CENTRUM Católica

     

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CENTRUM Católica
Lima, LI, Lima 33
Peru
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Demographic Information

Number of full-time MBA students (2011): 

62

Number of part-time MBA students (2011): 

320

Total duration of full-time MBA program: 

13 months

MBA faculty (Fall 2010): 

107

Females as percent of student body: 

41%


Description of MBA Program: 

CENTRUM Catolica, through its active response to the global call to business schools to encourage business social responsibility, has become a leading figure in Peru in the dissemination of the concept and practice of business social responsibility. In 2007, it became one of the first 50 business schools to adopt the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and develop an implementation plan, and it is a signatory of the UN Global Compact. CENTRUM Catolica has been an active member of the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI), which aims to promote understanding of globally responsible leadership and to develop its practice. In fulfillment of the PRME, CENTRUM Catolica has incorporated business social responsibility content into all its courses, including the ethical analysis of business, corporate governance, the development of organizational culture guided by social values, the design and implementation of strategic plans that ensure competitiveness and sustainability of business and the development of business models aimed at the base of the pyramid. Case studies and literature covering topics of ethics, social responsibility and environment stewardship are used throughout its academic programs. Students are encouraged to use topics of social impact in their thesis work and proposed cases. CENTRUM Catolica's MBA core curriculum contains a full-term required course called "Ethics and Social Responsibility." The main objective of the course is to provide participants with knowledge of the principles and strategic management tools of business social responsibility for proper and effective decision making. It also seeks to reflect on business decisions from the perspective of ethics and social responsibility. CENTRUM Catolica has also undertaken a number of social entrepreneurship initiatives. Two CoRAs (Communities of Responsible Action) have been organized, one for female business leaders, and one for small and medium-sized companies, whose members meet on a monthly basis to discuss how to put the GRLI into practice in their businesses. CENTRUM Catolica’s “Adopt a Microenterprise” project helps small businesses get started with a focus on social responsibility, sustainability, and eco-friendliness. CENTRUM Catolica is allied with Ashoka to develop social entrepreneurs and global citizens so they may view themselves as agents of change. CENTRUM Catolica is also a member of the Business in Development Network, an organization that promotes global investors, helping to stimulate entrepreneurship and economic growth in emerging markets. Additionally, First Tuesday Lima, sponsored by CENTRUM Catolica, helps entrepreneurs and investors meet in a social atmosphere to exchange ideas and find partnerships. CENTRUM Catolica thus seeks to train professionals who will have a positive impact on strengthening the structure of values and who will proactively address the challenges of present and future society, thus becoming champions of the universal application of the Principles for Responsible Management Education. The ultimate goal is to have a range of postgraduate educational and research programs that create synergies and so, contribute decisively to the formation of a new corporate culture that, hand in hand with business social responsibility and environmental protection, contribute to concrete actions toward the achievement of sustainable development.



How does the MBA program 'walk the talk' of social and environmental impact?: 

CENTRUM Catolica, in response to the Call to Action by the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI), has taken numerous initiatives to promote greater participation and awareness of global social issues by the local businesses community. The "Green CENTRUM" initiative seeks to lead by example through numerous activities and making people aware that each institution and individual can make a difference in terms of environmental protection. Joint efforts and teamwork are the key to success in this task. CENTRUM Católica thus holds a paper recycling initiative that benefits the Foundation for Solidary Development (FUNDADES), a non-profit civil society organization that promotes and operates activities and projects aimed at improving the quality of life of the population that is disadvantaged in terms of their health, education, housing and employment. CENTRUM Catolica is also in the process of reducing its ecological footprint through saving plans aimed at energy, water, paper and cleaning products, is looking for sustainable options for the fertilization of its green areas and, in general, is implementing various measures in the framework of eco-efficiency that are also profitable for the institution. It is expected that their participation in these pilot activities will help students (nearly all of whom are employed full-time and study part-time) transfer these and similar best practices to their places of employment. In addition, CC collaborates frequently with the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru in a wide range of social impact activities to benefit disadvantaged segments of the Peruvian community, including food and clothing drives and calls for cash and blood donations for those in need. CENTRUM Catolica has created a Center of Social Responsibility and Sustainability, which seeks to create knowledge and develop corporate social responsibility among the various industrial sectors and companies in Peru. Specific areas of research include the analysis of progress in BSR by industry, the relation between BSR and competitiveness by industry, management practices of Peruvian companies, BSR activities by foreign companies with operations in Peru, business design for the base of the pyramid, competitiveness and design of agro-businesses, and BSR in Peruvian companies. Through its research, CENTRUM Catolica has developed a Corporative Reputation Index (IRCA) to measure social responsibility levels among Peruvian companies, a study in Peru, Colombia, the United States and Spain to evaluate the impact of social responsibility on products and develop a set of best strategies for the product or target market, a study to identify 100 companies located in Peru and their performance in social responsibility practices, as well as strategic plans for Peru's different regions to help the local governments develop in sustainable, socially responsible ways. Furthermore, CENTRUM Catolica has established a partnership with the local NGO Peru 2021 in a project to measure the perception of BSR in local companies, and a partnership with the Banco de la Nación is developing further BSR projects.

