

of the most effective stake-

holder engagement practices

can be seen with Scandinavi-

an companies.

In sum, Ed and I contend that Scandinavia offers inspiration for business

scholars and practitioners from throughout the world for effective stakehold-

er engagement.

Research

Professor R. Edward Free-

man is academic director of the

Business Roundtable Institute

for Corporate Ethics. From 1987

to 2009 he was Director of

Darden's Olsson Center for Ap-

plied Ethics, one of the world's

leading academic centers for the

study of ethics. He is a senior

fellow of the Olsson Center at

the University of Virginia Darden

School of Business. Freeman is

also a professor of religious

studies and a faculty advisor to

UVA's Institute for Practical Eth-

ics and adjunct professor of

stakeholder management. In

March 2010, the University of

Virginia Board of Visitors named

Freeman as a University Profes-

sor. Freeman is the first faculty

member in Darden’s history to

be given this rare honor, accord-

ed to less than 20 professors

among the more than 2,200 pro-

fessors at U.Va.

Before coming to the Darden

School, Freeman taught at the

University of Minnesota and the

Wharton School.

Sidenote:

Robert Strand, Ed Freeman and Kai Hockerts (cbsCSR) are working on a

special issue for the Journal of Business Ethics together. The Call for papers

has ended and the selection process has begun. More information on the

special issue will follow in the next edition of CSQ.

Map of Scandinavia

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Rio+20

Conference

Rio does Sustainability!

Rio served as the venue for the Rio+20 UN Confer-

ence for Sustainable Development, boasting a myri-

ad of conferences, activities, and events, initiated by

the UN. Together with the CBS UN PRME office del-

egates, CBS Sustainability Platform was naturally

present at the conference, with the purpose of gain-

ing new understandings within the field of sustaina-

bility, making new contacts, and building new bridg-

es into the academic and corporate world.

Strong CBS representation at Rio+20

For CBS, Rio+20 proved an excellent forum to show

case CBS’ firm commitment towards sustainability;

with both CBS Sustainability Platform and the CBS

UN PRME office being represented at the PRME

Global Forum and the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainabil-

ity Forum, arranged by the UN Global Compact.

Many of our international colleagues were impressed

by the strategic sustainability focus of CBS and our

high level of activity; a commitment exemplified

through the significant investment of resources and

interest from the CBS top management in, for exam-

ple, CBS Sustainability Platform and the CBS PRME

office.

The CBS PRME office was given particular interest

and admiration during the Rio+20 conferences, as it

is one of the

only physical

offices at an

institution of

higher edu-

cation; with

an appointed

academic

director, pro-

ject manager

and a num-

ber of student assistants dedicated to implement re-

sponsible management education throughout CBS.

In fact, the CBS PRME office has been approached

by Jonas Heartle, Head of the UN PRME Secretari-

at, to serve as a best practice example of PRME

implementa-

tion in their

global

“Inspirational

Guide for the

Implementa-

tion of

PRME: Plac-

ing Sustain-

ability at the

Heart of

Manage-

ment Education”. In particular, their extensive CBS

wide curriculum change project and their cross-

departmental case writing initiative has been high-

lighted as extensive, inclusive, and tangible efforts

towards implementing responsible management ed-

ucation at CBS; both at a curriculum level and

through the production of teaching material.

In Rio, the delegates from CBS were provided an

opportunity to gain new perspectives, understand-

ings, and attitudes towards sustainability as a con-

cept and implementable goal. In addition to the for-

mal program of the UN PRME and Corporate Sus-

tainability Forum conference agenda, the Rio+20

platform was a hub for networking and building new

partnerships across the academic, corporate, and

political scenes.

Tangible results from the CBS delegates included

establishing the foundation for two physical working

groups; one related to faculty development and an-

other in regards to institutional structures at institu-

tions of higher education, related to sustainability

and responsible management education. Also, sev-

eral of our international colleagues across the world,

showed an eager interest in engaging with CBS and

has approached us to visit CBS in the near future.

The learning potential during the conference days

was high. The conference sessions showcased inter-

esting profiles and discussions, covering a diverse

range of educational and corporate initiatives within

the overarching field of sustainability. Many ses-

sions and discussions delivered highly informative

CBS PRME Project Manager, Lene

Mette Sørensen, at Rio+20

CBS Sustainability Platform Project

Manager, Kristina Walker Pedersen, at

Rio+20 during a roundtable discussion

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and inspirational perspectives with topics including

university rankings and the challenges they pose; so-

cial entrepreneurship and youth employment; strate-

gic sustainability; effective implementation of sustain-

ability and the vital engagement of top management;

and moving sustainability from an abstract level to

concrete action.

Rio+20 – The way forward?

During the many sessions, one could nonetheless not

help sense that underneath the formal, politely moder-

ated panel debates was a lurking concern. Ethical im-

plications arise when corporations chose to engage in

CSR and sustainability, calling for critical reflection

and discussion.

For example, celebrated as a leading example of cor-

porate attention to, and integration of, sustainability,

one of the world’s leading breweries SABMiller’s local

beer production in Uganda was highlighted as an ex-

ample to

follow. By

including

smallholder

farmers in

their local

production,

using local

produce,

and em-

ploying lo-

cal populations, SABMiller has captured the Ugandan

beer market. Making beer available to low-income

populations – previously only obtainable for the upper

middle class and above – SABMiller now holds the

chief position in the Ugandan beer market.

However, with alcoholism being a paralyzing social

issue, crippling many Ugandan families, ethical impli-

cations to this corporate strategy arises. Is SABMiller

a sustainable corporation or are they enablers of a

debilitating social problem?

In short, as researchers we have to ask ourselves to

what extent or at what level is SABMiller’s production

sustainable?

Where Sustaina-

bility meets Ac-

tion?

Many examples dur-

ing the Corporate

Sustainability Forum,

implicitly called out

for the importance to

think about sustaina-

bility from wider per-

spectives. The cor-

porate strategy as a

panacea for long-

term sustainable de-

velopment may be a

dangerous path to follow.

Critical discussions and an understanding of the

broader implications of corporate sustainability strate-

gies are crucial. Therefore, the link between academ-

ia and corporations becomes even more essential, in

order to better understand what happens when corpo-

rations engage in CSR and sustainability.

The UN PRME initiative is a promising forum, as it

educates future managers to understand the ethical

implications of corporate actions; however, it calls for

tangible action and commitment within institutions of

higher education, which is not without challenges.

In sum, the potential exists, both from a corporate and

academic front under the labels of the UN Global

Compact and PRME – yet the challenge lies in bridg-

ing the two labels and ensuring actual and tangible

action. Thus, while Rio+20 provided a forum to under-

stand, assess and develop the status quo within the

corporate and academic sustainability agenda, the

challenge will be to deliver on the aim of ‘where sus-

tainability meets action’ and produce tangible results

that also take into account the broader ethical implica-

tions of corporate sustainability.

Written by Kristina Walker Pedersen

Conference

Participants from CBS at

Rio+20:

Vice Dean of Education,

Sven Bislev

Professor, Kai Hockerts

Associate Professor,

Hans Krause Hansen

PRME Project Manager,

Lene Mette Sørensen

CBS Sustainability Plat-

form Project Manager,

Kristina Walker Peder-

sen

Map showing Uganda

10

On February 28th, 2012, Kim

Østrup, Vice President of IBM Den-

mark, visited the Studio at Copen-

hagen Business School

(www.cbs.dk/studio). He came to

talk to the students of the Fine Art

of Leadership class about corpo-

rate social responsibility at IBM, an

area where the company prides

itself for its global best practice.

However, Kim Østrup would not

only talk about what was running

smoothly. He would also talk about

the difficulties with introducing a

global CSR policy in Denmark. At

the end of his presentation he

posed a challenge to the students.

Instead of just learning from the

best, they were supposed to im-

prove upon the best, tackling an

issue that IBM had not yet been

able to solve. The students would

have three weeks to do so, includ-

ing two facilitated studio sessions.

Then, the students were invited to

come to corporate headquarters in

Copenhagen and present and dis-

cuss their results and proposals.

The race was on.

The Challenge

Kim Østrup is responsible for IBM’s

community programs and external

relations in Denmark, and some

recurring problems have become

visible in his many years of working

with various stakeholders. He

chose two observations to denote

the challenge for the students.

1.) Again and again the voluntary

and public sector does not quite

understand how companies like

IBM can be involved in solving soci-

etal issues. At times, there is a diffi-

culty with identifying, defining, and

presenting the challenges to private

actors. At other times the voluntary

and public sector seems to avoid

cross sector collaboration, or are

occupied foremost with their organi-

zational development and results. A

cultural barrier seems to exist.

2.) The cultural barrier seems also

to affect IBM’s employee volunteer-

ing program. IBM wishes to en-

hance employee volunteering

through motivation and induce-

ments but without pressure or di-

rect encouragement. Yet this is a

difficult challenge in a nation with

no tradition for employee volunteer-

ing and a strong welfare state.

The challenge to the Fine Art of

Leadership course was to propose

creative ways to overcome the two

problems, while staying with IBM’s

approach to corporate responsibil-

ity.

IBM’s approach to Corporate Re-

sponsibility

IBM has an almost 100-year long

history of working with Corporate

Responsibility. It has focused its

community engagement and corpo-

rate service programs on specific

societal issues, including the envi-

ronment, community economic de-

velopment, education, health,

A Studio for Corporate Social Sustainability: CBS and IBM

By Stefan Meisiek

Education

Stefan Meisiek is an Associ-

ate Professor of Leadership

at the Department of Man-

agement, Politics and Philos-

ophy at Copenhagen Busi-

ness School.