Academic Department

Course Name: Conflict Management and Negotiation
Instructor: Luis Chang, Angel Noriega, Luis Rebagliati

This course has inherently practical connotations, since the objective is to allow students to know and develop negotiation skills in business practice, whether handling business transactions or issues related to their staff, such as promotions, transfers, etc.

From the first session of the course it is indicated that the behavior of a succesful negotiator is governed by ethics and from that concept, the proposals discussed are framed on these principles. The course does not include a negotiation that is raised specifically around an ethical dilemma, but explores a case of negotiation to decide the opening or closure of a mining company and among the factors to be evaluated by company and union representatives, the ethical dilemma is a constant, because if a solution is not adopted under a Win Win scheme, the social responsibility to create jobs will not be satisfied.

Course Name: Effective Communication
Instructor: Leovigildo Pereyra, Ivan Figueroa, Maria Graciela Gutierrez

In this course, the topics of Social Responsibility and Ethics are covered through the development of communication skills and establishing effective oral presentations by students which enhance their interpersonal relationships, effectively present their ideas to diverse audiences, contribute to the working environment of their companies, are actively involved in the care of resources, facilitate teamwork and develop leadership. Responsibility in communications is discussed, pointing out that information must be true and accurate, be objective, show empathy and encourage participation, be proactive, and the communicator must be aware of the consequences resulting from his actions. Students learn the principles, tools and skills that allow them to enhance their communication abilities, and through the content developed in the course, participate actively in the development of the country and the world. They incorporate and assume the roles in their organizations, institutions or companies, as agents of change within society in order to improve the environment in which they operate.

Course Name: Entrepreneurship for Innovative Businesses
Instructor: Adrian Fajardo, Bruno Giuffra, Christian Mejia

New companies must have, within their vision, the implicit responsibility of being a company, i.e. the student is taught to see companies as individuals (legally) who have rights and responsibilities. They have to respect the society in which they operate. Topics covered include the integration of business models to develop innovative, sustainable, socially responsible, legal business; business opportunities across different socio-economic levels; the importance of transparency in new ventures; an integral vision of market barriers; leadership in responsible growth; business culture and institutional values, profit-sharing and stakeholder participation, etc.

We discuss the case of Adventure Expeditions, a tourism company that offers expeditions to the jungle, where the CEO of the company shares profits with the Community of the forest so they learn to take care of their business which is the environment in which they live.

Ethical values are treated as pillars of business, and discussed in every class.

The case of El Hornero, discusses a business enterprise that through transparency, hard work and good communication with stakeholders has made this entrepreneurial venture into a successful business.

Within the business model that students prepare, they are encouraged to have a comprehensive view of the world in which we live. We ask that any proposed new business have a strong element of respect for life, recycling and respect for the surrounding community and environment.

Course Name: Ethics and Social Responsibility
Instructor: Percy Marquina, Luis Chang, Vanina Farber, Jose Pereyra