Stefan’s research interests

concern mainly ideation, en-

trepreneurial reasoning, and

arts-based approaches to

problem solving and organiz-

ing. He is currently working

to develop the Enterprise

Studio, a design-based expe-

rience for organizations and

academics that draws on his

extensive research in the

field of art and management

and on his current study of

studio learning in organiza-

tions.

cbs.dk/stefanmeisiek

11

literacy, language, and culture. These are areas of

societal needs where IBM can apply technology and

talent to solve problems, rather than simply making

cash donations. The philosophy behind the ap-

proach is that innovative partnerships, knowledge

sharing, and transfer of competencies between sec-

tors are the path to true change.

Existing societal issues need new innovative solu-

tions.

Examples of IBM Denmark corporate responsibility

activities in 2011 are KidSmart and On Demand

Community. In KidSmart, IT-competencies were

identified as prerequisite for active citizenship in the

future. Early learning strengthens children’s IT-

competencies significantly. IBM’s specially designed

KidSmart computers enabled children to enhance

learning and social skills with the use of educational

software. IBM Denmark has donated more than 500

KidSmart computers and reached tens of thousands

of children. The programs are run in collaboration

with partners such as municipalities, primary

schools, children’s day care, hospitals, libraries and

other institutions. The success of the projects often

depend on the partnerships. In 2011 IBM among

others collaborated with the Agency of Library and

Media, Odense Municipality, and Ålborg University.

On Demand Community is IBM’s global program

that facilitates and support IBM’ers voluntary work in

their local communities. Employees who do corpo-

rate volunteering have access to presentations and

software and can apply to IBM for a cash or equip-

ment grant for the organization that they volunteer

for. On Demand Community is organized around an

internal online community where employees can

register and track their hours, find solutions, apply

for grants, and share their stories.

IBM Denmark joined the Danish Council of Volun-

teering’s steering committee for the EU Year of Vol-

unteering 2011. The steering committee worked to

celebrate and support citizenship and civil society.

IBM initiated the collaboration by sponsoring re-

search of voluntary organizations strategic use of

social media. The research became the foundation

of subsequent workshops on the same subject with

the attendance of more than 100 voluntary organi-

zations. IBM also contributed to the development of

www.frivilligfredag.dk – the website of the first na-

tional day of volunteering (Frivillig Fredag). In ac-

cordance with the voluntary spirit the web-site was

developed by IBM volunteers in collaboration with

students chosen through crowd sourcing.

The Studio at Copenhagen Business School

With just a presentation and a brief at their hands,

there were few limitations to students’ imagination.

But where to begin?

Traditional class-rooms are not where imagination,

playfulness, and inquiry are nurtured. Studios are.

With their emphasis on materiality, making, practice,

and invention, studios and studio methods have an

accomplished history when it comes to creative

work. The Studio at Copenhagen Business School

is such a dedicated studio space. Along with studio

pedagogies, it promotes experiential, problem-

based learning around business issues and tech-

niques (www.facebook.com/studio.cbs). It is a place

where CBS teachers and students can work with

processes like tangible business modeling, drama-

turgic approaches to organizational behavior, visual

and haptic design of organizations, strategies, and

business processes, creative explorations of inno-

vation and change, and much more. Much of the

studio work circles around live business cases

where company stakeholders interact with students

and professors, just like in the case of IBM’s chal-

lenge to the Fine Art of Leadership students.

Over the three weeks following Kim Østrup’s IBM

challenge, the students worked twice in the studio.

During the first session, they were mostly exploring

what they knew, what they didn’t know, and how

they could fill in the gaps. They developed a per-

spective on the challenge and the situation around

volunteering and public-private collaborations, filling

blank spaces with careful and considered specula-

tions.

Education

12

The point was to avoid jumping to

conclusions until a certain familiarity

with the issues at hand was

reached. The challenge was held,

expanded, played with, twisted, and

settled in rounds of visualizations

and conversations around a guiding

metaphor.

During the second session in the

studio, the students were taking

what they have learned and the

perspective they had developed to

brainstorm a number of possible

solutions and propositions.

These where then narrowed down,

and tested against the core as-

sumptions. Since exact information

was missing, students had to keep

their proposals at a suggestive, ex-

plorative level: Inspiration and in-

sight take precedence over nuts

and bolts. Again, large-scale visua-

lization, and developmental group

work marked the process.

The Outcome

It would have not been the Fine Art

of Leadership, if the task were not

to present the results in the form of

video skits or another creative

presentational format.

Instead of delivering a standard re-

port, the students worked on a

presentation that would invite the

attendees of the final meeting to

continue exploring and rethinking

the issues at hand.

On presentation day at IBM Den-

mark, Kim Østrup was at first sur-

prised, and then smitten with the

creative presentation formats. Mod-

els, videos, drawings, and texts re-

vealed a number of suggestions on

how to address the challenge. He

asked to show the creative presen-

tations to his colleagues to get a

conversation in IBM going about

how to address the challenge fur-

ther.

To take a live case CSR problem

into the Studio was an attempt to

see how students could work with

wicked problems in a creative, open

way. It stretched students beyond

their usual analytical frameworks,

and had them produce unusual so-

lutions to a complex problem.

I hope we will see more CSR work

in the Studio in the future.

The CBS Studio

The Studio is a flexible, edu-

cational space for problem-

based, experiential learning

that takes place in groups.

It’s not uncommon that a

company, non-profit, or gov-

ernment organization brings a

challenge to the Studio that

the students work on over a

period of time. But problems

can also come from case

studies, news casts, and oth-

er sources.

The Studio can be booked for

entire courses, week-long

immersions as part of other-

wise lecture-based courses,

creative workshops, meet-

ings, and summer schools.

For study programs, it is pos-

sible to book Open Studio

hours for independent group

work.

For more information on the

CBS Studio, please visit:

cbs.dk/studio

The CBS Studio is lo-

cated at Grundtvigsvej

25, 1864 Frederiksberg

C

Education

13

New Projects Supported by CBS Sustainability Platform

CBS Sustainability Platform has had the good for-

tune of receiving several new applications seeking

support. The Platform has approved seven new ap-

plications and looks forward to seeing the projects

and events take effect. The following projects have

been approved for support from the platform:

1. Smart Metering - Rasmus Pedersen (ITM) and

Peter Møllgaard (ECO)

2. NGO Consultancy for Greater Social Impact -

180⁰ Consulting (CBS Students)

3. Biofuel Conference - Stine Haakonsson (DBP),

Janus Hansen and Stefano Ponte (DBP)

4. Copenhagenization/Sustainable Metropolis:

Signe Vikkelsø (IOA) and Ursual Plesner (IOA)

5. The Influence of Social Media on the Public

Opinion Formation about Sustainability Issues:

Michael Etter (ICM), Sine Nørholm Just (DBP)

and Anne Vestergaard (ICM)

6. Partnership 2012: NGO+Business - Towards a

Sustainable Society Conference: Per

Østergaard Jacobsen (OM)

7. Oikos Conference: 360⁰ Students for Sustaina-

bility (CBS Students)

More information about each project or event can

be obtained through email, by requesting it from the

owners, or from the platform.

Furthermore, CBS sustainability Platform has five

additional applications currently under assessment.

If you would like to apply for support from the plat-

form, please email suggestions, with a description

of the activity in approximately two-three pages, to:

Project Manager, Kristina Walker Pedersen

(kwp.ikl@cbs.dk)

Please include a brief answer to each of the follow-

ing points:

Type of activity that you seek support for

The relevance and importance of the activity to

the Sustainability Platform (either in terms of

research, teaching, outreach and/or further

fundraising)

Expected outcome of the activity & how it will

contribute to further developing the Platform’s

activities at CBS

Participants inside and outside CBS

External target group, if in addition to partici-

pants

Budget, with a timeline

Possible long-term future activities to be ex-

plored after the supported activity has taken

place

We kindly ask that you hand in a short summary

and preferably photos that we can add to the Sus-

tainability Platform website once the activity has tak-

en place.

Research

14

Conference Supported by the Sustainability Platform

Partnership2012: NGO+Business Towards a Sustainable Society

Co-financed and co-organized by the CBS Sustain-

ability Platform, the Partnership2012:

NGO+Business Towards Sustainable Society

conference challenged traditional ways of viewing

the relationship between NGOs and Businesses;

spearheading integrated ways of viewing this rela-

tionship – namely through mutually reciprocal part-

nerships.

Inarguably, key note speaker former UN General

Secretary Kofi Annan was a main attraction for the

400 international business managers, policy-

makers and NGO managers; as well as the 350

students present in neighboring auditoriums set up

with a live-streaming of the conference proceed-

ings.

He reminded the business school audience about

the importance of seeing the interdependence be-

tween human rights and environmental protection,

as we move towards a more sustainable society.

Under the central phrase “In today's world we de-

pend on each other", Mr. Annan emphasized the

necessity of partnerships, fuelled by younger gener-

ations, to tackle central social and economic chal-

lenges.

Gaining particular popularity was the Q&A session

with Kofi Annan, conducted by the experienced

news reporter, Steffen Kretz, and CBS Professor

and conference co-chair Mette Morsing.

Another central keynote speaker was HRH Crown

Princess Mary, who engagingly spoke about her

own partnership experiences through the Mary

Foundation. The Crown Princess portrayed the

Mary Foundation’s active involvement with partner-

ships, using unique social partnerships as a plat-

form to prevent and alleviate social isolation.

Taking a short pause from the conference activities,

a small delegation of central CBS partners contin-

ued their partnership conversations with Kofi Annan

and the Crown Princess over an intimate lunch; al-

lowing time for important new relationships to be

forged. Participants included; Per Holten-Andersen

(CBS), Karsten Dybvad (DI), Mads Lebech

(Industriens Fond), John Vassallo (Microsoft), Mads

Øvlisen (Novo), Randa Grob-Zakhary (Lego Foun-

dation), Claus Meyer (Meyer) and Simona

Marinescu (UNDP).

By large, the conference boasted an impressive

guest list. Present were speakers and participants

from a wide range of institutions; representing aca-

demic, civil society, and private institutions alike.

Conference

Steffen Kretz, Mette Morsing and Kofi Annan during the

Q&A

HRH Crown Princess Mary and CBS President Per Hol-

ten-Andersen

15

Conference

Quick Facts About the

Conference

Where: Copenhagen Busi-

ness School, Solbjerg Plads

When: 10th-12th of June.,

2012

Who: Approximately 400 in-

ternational business manag-

ers, policy-makers and NGO

managers, from over a dozen

countries, all over the world;

in addition to over 350 stu-

dents participating in neigh-

boring auditoriums set up

with a live-streaming of the

conference.

The conference agenda, par-

ticipant list, video interviews,

presentations and other relat-

ed conference material at:

parternship2012.com

cbs.dk/sustainabilityplatform

Organizers:

CBS, CBS Sustainability

Platform, CBS Public-Private

Platform, ISOBRO, EFA, DI,

CSR Fonden

Partners:

Microsoft, PwC,180Degrees

Consulting, CIEL

Media Partners:

Berlingske, Huset

Markedsføring

Event Partner:

About - a mobile agency

Opening

CBS Professor and conference co-

chair, Mette Morsing, opened the

conference on Sunday, June 10th,

and before the farewell reception

on Tuesday, June 12th, a large

number of speakers had presented

cases of how Partnerships can be

successfully implemented in order

to facilitate both societal and eco-

nomic outcomes.

With around 400 international par-

ticipants from over a dozen coun-

tries, all over the world, the results

of this conference will demonstrate;

new understandings of the benefits

reciprocal partnerships can accrue;

newly forged relationships amongst

highly diverse actors; and the initia-

tion of new partnerships that blur

the traditional lines between busi-

ness and society – creating part-

nerships that work together, to-

wards sustainable society.

Kofi Annan, Q&A

The popular Q&A session with Kofi

Annan was not conducted in the

usual manner, with conference as-

sistants running up-and-down the

aisle with microphones to the audi-

ence. It was held in an interview

format, conducted by the experi-

enced news reporter, Steffen Kretz,

and CBS Professor and conference

co-chair Mette Morsing.

During the first hours of the key

note speakers program on Monday,

11th of June, the audience had the

opportunity to ask Kofi Annan ques-

tions through a mobile website/

application, which allowed the two

interviewers to pick “the best ques-

tions”, as vocalized by Steffen

Kretz.

The result was a much more coher-

ent and well-structured Q&A ses-

sion. The format of the Q&A gradu-

ally facilitated more in-depth and

reflective responses from Kofi An-

nan; including direct admonitions to

both NGOs and business-

es. Partnerships should not ob-

scure the boundaries between

NGOs and business, but rather ex-

tract the best resources from both;

suggesting that a good partnership

needs a common goal. However,

Kofi Annan highlighted the danger

of shortism, where both NGOs and

businesses to a large extent focus

on immediate relief.

A great obstacle to NGO-business

partnerships is to sustain partner-

ships beyond the period of crises:

“In the time of crises everybody

talks about reform, but it slowly

concedes”, he said. Nevertheless,

Kofi Annan presented a bright out-

look for partnerships in the future,

arguing that the future belongs to

younger generations – generations

not bound by traditional assump-

tions in relation to partnerships.

Kofi Annan during the Q&A

16

Conference

Consequently, a key message deduced from the

Q&A was that the future of NGO-business partner-

ships should be spearheaded by younger genera-

tions.

Focus on Key Note Speaker: John Vasallo

John Vassallo (Microsoft, Vice President EU Affairs)

initiated his presentation by emphasizing a program

implemented by Microsoft; a program that offers all

employees up to three paid days off, annually, if they

volunteer at a NGO or another cause of their choice.

Vassallo also noted how technology can improve the

performance of

NGOs, in part-

nership with Mi-

crosoft.

A central pur-

pose of Mi-

crosoft’s part-

nerships with

NGOs is to up-

grade the tech-

nologic capacity

within NGOs,

making their or-

ganizations

‘work smarter’.

Technologic im-

provements are often regarded as minor steps with-

in an organization; in contrast Vassallo argued that

technological improvements often can be a stepping

stone for further innovation within the NGO.

A central shared point of reference, noted in several

of the presentations held during the Partnership

2012 conference, was the emphasis on NGOs as

laggards in terms of know-how and resources. John

Vassallo argued that NGOs may overcome these

barriers by upgrading their technologic competen-

cies. Vassallo noted that technological upgrades in

NGOs serve to change attitudes within the organiza-

tions and are able to shape new business models.

Changing the practices and work processes within

an NGO, dilutes the differences between NGOs and

businesses, as it merges the competencies of the

partners within the different organizations.

Academic Day

As part of the morning plenum session on Tuesday

June 12th, conference co-chair Associate Professor

Esben Rahbek Pedersen (CBS) presented a study

of the “why’s”, “how’s”, and “what’s” of contemporary

partnerships.

In short, the findings from the study demonstrated

that 1) the motives for partnering most often are for

NGOs to get resources and for businesses to raise

awareness of social problems; 2) the partnership

structures span from close and mutually beneficial

partnerships, to more conflict ridden types. As noted

by Esben Rahbek Pedersen, “partnerships are any-

thing from marriages to cockfights’”; 3) both parties

in a partnership most often get what they are after.

Businesses influence their reputation in a positive

manner and NGOs get access to the desired re-

sources.

The study provided empirical evidence that a com-

mon goal is necessary for a partnership and that it is

the assurance that each involved party achieves

their own goal(s), i.e. the mutual acknowledgement

Kofi Annan during his speech

John Vassallo (VP Microsoft)

17

Conference

of dissimilar but not mutually exclusive goals. The

question is, then, how can the potential for achiev-

ing such dissimilar goals through partnerships be

measured? In short, what is the value of your part-

nership?

Focus on Partnership: Red Cross and PwC

During a presentation, Maya Færch from Red

Cross, described Red Cross’ need for being able to

measure

the value of

partner-

ships. Red

Cross have

collaborat-

ed with

PwC in or-

der to de-

velop what

they term a

“value

measure-

ment meth-

odology”.

Birgitte Mo-

gensen,

from PwC,

presented

three steps:

1) Impact assessment boundaries, 2) Total impact

measurement and 3) Impact diagnostics. Maya

Færch then presented how this valuation model is

currently being implemented in Red Cross projects.

The model presented by PwC and Red Cross

seems to elaborate on the content of a partnership.

The model is not only concerned with the inputs and

outputs of a given partnership, but also with ques-

tions of the resulting impacts and who the intended

and actual beneficiaries are and how the partner-

ship created value (or decreased value) for those

being influenced by the activities of the partnership.

Partnership2012: NGO+Business

Student Competition

Over the course of three months, an innovative col-

laboration between the CBS student organization

180 Degrees Consulting and the Confederation

of Danish Industry (DI) has occurred, designed to

explore NGO-Business Partnerships in the context

of students and industry partners.

DI and 180 Degrees Consulting paired five groups

of CBS students with five companies wishing to ex-

plore possibilities of value-creating partnerships with

NGOs. The question raised was how can business

as well as society benefit from NGO-Business part-

nerships? Moderated by CBS Professor Mette

Morsing, the conference held the culmination of the

competition; allowing three finalist teams to present

their cases.

The finalist teams – Team Coloplast, Team Ib An-

dresen, and Team Pressalit – provided enthusiastic,

thought-provoking, and inspiring student presenta-

tions. Subsequently, a winning team was an-

nounced, after feedback and deliberation amongst

the jury, which was chaired by Director General and

CEO Karsten Dybvad (DI) and included members:

President Per Holten-Andersen (CBS), Head of

Secretariat Mette Holm (ISOBRO), Partner Birgitte

Mogensen (PwC) and President Emma Lindgren

(180 Degrees).

Team Pressalist, consisting of the five CBS students

Søren Grundt (Team Leader), Mads Poulsen, Sanja

Hegelund, Rasmus Michler Mogensen, and Andrea

Cocco were

declared the

winners;

attributed to

their well-

executed

and creative

NGO-

Business

Partnership

solution. The winning team with the CEO of Pres-

salit, Dan Boyter.

Per Holten-Andersen presenting

the speakers

18

Conference

Partnership2012: NGO+Business Best Paper

Award

The second day of the Partnership2012 Conference

at CBS, was dedicated to further presentations from

practitioners and academic papers. From the many

relevant academic papers presented, the organizing

academic committee had the difficult job of choosing

one winner.

The winning paper of the Partnership2012:

NGO+Business Conference was: “Partnership

Steering Wheels: How the formation process of a

cross-sector partnership can influence its govern-

ance mechanisms” written by Heike Schirmer,

Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.

The committee thought it was an extremely interest-

ing paper. The author explored the governance

mechanisms -control (formal/informal) and trust

(goodwill/competence) - in means-driven and goal-

driven partnerships. The paper was very relevant to

the scope and focus of the conference.

The winner, Heike

Schirmer, has been

a Ph.D. student at

the FreieUniversität

Berlin, Germany,

since June 2010.

Her research focus

is on partnerships

between social en-

trepreneurs and

corporations.

She is a scholar and active member of the Villigst

Foundation. Additionally she is a member of the

Ashoka Support Network and in this role accompa-

nies and coaches individual social entrepreneurs on

strategic topics.

Prior to her Ph.D. she worked as a consultant at

McKinsey & Company in Munich and Berlin. While

she started working there as a “generalist”, the ener-

gy sector later became the focus of her work.

Heike Schirmer received her Dipl.-Phys. (equivalent

to M.Sc. in Physics) from the Technical University in

Munich in 2007. She also studied Physics in Bang-

kok (Thailand) and Santa Barbara (California).

Heike Schirmer

19

The Emerging Frontiers for Private and Public

Regulation of CSR

On May 2nd and 3rd, 2012, Jette

Steen Knudsen organized a re-

search publication workshop that

addressed the emerging frontiers for

public and private regulation of CSR.

Jette Steen Knudsen also set up a

practitioners’ meeting where re-

searchers and practitioners engaged

in a public debate about the implica-

tions for companies of the emerging

public regulation of CSR. Both

events were funded by the Carls-

berg Foundation and CBS Sustaina-

bility Platform.

The purpose of the research work-

shop was to examine changes in the

relationship between private and

public regulation of CSR. CSR has

traditionally been defined as volun-

tary social and environmental initia-

tives that go beyond legal compli-

ance, and CSR has been seen as

incompatible with public policies.

However, in recent years we have

witnessed a remarkable growth of

public policies designed precisely to

encourage responsible business in-

cluding for example the linking of

CSR to the use of public procure-

ment as well as mandatory non-

financial reporting requirements. For

those who view CSR as voluntary

initiatives, it would appear to be a

category error that a concept found-

ed on voluntarism should be shaped

by the antithesis of voluntarism, pub-

lic policy.

The research workshop explored

how and why the boundaries be-

tween public and private regulation

of CSR have changed focusing in

particular on three questions: 1)

How can we understand the motiva-

tions that drive governments to

adopt CSR policies? 2) What is the

impact of government CSR policy on

business behaviour? 3) How are na-

tional and international governance

of CSR linked?

Why is this research agenda

important?

Traditionally research on CSR has

focused on the firm, and the domi-

nant theoretical approaches have

come from the management litera-

ture. The workshop participants ex-

plored CSR not simply in the context

of changing business strategies but

as part and parcel of a wider system

of societal governance. Thus, partic-

ipants looked at CSR as a regulatory

tool that facilitates new governance

arrangements involving private and

public actors at national and global

levels. Scholars of regulation gener-

ally divide regulation into two types:

state-centered conceptions of regu-

lation with reference to state-made

laws and society-centered analysts

and scholars of globalization that

examine the proliferation of regulato-

ry institutions beyond the state.

However, government regulation of

CSR encourages a research agenda

that examines state-centered con-

ceptions of policy in interaction with

business and civil society, often

transcending borders.

Jette Steen Knudsen is an

Associate Professor at the

Department of Business

and Politics at CBS.

Also Jette Steen Knudsen is

affiliated with the CBS Cen-

ter for Corporate Govern-

ance and the CBS Center

for Corporate Social Re-

sponsibility.

Jette Steen Knudsen has

written numerous scientific

articles and newspaper arti-

cles, which have been pub-

lished in journals such as

Regulation and Govern-

ance, Journal of Business

Ethics and European Jour-

nal of Industrial Relations.

Some of her main research interests are: The changing relation-

ship between public and private regulation of CSR

Corporate social respon-

sibility/sustainability

Corporate governance

Globalization and new corporate strategies

Mainstreaming of re-

sponsible (ethical) in-vestment

cbs.dk/jettesteenknudsen

Research

20

1. Government Motivation of CSR Policies

How do we under-

stand the motiva-

tions and drivers of

governments for

adopting public poli-

cy initiatives on

CSR?

To what extent are

policies shaped by

resource constraints

and/or different tradi-

tions of business-

government interac-

tions?

A recent literature has attempted to delineate the

various ways that governments have approached

CSR. One set of explanations argues that govern-

ment promotion of CSR is well suited to the predom-

inant neo-liberal agendas at the national and global

levels. While liberal economists have dismissed

CSR as a diversion from profit maximization, in

practice self-regulation, public-private partnerships

and new regulatory forms suit the neo-liberal agen-

da, serving as means of reducing state involvement

in the social and environmental spheres. Some au-

thors have argued that the promotion of CSR has

been a distinct component of neo-liberal political

agendas. Others see CSR as a response to privati-

zation, deregulation and trade liberalization, which

have left gaps that non-governmental organizations

and the public increasingly pressure corporations to

fill. Existing research has explored both the motiva-

tion and content of CSR across countries, but there

remain several open questions. Firstly, motivations

and drivers for government involvement in CSR are

often inferred rather than established empirically.

More research is needed to understand the motiva-

tions of governments with different degrees of re-

source constraints and different traditions of busi-

ness-government interaction. How are government

CSR policies shaped by national business systems,

ideology and culture? Are different policy types

(e.g., foreign policy, social policy, development poli-

cy) shaped by different processes? Does reliance

on CSR as a policy tool raise issues of democratic

legitimacy? Are government policies on CSR seen

as more democratically legitimate than private regu-

lation of CSR?

2. Government policy and the impact on busi-

ness behavior

How can we integrate management and institutional

perspectives in order to try and understand better

how government CSR policies impact business in-

terests as well as private regulatory initiatives by

companies? What are the mechanisms that explain

the response of business to government regulation?

How well are government intentions regarding the

purpose of CSR policies reflected in actual CSR ini-

tiatives? Has CSR governance by firms or civil soci-

ety organizations taken over from government? Are

governments captured by firms that demand certain

kinds of CSR policies? An unanswered question in

existing research on government and CSR is how

CSR policies are determined. If governments decide

on particular areas where CSR can facilitate public

objectives, then we might describe CSR policies as

being government-led. In this case, we would ex-

pect that business activities would need to be initiat-

ed or re-aligned to meet government objectives.

This could have multiple implications for businesses

and may yield new alignments between businesses

sharing best practice. The impact of government

policies on business practice has not yet been re-

searched systematically. Equally, we do not know

whether changes in business practice yield ex-

pected policy outcomes.

Research

CBS, Porcelænshaven

21

Are the objectives of government actually achieved

when using CSR policy, and how does CSR as a

policy tool compare on this level with harder forms

of regulation? What sort of public CSR policy instru-

ments are recently used; and how do they relate to

existing regulatory forms? Government CSR poli-

cies might also reflect existing business practice, or

may intend to motivate practices that improve the

competitive position and financial well being of na-

tionally based firms.

If this is the case, then public objectives and policy

outcomes may be largely determined by business

interests. Do business interests align with the public

interest, and how are the differences between the

two negotiated? Are government CSR policies ever

business-led, and if so, what are the implications of

this in terms of accountability and public outcomes?

3. The relationship between national and inter-

national CSR governance

How well do national policies on CSR and policies

on global governance fit together? How does in-

creasing complexity internal as well as external to

the state drive government CSR programs? CSR is

not just a national phenomenon but also a key ele-

ment in cross-national governance. This is not

simply a function of the growth of cross-border

trade, but also about the responsibilities of business

for globalizing societal impacts as reflected in inter-

national CSR institutions which take responsible

business out of its exclusively national homes and

into explicitly cross-border, multi-actor governance

contexts (e.g. the UN Global Compact, the Global

Reporting Initiative, the Ethical Trade Initiative).

Some scholars have argued that global and multi-

level governance has replaced national governance

and they emphasize how governmental regul-

ation has been replaced by self-regulation and soft

law.

How can we understand the role of the state in an

increasingly global context and particularly under

conditions of limited statehood, where involvement

of private business firms in governance often

emerges as a functional equivalent to state-led gov-

ernance? When do national government policies on

CSR enhance and when do they replace global ini-

tiatives? How do governments utilize global stand-

ards in national level policymaking? Is CSR emerg-

ing as a new set of standards and soft norms and

under what conditions?

Outcomes – research and practice

A main aim of the workshop was to guest-edit a

special issue of a key academic journal such as

Regulation and Governance. However, the re-

search workshop also included a public debate

meeting that brought together practitioners and ac-

ademics to discuss the effects of government CSR

regulation on the internal operations of businesses

operating globally. Governments in Europe and be-

yond have added layers of new policies to monitor

and control CSR. How can companies respond ef-

fectively to these myriad new regulations? What are

the best company practices that have emerged to

date?

Maria Gjølberg, a researcher with Oslo Business

School and a CSR expert with Steria (a consultan-

cy) gave a presentation on why governments want

Research

22

to regulate CSR. She highlighted how government policies on CSR tend to complement existing govern-

ment regulations and/or strive to make global firms more competitive. Jette Steen Knudsen in her presen-

tation focused on how (Danish) Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises can get squeezed by government

CSR regulation. As large firms seek to meet non-financial reporting requirements and other government

CSR demands, they shift CSR demands onto smaller suppliers.

These smaller suppliers often find it

very challenging if not impossible to

manage the CSR performance of

their own international suppliers in

countries such as China and India.

Novo Nordisk and J. Lauritzen A/S

addressed how Danish companies

organize initiatives to manage new

government regulation for CSR. Bo

Wesley, Senior Advisor, Global

Stakeholder Engagement, and Con-

sultant Camilla Crone Jensen, Novo

Nordisk talked about some of the

challenges involved in handling new

regulatory demands in countries

such as China, while Kathrine Geisler, CSR Manager in J. Lauritzen A/S spoke about the practical impli-

cations of the UK Bribery Act.

Finally, professors Brad Googins and Phil Mirvis

from the Carroll School of Business at Boston

College shared insights from their recent study of

the organization of CSR in 300 best practice

companies. Their main conclusion was that most

companies are still struggling to integrate CSR

practices into mainstream business operations.

After the presentations a lively debate ensued amongst the more than 100 participants that had signed up

for the event.

Research

CBS, Solbjerg Plads

Brad Googins, Carroll

School of Business

Phil Mirvis, Carroll School

of Business

23

By Lucia Reisch

German corporate practice is in-

creasingly becoming shaped by the

need for sustainability. Climate

change and the secure supply of en-

ergy, depleting resources and the

price increases associated with this,

biodiversity conservation and demo-

graphic change are all challenges

facing the political and business

worlds and civil society alike. The

market that rewards sustainability

actions must, however, be created so

that companies, services and prod-

ucts can be adequately assessed

and sustainability afforded a com-

mensurate degree of consideration.

To assist this development, The Ger-

man Council for Sustainable Devel-

opment set out to establish a Ger-

man Sustainability Code (GSC) to be

applied well beyond the group of

companies already actively engaged

in sustainability reporting. The Ger-

man Sustainability Code arose during

a dialogue process involving numer-

ous stakeholders from the financial

markets, businesses and civil society

actively participated in the dialogue

process. Importantly, businesses

field-tested the German Sustainability

Code before launch and found it to

be highly practicable. The idea is for

the German Council for Sustainable

Development to critically monitor the

application of the Code as a standard

offering transparency in relation to a

company’s sustainability perfor-

mance. It creates a scope of validity

by applying benchmarking to corpo-

rate social responsibility. Its applica-

tion is voluntary.

The idea

The German Sustainability Code em-

anates from the definition of sustain-

ability which was coined by the

Brundtland Commission in 1987:

“Sustainable development is devel-

opment that meets the needs of the

present without compromising the

ability of future generations to meet

their own needs. […] In essence,

sustainable development is a pro-

cess of change in which the exploita-

tion of resources, the direction of in-

vestments, the orientation of techno-

logical development, and institutional

change are all in harmony and en-

hance both current and future poten-

tial to meet human needs and aspira-

tions.” The German Council for Sus-

tainable Development perceives sus-

tainability within the meaning of a

triple bottom line as the equal consid-

eration of ecological, social and eco-

nomic aspects, the aim being to con-

serve the environment as well as so-

cial cohesion, and to advance eco-

nomic development both in Germany

and internationally.

We observe an increase among play-

ers on the financial and capital mar-

kets who are interested in having a

means of measuring corporate per-

formance using non-financial indica-

tors. The significance of environmen-

tal, social and corporate governance

The German Sustainability Code

Dr. OECON, 1994, from the

University of Hohenheim, Lu-

cia Reisch is a professor at

the CBS Department of Inter-

cultural Communication and

Management.

Lucia Reisch is working with

several projects and institu-

tions within, i.e., the E.U. sys-

tem and the German Govern-

ment.

Lucia have been appointed

by Chancellor Angela Mer-

kel as a member of the Ger-

man Council for Sustainable

Development and is active in

the development of the Ger-

man Sustainability Code.

Her research interests are

mainly:

Corporate Social Respon-

sibility

Intercultural consumer

behavior

Consumer policy

Sustainable consumption

and production

Children and consump-

tion

Pathological consumption

cbs.dk/luciareisch

Research

German Council for Sustainable De-

velopment logo

24

(ESG) factors for corporate analyses and for finan-

cial market decisions is increasing. This is apparent

e.g. through the intense discussion on integrated

financial and sustainability reporting. Therefore, it

was important that The German Sustainability Code

was developed in close conjunction with business

and financial market representatives as an instru-

ment for the financial market. The German Sustain-

ability Code describes the core requirements to be

met by a corporate sustainability management sys-

tem and lends transparency to the contribution

made by sustainability to value creation.

Through the “German Sustainability Code”, the Ger-

man Council for Sustainable Development seeks to

lend transparency to the methods of sustainability

applied by companies and to make sustainability an

effective benchmark for the economy as a whole

and for the capital market. In substantive terms, the

German Sustainability Code follows on from the

principles of the UN Global Compact, the OECD

Guidelines for Multinational Companies, the ISO

26000 guidelines for social responsibility, while, in

instrumental terms, it follows on from the G3 report-

ing standards of the Global Reporting Initiative

(GRI) or the reporting standards of the European

Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS).

The introduction of standardized processes based

on a select group of key performance indicators

(KPIs) is designed to raise the degree of relevance

and enhance the comparability and measurability of

sustainability management, which will serve all

stakeholders.

Extension of existing reporting procedures

The German Sustainability Code lends itself as a

basis of valuation in portfolio management, for cor-

porate bonds, when granting loans and for investor

information. The Code therefore represents an ex-

tension of the reporting procedures applied under

binding national and international accounting stand-

ards. It also supplements the widely accepted Ger-

man Corporate Governance Code. The German

Sustainability Code thus complements the global

trend of augmenting the reporting procedure to in-

corporate various degrees of bindingness, the goal

being to apply integrated reporting as the basis for

integrated investment analysis.

As such, the existing market for sustainable invest-

ment, with its specific requirements and depth of

methodical evaluation, is complemented by a stand-

ardized instrument which is also appropriate for

mainstream investors and analysts who, until now,

have barely based their activities on sustainability

information.

The German Sustainability Code identifies and high-

lights corporate sustainability achievements as ex-

amples of best corporate practice, makes them

more binding through transparency and comparabil-

ity, and thus extends the basis for assessing sus-

tainability. Capital flows can be channeled into fu-

ture-proof business models and companies.

Greater transparency enables companies to discern

opportunities and risks more readily to manage the-

se proactively. Companies located in Germany

which, today, are already required to satisfy higher

demands in Germany’s social market economy can

use a declaration of conformity with the German

Sustainability Code to lend worldwide transparency

to their sustainability performance and turn this into

a competitive edge.

Research

German Parliament Building in Berlin

25

So, What Have We Learnt From the GSC

Launched in October 2011, the German Sustainabil-

ity Code (GSC) has already attracted several key

corporate players in different industries. Evonik,

MAN, Allianz, Puma, Daimler, Bayer, Triodos Bank

and Deutsche Boerse have all submitted their

“declarations of conformity” to the German Sustain-

ability Code recently.

Thus, 17 declarations of conformity (with 20 more

companies considering signing the code) have been

published to date. Recently, the German network of

the Principles for Responsible Investment of the

United Nations (UN PRI) advised its signatories the

application of the GSC for investment decisions and

the documentation of compliance with the principles

in core business. Also the French Government have

recently invited the German Council for Sustainable

Development to come and present the GSC.

While it is still premature to evaluate the success or

failure of the Code, a few supportive factors in re-

gards to the process of launching the Code can be

identified: First, the whole project was designed as

a cooperative effort between the Sustainability

Council and diverse industries. In particular, in sev-

eral full day workshops, we talked extensively to the

financial industries in order to understand their per-

ception of risks and opportunities and to find com-

mon ground for a voluntary – but by no means arbi-

trary - approach. Government only came into play

once the Code was agreed to. In this stage of “roll

out”, it was of high importance that the support

came directly and outspokenly from the German

Chancellery – herewith setting an unwritten norm

and formulation specific expectations for German

industries.

Finally, since the Code is largely based on accepted

and well known standards, debates could and can

start already from an elaborated level – both within

corporations and between industries and the Coun-

cil – and can focus on the strategic and larger ques-

tions beyond the base work of drafting indicators.

For more information on the German Council for

Sustainable Development please visit:

www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/en

The code itself, can be found here:

www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/en/projects/projects-of-

the-council/deutscher-nachhaltigkeitskodex/

”Green” view of the German countryside

Research

Industrial Dock in Germany

26

Update from 360° Students for Sustainability

360° Students for Sustainability is

at the moment busy wrapping up

the academic year of 2011/12, and

preparing for what’s coming after

the summer.

The past year has been amazing

with many changes. In November,

we started our collaboration with

oikos International and in March we

were appointed members to repre-

sent Copenhagen. With the mem-

bership we have been able to ex-

pand our network and share

knowledge with other oikos chap-

ters. Furthermore, our members

got to attend conferences in Spain,

Germany, Switzerland and Swe-

den. 360° has been able to in-

crease the collaboration with other

student organizations at CBS

through the CBS Network. One

practical example of this was the

one-week NextLead conference on

responsible and sustainable leader-

ship that was arranged by five net-

work members. It attracted more

than 300 participants from all study

branches. The conference ended

with a party where we collected

over 18 000 DKK for the NGO

Care.

A big success was our nomination

for the CSR Awards 2011 in the

Student and the Communication

category. The honor to be consid-

ered for the awards by the sustain-

ability community shows the impact

we have made in the field. Over the

past two years, 360° has profes-

sionalized the organizational struc-

ture to be able to lift more tasks.

We will continue our efforts and

improvements because we believe

this is the right path to be the game

-changer we want to be.

We had our general assembly the

15th of June at 4 pm at Rosenvil-

laen, Porcelænshaven 7. Everyone

was welcome to join and say good-

bye to the old secretariat and wel-

come the new!

After the summer, we will return

with a new initiative called 360°

|Academy, and continue with 360°

|Develop Prize, Company visits and

more! We will of course also

strengthen and deepen the just

started collaborations with the Sus-

tainability Platform as well as CSE.

We are in negotiations with The

Sustainability Platform about them

supporting us with a student worker

to take administrative tasks and

thereby lessen the work load for

the volunteers, while the CSE is

providing us with office space in

their newly renovated floor at How-

itzvej 60.

On behalf of the organization,

thanks to all of you supporting us in

one way or the other! Have a beau-

tiful summer and see you in Sep-

tember!

Best Regards

Janni Raundahl

Chairperson

360⁰ Students for

Sustainability:

Website:

360students.dk

Email:

info@360students.dk

Facebook:

facebook.com/360students

Students

27

CBS Goes Green

CBS Goes Green is an official sustainability initiative at CBS that focus on

saving energy on campus by engaging people and implementing technical

solutions. As a leading Business School CBS strive to become one of Eu-

rope’s leaders in responsible leadership.

CBS Goes Green focus on three different pipelines:

People

Working closely with students and employees - on campus CBS Goes

Green strive to create a movement that will empower and continue the sus-

tainable development.

Technical measures

Together with Campus services CBS Goes Green strive to find and imple-

ment the best technical solutions that will save energy on campus and en-

hance sustainable living.

Research

Through research and benchmarking CBS Goes Green apply best practic-

es on campus and continue the development towards a sustainable cam-

pus.

At CBS, Green means developing an attitude towards sustainability and

practices that can be incorporated into everyday life. CBS Goes Green

wants to enhance a sense of responsibility as well as include students and

employees in the path to a sustainable campus. CBS Goes Green bench-

marks with the top universities of Europe and aims to be the number one

green university.

The CBS Goes Green Staff:

Sisse Videbæk-Felby, Mads Misiak Friis, Kathrine Johansen, Peter N. B. Christensen, Mie Johnsen.

Gert Bechlund (Marshal

Emeritus at CBS and founder

of CBS Goes Green).

Gert Bechlund has over 40

years of work experience at

CBS, which includes jobs like

Associate Professor, Head of

Department, Dean, University

Director and Director of Cam-

pus Facilities.

Gert has lead the implementa-

tion of The Green Strategy

since the beginning of 2009

and likes international review

work and teamwork. Gert finds

it invigorating to work with stu-

dents and he has high expec-

tations for the results of the

cooperation with the Green

Ambassadors. Gert expects

that CBS, in a few years, can

be leading in the areas of sus-

tainability, environmental is-

sues and diversity.

Gert Bechlund has a dedicated

staff of student employees and

several volunteers, all working

to establish and strengthen the

green agenda at CBS.

For more information on the

CBS Goes Green staff please

follow this link:

www.cbsgoesgreen.com/about

CBS Goes Green founder

CBS

28

Halfway towards 2020 Goals

During the spring of 2012 CBS Goes Green has

conducted an elaborate calculation of CBS’ energy

use, waste impact, water use, transportation use

and CO2 emissions. With help from Business Intelli-

gence CBS and Campus Services data have been

collected and analyzed in order to determine CBS’

CO2 Footprint for an extensive report.

The Case of Electricity

When looking at the energy use from 2008 to 2011

it is noticeable that the energy use has decreased

by 15.5%. Several factors contribute in explaining

this decrease.

First of all, about 1000 light bulbs have been

switched to electricity saving lighting (LED-lighting)

in many buildings. Furthermore, the effectiveness

of the ventilation system on CBS has been greatly

increased, which has had a big impact on the ener-

gy use. Last but not least, CBS has in recent years

become more aware of sustainability and saving

energy.

CBS focusses on reducing the consumption of

electricity in two ways:

By investing in more electricity-efficient technol-

ogy

By engaging students and employees in behav-

ioral change

Even though students might only have limited ac-

cess to the regulation of lighting and other electrici-

ty consuming activities at CBS - students can still

affect electricity use in certain situations, for in-

stance, remembering to switch of the computer

screens after using them.

Suggestions for further energy-saving

changes:

Solar panels (capacity of approximately 95% in

25 years)

Lighting (change to LED)

Solar screens for windows (reduces heat ab-

sorption through windows by up to 90%, result-

ing in energy cost savings)

CO2 Footprint

The goal of this project was to assess the impact of

CBS on the environment, and ultimately to calcu-

late CBS’ CO2 emissions. Through research CBS

Goes Green have uncovered an impressive 20%

decrease in CO2 emissions in only four years,

which is halfway to the goal of 40% in 2020. It

should, however, be noted that CBS should only be

accredited with a certain amount of this decrease,

as the contribution of renewable energy sources to

the provision of 1 KWh used has increased much,

thus automatically decreasing CO2 emissions.

How CBS is “Walking the Walk”

Concerning Sustainability

By the way, did you

know that electricity

emits approximately

four times more CO2

than heating?

CBS

29

Future work to be done

For CBS Goes Green’s future work, the goal is to expand the project by

converting the energy use, water use, waste and transportation into a busi-

ness case. This conversion would give an overview of how much is actually

spent on these activities in monetary terms, which might be more under-

standable than ton CO2, KWh, MWh etc. for students and employees. Also

CBS Goes Green are looking into expanding the project with a seminar and

paper series to further engage people on campus and external stakehold-

ers.

Also, CBS Goes Green are currently investigating the possibility of creating

a comparable analysis of CBS’ CO2 emissions through a benchmarking

analysis with Europe’s three largest Business Schools CBS, BI in Norway

and WU in Vienna. This is a highly ambitious project which will contribute to

setting a standard for measuring CO2 Footprint in Higher Education Institu-

tions.

Want to read more?

The report on CBS’ CO2 footprint is available through the website:

www.cbsgoesgreen.com

CBS Goes Green are looking for collaboration with researchers for future

work. Please get in touch if you have experience in this area and want to

contribute to CBS’ path to a sustainable campus.

Contact

CBS Goes Green

Copenhagen Business

School

Solbjerg Plads 3, D2.28,

2000 Frederiksberg

Mail.: go.mo@cbs.dk

Tel.: (+45) 3815 2018

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/

cbsgoesgreen

Sign up to become a

Green Ambassador:

http://podio.com/

webforms/989543/43994

Opening hours:

Monday-Thursday from

10.00 -13.00

CBS Goes Green

Copenhagen Business School

Solbjerg Plads 3, Office D2.28

2000 Frederiksberg

Tel.: 38 15 20 18

CBS

30

CIEL (Copenhagen Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Lab) is initiated by the presidents of Copenhagen Uni-

versity, Danish Technical University and Copenhagen

Business School, with the purpose of promoting re-

search and teaching with a focus on innovation and en-

trepreneurship. CIEL supports both educational initia-

tives and research initiatives.

Education

In relation to sustainability the educational initiative

“Green Innovation in Cities” look at novel ways for mak-

ing cities more sustainable in relation to resources,

flows and energies.

“Green Innovation in Cities” consist of three course

themes and a summer school. The course themes are:

Urban Greening, Urban Flows and Green Energies and

the summer school is focused on Clean Tech. Teach-

ers and students from all three universities are repre-

sented in the program - thereby, the program encour-

ages a new cross-disciplinary and holistic approach to

teaching green innovation and sustainability in cities.

By focusing on green innovation in cities, CIEL is help-

ing shape the next generation of decision makers scal-

ing up awareness of co-existence, sustainability and

urban development. By 2008, more than half of the

world’s population lived in cities and by 2030 United

Nations Population Fund (UNPF) projects that more

than 5 billion people will live in metropolitan areas.

Thus, it is important that cities become sustainable and

provide good living conditions for its inhabitants.

The Urban Greening course theme is centered on

urban water and vegetation ecosystems and how to

handle climate adaptation in sustainable ways within

the fields of, for instance, greenscape creation and

management, and floodwater management.

The Urban Flow course theme examines the goods

and material flows within, to and from a town. It sup-

ports ideas similar to the cradle-to-cradle concept by

reusing materials in both a technical and biological cy-

cle.

The Green Energy course points to increasing de-

mands for electricity from renewable energy sources

and investigate how to generate new ideas in this field,

for instance, how to fit in or adapt solar cell panels,

small windmills and bioenergy to city spaces.

Research

In addition to the teaching program, CIEL at CBS sup-

ports exciting research projects within sustainability,

such as:

1) ‘Creating the City of the Future’ (Patricia Plack-

ett), which researches innovative models for designing

and financing urban infrastructures, including energy

infrastructures

2) ‘Multi-stakeholder synergy analysis of innovation

for sustainability and green cities’ (Niels Kornum)

looks at how multiple stakeholders potentially create

synergy in order to promote the greening of the cities

3) ‘Co-creation – Experiences and learning from

company-university infrastructure’ (Sigvald Har-

ryson) investigates co-creation for companies develop-

ing clean energy and clean urban mobility

4) ‘Valuing Design - aesthetics, meaning and identi-

ty in the co-creation of sustainable living’ (Daniel

Hjort) investigates how identities around design and

sustainable living are formed, produced and uphold and

subsequently organized and governed

5) ‘Micro-financing, Sustainability and Rural Devel-

opment’ (Serdan Ozcan) researches how micro fi-

nancing of potential entrepreneurs in the health care

system can boost the quality of health care afforded to

residents of impoverished regions.

CIEL at CBS are also engaged in collaboration on busi-

ness cases for teaching purposes, conferences and

workshops. If you would like to acquire more infor-

mation on CIEL at

CBS, please contact

Luise Noring Henler:

lnh.ino@cbs.dk

CIEL goes Green at CBS

CBS

31

Understanding CSR and

Sustainable Development

in Afghanistan

By Sameer Azizi

My initial focus on CSR in Afghani-

stan was based on my master thesis

at the Business and Development

studies master program at CBS.

The thesis aimed to explain the im-

pact of CSR on poverty reduction in

Afghanistan. Soon after the comple-

tion of the thesis report in summer

2010, I realized that this research

topic was much more complex and

relevant than I had imagined. In

2011, I came back to ICM at CBS as

a Research Assistant and got the

possibility to conduct a three-

months field study on CSR in Af-

ghanistan. This trip to Afghanistan

was my 12th since 2003, as I have

earlier been working for a Danish

NGO (GES) during 2006-2010, and

it enabled me to work further on my

Ph.D. proposal for this topic. In

March 2012 I got the Ph.D. stipend

from CBS to finally work on my

Ph.D. research.

Now why would one focus on CSR

in Afghanistan?

The discourse on CSR and sustain-

ability has in the past decades un-

dertaken many assumptions about

businesses’ role in supporting pov-

erty reduction through CSR in the

poorest regions of the world. How-

ever, very few research projects

have actually focused on CSR in the

poorest contexts of the world. Af-

ghanistan is a war-torn country that

has suffered from war and instability

through more than four decades.

The U.N. has ranked the country as

one of the world’s least-developed

countries in regards to human de-

velopment and poverty.

The Afghan state is generally char-

acterized as a fragile state due to

high level of corruption and lack of

security and control over their terri-

tory. The businesses in Afghanistan

have a large room for maneuvering

and can therefore play a very im-

portant and crucial role in poverty

reduction and stabilization of the

country.

The aim of my research project is

therefore to focus on CSR in Af-

ghanistan in order to provide new

theoretical and empirical insights on

the business-society relations in a

context that is completely different

from those yet studied in the litera-

ture.

Sameer Azizi, is a Ph.D.-

Fellow at the Department of

Intercultural Communication

and Management, with a

background as cand.merc.int

from CBS.

His Ph.D. project aims to

understand and explain the

relationship between CSR

and poverty reduction in Af-

ghanistan - characterized as

a least-developed country

with a fragile state and post-

war attributes.

The focus of the project is to

explore the relationship be-

tween CSR's business case

and the development case,

and to explain how, when

and why this relationship en-

ables or disables CSR's im-

pact on poverty reduction.

Empirically, the project in-

vestigates the telecommuni-

cation sector in Afghanistan

consisting of both foreign

and domestic companies.

cbs.dk/sameerazizi

The Afghani flag

Research

Ph.D. Highlight

32

Focus on Telecommunications

More concretely,

my focus will be

on four both lo-

cal and interna-

tional telecom-

munication firms’

CSR in Afghani-

stan.

The telecommu-

nication industry

is important, as it

is one of the

fastest growing

formal industries

in not only Afghanistan but in many least developed

and emerging economies. Moreover, it is important

to note that the telecommunication firms are highly

engaged with CSR.

The questions are then why firms in such countries

invest in CSR? And what are the developmental

impacts of these CSR initiatives for the local Af-

ghans? My initial studies in Afghanistan shows that

CSR is not led by the standard arguments from

books in the literature such as; consumer activities,

state regulation or NGO pressure. Therefore in or-

der to understand the business logic of CSR in

such a context, a more contextualized understand-

ing of CSR is required that goes beyond the west-

ern logic and the one-size-fit framing of CSR.

My current understanding of the field also revels

that businesses – at least in the telecommunication

industry – are interested in a more prosperous and

stabile Afghanistan. Therefore, the developmental

impacts of CSR in such contexts are to be mapped

and explored first and then questioned; how can

CSR as business’ tool for development enable sus-

tainable development for the local population in a

war-torn and poor country?

This could lead to the question of who gains from

CSR and who do not – and importantly why/why

not?

Research

Communication lines and wiring

Afghanistan quick facts:

With a population of approximately 29 million,

Afghanistan has an area of 647,500 km2, mak-

ing it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest

nation in the world.

It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and the

east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbeki-

stan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in

the far northeast.

Afghanistan is an impoverished and least de-

veloped country, one of the world's poorest due

to the decades of war and nearly complete lack

of foreign investment. In 2009 approximately

42 % of the population lived on less than $1 a

day, according to the US Agency for Internatio-

nal Development (USAID).

Map of Afghanistan

33

During spring 2012, CBS sustainability Platform has facilitated the development of a few new Ph.D.

collaborations for CBS. Since the last issue of CSQ, the following Ph.D. collaborations, which all focus

on elements of sustainability, have been approved.

Furthermore, the Platform has had a Ph.D. position for CBS approved through the E.U. system, under

the Marie Curie Initial Training Networks.

Corporate Ph.D. Collaboration with AP Møller Maersk and Ph.D.-Fellow Majbritt Greve

(MPP)

CBS Ph.D.-Fellow Majbritt Greve has entered into an corporate Ph.D. collaboration with AP Møller

Maersk. The project will revolve around the linking of foreign direct investment and strategic use of

CSR literature in a tool-developing perspective, in order to create a business model that can provide

value for both company and society.

I4S/ITN

Through the E.U. system, CBS have been awarded funding for one Ph.D.-Fellow under the Marie Cu-

rie Initial Training Networks (ITN). The overarching scientific objective of the I4S/ITN is to train re-

searchers who better understand the processes and practices that foster sustainability-driven inno-

vation (“SDI”). Throughout this proposal, SDI is understood as a business contribution to sustainable

development. The search for a suitable candidate for the Ph.D. position will commence during sum-

mer.

Corporate Ph.D. Collaboration with PwC and CBS Ph.D.-Fellow Ann-Charlotte Beier-

holm (AA)

The CBS Department of Accounting and Auditing and the Department of Intercultural Communication

and Management have collaborated with PwC on a corporate Ph.D.

With tax reporting as focal point, this project extends prior research by examining a new subject mat-

ter of CSR reporting and by conducting in-depth explorative research that deals with the practice of

CSR reporting, including the design of reporting processes, related communication and, in collabora-

tion with practitioners, by identifying challenges and related solutions.

New Ph.D.s

Research

34

The Economist: Sustainability in the CBS MBA

The corporate social responsibility and sustainability offerings of the CBS MBA program are now featured in

The Economist’s online “Which MBA” webinar series.

The Economist offers its “Which MBA” series as a service to prospective MBA candidates to compare MBA

programs from around the world.

The 23 minute segment about the Copenhagen Business School is conducted by CBS MBA Admissions

Manager Thuli Kutloano Skosana and CBS Ph.D. Robert Strand.

For more information on the CBS Full Time MBA, please follow this link:

cbs.dk/fulltimemba

The segment can be viewed at: https://event.webcasts.com/viewer/directLink.jsp?ei=1005925

Education

35

Recent Events

ISUP Networking Café Event, July 3rd, 2012, at Solbjerg Plads 3, Nexus Bar

The Brand Strategy Director for State of Green – Marius Sylvestersen – came to CBS for a networking event.

State of Green – ‘the official green brand for Denmark’ – aims to strengthen international awareness of the solu-

tions and competencies of Danish business in dealing with climate change impacts.

Roskilde Festival 2012, June 30th, 2012 – CBS Goes Green visits Backstage Sustainability

This year CBS Goes Green and Green Associates visited Roskilde Festival and their sustainable initiatives.

Backstage Sustainability focuses on environmental- and sustainability work, and audience involvement. The

event took the participants on an adventure through Roskilde Festival's many green installations, crazy experi-

ments, enriching talks and audience involved activities and games.

For more info: http://back-stage.dk/raadgivning_viden/backstage/backstage_workshops/sustainability/

Contact person: Sisse Videbæk-Felby, sv.mo@cbs.dk

Seminar, by the Department of Economics - V. Kerry Smith (Arizona State University): Quasi Experi-

ments, Hedonic Models, and Estimating Tradeoffs for Local Amenities - June 25th, 2012, 13.00-14.00

at Porcelænshaven 16A, room 2.80

This paper evaluates whether the property value capitalization effects measured with quasi-experimental meth-

ods offer reliable estimates of the willingness to pay for changes in amenities. We propose the use of a market

simulation as a robustness check. Two applications establish the method’s relevance. The first examines the

conversion of land cover from desert to wet landscape. The second examines the cleanup of hazardous waste

sites. We find that even when quasi-experimental methods have access to ideal instruments their performance in

measuring general equilibrium willingness to pay cannot be assumed ideal. It needs to be evaluated considering

the specific features of each application.

For more information please see http://www.cbs.dk/en/Research/Departments-Centres/Institutter/node_3381/

Menu/Seminars

Seminar with Dr. Arne Bigsten (University of Gothenburg) and Dr. John Kuada (Aalborg University),

June 20th, 2012, 13.00-16.00, at Kilevej 16, room Ks71

African Business On the Rise?

From “The hopeless continent” (Economist, 2000) to “The hopeful continent” (Economist, 2010), African business

appears to be on the rise. But how much do we really know about the new African business lions? How wide-

spread are these African lions, what defines this new generation of African firms, and what are the determinants

of their success? In short, what are the major research agendas on the rise of African business?

CBDS invited two distinguished scholars on African enterprise development - Arne Bigsten, Professor in Devel-

opment Economics at the University of Gothenburg, and John Kuada, Professor of International Management at

Aalborg University, to CBS. Based on their presentations and the following discussion, the seminar sought to re-

fine the research agenda on African business. The seminar provided inputs to a major CBDS research project on

‘Successful African Firms and Institutional Change’ (The SAFIC Project) recently funded by the Danida Research

Council (see www.cbs.dk/cbds/safic for more information).

Events

36

Partnership 2012: NGO+Business . Towards a Sustainable Society Conference, June 10th to 12th,

2012, at Solbjerg Plads 3

June 10th - 12th, 2012, Copenhagen Business School hosted an international partnership conference with partic-

ipation of some of the world’s leading experts from business, NGOs, and academia.

Key-Note speakers (among others): Kofi Annan, HRH Crown Princess Mary, Ole Sohn, Peter Eigen, Simona

Marinescu, Karsten Dybvad, Jon Duschinsky and Mette Morsing.

The objective of the conference was to disseminate knowledge about innovative, cutting-edge partnerships, stim-

ulate match-making between businesses and NGOs, and communicate the newest research findings on interna-

tional partnerships practices. The Partnership NGO+Business Conference had a very interesting program, span-

ning over three days. If you want to have a more detailed view of the agenda and see the presentations and ma-

terial, please visit cbs.dk/sustainabilityplatform or partnership2012.com

Sustainability Seminar Series, June 7th, 2012, 12.00-15.00, at Porcelænshaven 22, room R3.20

Workshop on understandings of the term ”sustainability” at CBS.

June 2012 was 20 years since the Rio Earth Summit that popularized the term “Sustainable Development”.

With the Sustainability Platform CBS is signaling that we consider this term still to be of crucial importance in a

business school context. However, what do we understand when we use the term “Sustainability“?

This workshop aimed to clarify the terminology of sustainability and to identify pathways to how it can be used

fruitfully in business school research. While the aim was not one single CBS-wide definition, it was sought to map

the different uses of the term within CBS and understand what these mean, for potential research collaborations.

The workshop was introduced by brief statements from 4 CBS faculty who had volunteered to propose one text/

definition: Peter Møllgaard (Econ), Adriana Budeanu (INT), Lucia Reisch (cbsCSR) and Kai Hockerts (cbsCSR).

This was followed by a broad discussion with contributions from several departments across CBS (OM, ICM,

MPP, Marktg, INT, FI, ECON, IOA and INO).

You can find the presentations from the workshop under events and activities at: cbs.dk/sustainabilityplatform

Sustainability Seminar Series, May 8th, 2012, 14.00 - 15.30, at Porcelænshaven 22, R1.20

Frank de Bakker on “How do (networks of) NGOs try to impact firms and norms on issues of corporate social

responsibility?”

Frank de Bakker is an Associate Professor of strategic management at Department of Organization Sciences at

University Amsterdam, and a board member of The Faculty of Social Sciences and of the International Associa-

tion for Business and Society. His research interests are at the intersect of social movement studies and institu-

tional theory and focuses on corporate social responsibility, environmental management & innovation, among

other subjects. Frank de Bakker’s work has been published in for example Academy of Management Review,

Business & Society, Organization Studies and Journal of Business Ethics.

At this seminar Frank de Bakker drew upon his previous work on mapping NGOs impact on firms and invited the

participants to comment and discuss the findings and the recent progress of some of his work-in-progress.

The presentation from the seminar can be found under events and activities at cbs.dk/sustainabilityplatform

Events

37

MISTRA Future Fashion Symposium, May 2nd, 2012, 09.00-16.30, at Porcelænshaven 22, RS.20

As part of the MISTRA Future Fashion Program, Copenhagen Business School (CBS) hosted an international

symposium, coordinated by Associate Professor Esben Rahbek Pedersen, on sustainable fashion on May 2nd,

2012. The Symposium had the participation of both researchers and practitioners who discussed the potentials for

mainstreaming sustainability within the fashion industry. The focus of the Symposium was on the opportunities

and barriers for integrating social and environmental issues in different stages of the fashion lifecycle – from design

to final disposal and reuse of clothes. Participants were, among others, from; H&M, Katvig, CBS, Malmö Universi-

ty, Chalmers and Aarhus University.

For more information please visit: mistrafuturefashion.com

Seminar by 360⁰ Students for Sustainability, April 12th, 2012, 14.00-16.00, at Solbjerg Plads 3,

roomSP202

Sustainability next in China and Denmark!

360⁰ Students arranged a conference on business and sustainability trends and challenges in China and Denmark.

These topics were covered in presentations by Friis Arne Petersen, Ambassador of Denmark to China and Anna

Lise Mortensen Grandjean, Director at the Danish Business Council for Sustainable Development. The event was

rounded off with a Q&A.

For more information please see: facebook.com/events/341183825928893/

Sustainability Seminar Series, April 12th, 2012, 14.00 - 15.30, at Kilevej 14A, K4.41

Jean-Pascal Gond on Strategizing Corporate Social Responsibility: Institutional Work in Practice.

Jean-Pascal Gond is a guest Professor at HEC Montreal and before that he was an assistant Professor at the In-

ternational Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility of Nottingham University Business School. His research ana-

lyzes the socio-political dimensions of CSR, the influence of CSR programs on employees and how theories are

transformed into managerial practices. Jean-Pascal Gond's publications can be found in, for example, Organiza-

tion Science, Organization Studies, Journal of Management Studies, Business Ethics Quarterly, Business and So-

ciety and Economy and Society.

At this seminar, Jean-Pascal Gond presented his recent work with institutional theory, and his work-in-progress,

and asked the participants for inputs regarding his work up until now. The discussion went on and more work-

meetings were arranged for further collaboration to take place.

The presentation from the seminar is available under events and activities at cbs.dk/sustainabilityplatform

Events

38

Upcoming Events

CBS Goes Green; Meeting the New Students, August 2012

CBS Goes Green work close together with tutors from different bachelor programs to ensure that all new students

get an understanding of sustainability and the work being done at CBS by CBS Goes Green. To ensure this un-

derstanding they host a competition to give incentives towards sustainable behavior where they award the most

sustainable intro trip. The competition is being evaluated on criteria´s such as waste sorting, energy saving, trans-

portation, care for local environment and other creative sustainable initiatives. In addition to the competition CBS

Goes Green also perform introductions at the different programs in the intro period to explain about different initia-

tives and how students can get involved in a sustainable future.

CBS Goes Green finds it very important to start a dialogue and understanding of sustainability early in the stu-

dents’ university life.

For more information please contact Mads Misiak Friis: mmf.mo@cbs.dk

Responsibility Day, August 31st, 2012, Falconer Salen

The Office of PRME at CBS will host the Responsibility Day where new students enrolling at CBS, will be intro-

duced to issues and opportunities concerning responsibility and sustainability. The CBS Responsibility Day is a full

day dedicated to the promotion of issues of responsibility, ethics and sustainability in both corporate and student life and

is aimed at all 2500 first semester students within the undergraduate programs. Taking place on the August 31st it is the

new students' first ever encounter with the CBS classroom and the ambition is to introduce each student to critical is-

sues concerning responsibility, ethics and sustainability.

For more information and a full program for the day please visit the site www.intro.cbs.dk/rd (work in progress) or

write student assistant Ane Kamstrup Pedersen: akp.ikl@cbs.dk

CBS Sustainability Ph.D. Cohort Launch, September 10th, 2012

The CBS Sustainability Ph.D. Cohort that was described in the first issue of CSQ, will commence on September

10th, 2012, and offers a 7,5 ECTS core course and a 3 ECTS method course, emphasizing theoretical positioning

of research.

The core course "Perspectives on Sustainability" will run on the following dates: September 10th, 17th, 18th and

19th, 2012; with bi-weekly reading seminars running from September 27th, 2012, to February 7th, 2013.

The method course will run from October 29th until October 31st, 2012.

Both courses focus on sustainability research and it is voluntarily if you want to follow one or both. An excellent

blend of national and international professors have been mobilized to teach the program, including Andreas

Rasche (Warwick University - from August 1st, a CBS Professor), Steen Vallentin (CBS), Eva Boxenbaum

(Copenhagen Business School and Mines ParisTech), Jean-Pascal Gond (HEC Montreal), Søren Jeppesen

(CBS) and Mette Morsing (CBS).

For more information on the Ph.D. Cohort, please contact Katja Høeg Tingleff: kht.research@cbs.dk

Events

39

Green Week, September 24th to 28th, 2012

Every year CBS Goes Green hosts Green Week, which engages and incorporates all students on campus. CBS

Goes Green demonstrate best practices through inspirational presentations and show the students how they will

be able to apply their core skill set when working with sustainability.

The headline for Green Week 2012 is Sustainability 2.0. At Copenhagen Business School students are becoming

increasingly interested in sustainability. As future leaders they are opting for classes, minors and research projects

that emphasize the sustainability perspective in creating smarter businesses.

Companies that demonstrate leadership in the era of Sustainability 2.0 will not just inquire about the quantity of

resources they use but will seek to learn whether what they offer actually enhances the lives of their customers,

stakeholders and planetary communities.

CBS Goes Green believe that for the business leaders of tomorrow, it is essential to link vision with purpose. As

business leaders we need to look at how we can use our core business, not only by doing better for society, but by

making smarter businesses.

For more information please contact Kathrine Johansen, kj.mo@cbs.dk

Events

40

CBS Sustainability Platform Porcelænshaven 18A, office 0.141 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark Tel.3815 3286 sustainability@cbs.dk www.cbs.dk/sustainabilityplatform

CBS Sustainability Platform Leadership and Staff

Director, Professor Mette Morsing (Ph.D., MSc.)

Mail: mm.ikl@cbs.dk

Tel.: 3815 3205

Project Manager, Kristina Walker Pedersen (MSc.)

Mail: kwp.ikl@cbs.dk

Tel.: 3815 3286

Communications Officer, Lars Wermelin Aarestrup (MA.)

Mail: lwa.ikl@cbs.dk

Tel.: 3815 3231

CBS

The CBS Sustainability Plat-

form look forward to wel-

coming Professor Stefano

Ponte (DBP) as the new

Academic Co-Director.

A detailed description and a

thorough welcome and

presentation will be part of

the next issue of CSQ.

cbs.dk/stefanoponte