This course is divided into five modules, and it seeks to help the participant learn the principal aspects of managing relationships with interest groups with a view to strategic management to attain sustainable development. The role of a company in sustainable development is based on obtaining successful results in the economic, environmental and social fields. The relationship of the company with its diverse interest groups is essential to attain those results; it is the steps that it takes that will allow the company sustained growth in its business in harmony with the environment and the society in which it operates. This process rests on a profound reflection of the place of ethics in business. The strategic implementation of entrepreneurial social responsibility requires awareness and the effective application of techniques and tools that facilitate the relationship with interest groups and that allow the entrepreneur to move from theory to practice with sustainable results. It wants to provide participants with the knowledge of the principles and tools of strategic management of entrepreneurial social responsibility for appropriate and effective decision-making within the framework of entrepreneurial strategy. Participants are also encouraged to discuss and reflect on the making of entrepreneurial decisions from the perspective of ethics and social responsibility. 100% of the course is dedicated to these topics. The course will be developed on the basis of an interactive methodology that promotes self-learning and collaborative work, based on presentations by the professor and the students, group discussions on cases linked to the theme, and reading the bibliography assigned for each session. The suggested readings provide the student with the basic terminology and the necessary knowledge to analyze and solve the problems posed in the cases. The cases selected come from the HBR database.

Course Name: Financial Accounting
Instructor: Beatrice Avolio, Jorge Cardenas, Luis Chinchilla

The objective of the course is to develop in participants the necessary skills to manage the concepts and fundamentals of accounting and financial transactions, so that they are able to utilize them appropriately in the planning, control and decision-making in management, as well as being able to interpret and analyze the financial-economic situation of a company, be able to make inclusive decisions based on their complete understanding of the aspects and elements of the available information.

The topic of ethics is present throughout the course as it is an inherent factor when discussing accounting practices. Among the issues discussed are the ethical implications in financial reporting, including the usage of different accounting methods, the conflict of interest that may arise in managing reports, and how to deal with them. Students also learn the skills to analyze financial statements so as to be able to recognize when what is being reported does not fully reflect the true financial standing of a company. Specific discussions include the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the cases of Enron, Parmalat, and Bausch & Lomb.

Course Name: Financial Engineering and Capital Markets
Instructor: Juan O'Brien, Humberto Meneses, Luis Zegarra

This course provides concepts of financial instruments and financial markets. We present the foreign exchange market, the bond market, the market for equities, derivatives and investment strategies, the main financial market discussed is the stock market with analysis of OTC transactions. There is a particular product discussed in the course which is the issuing and trading of carbon credits that involves the care of the environment. Ethical issues are addressed throughout the course, many of the topics covered contain ethical dilemmas, cases are used to demonstrate poor practices used in certain cases.

Course Name: Financial Resource Management
Instructor: Eduardo Court, Juan O'Brien, Alejandro Indacochea

This course gives the perspective, concepts and financial tools for business management based on value creation. The course covers capital investment decisions, risk analysis, capital structure, liquidity management of the business and financial restructuring. In the initial part of the course, which presents the principles of value generation, the importance of sustainability in the financial management of a company is highlighted. Sustainability is the criterion that unites social responsibility and environmental care to finance, cases are studied which demonstrate the value of social responsibility. The issue of ethics is present throughout the course; and two specific cases are studied on compliance of norms in financial reporting by companies.

Course Name: Human Capital Development
Instructor: Luis Rebagliati, Ramon Rivera, Angel Noriega

The course addresses human capital management from the perspective of alignment with business strategy, i.e. the management of people is a vital element for the progress of the organizations. The company may have machinery, a market waiting for its services or products, financial capacity for investment in advertising, and standards and procedures for providing their services but if the staff is not properly managed good results are not going to occur.

From this perspective, the course presents a set of tools that should be used by the company and its directors to achieve commitment and productivity. The sub processes of recruitment and selection, training, assessment performance, remuneration and career paths are revised in-depth.

Aspects of social responsibility are integrated into the course. During recruitment, people should be employed under the labor laws and not promote informal recruitment, concepts of discrimination are also discussed. Management of remunerations and wages should be done on the books, when it comes to performance evaluation, promotions should be given according to objective and reliable observation. The company's responsibility to its employees is discussed in depth, including benefits, training and professional development, and equal opportunity for promotion.

The cases used in the course are Peruvian cases and they are all framed in the practice of human capital management under Peruvian labor legislation.

Course Name: International Marketing
Instructor: Clara Rossello, Juan Carlos Matthews

This course aims to train students in the different processes required in international business, as well as, in the application of international marketing techniques for micro, small and medium enterprises and large companies. To know in detail the characteristics of the different international markets, to seek greater added value, design distribution policies that come increasingly closer to the final customer, and establish strategies based on competitive prices, differentiation, and market segmentation.

The globalization of business, cultural aspects of international marketing, and brand engagement are covered in-depth in sessions 3 through 6. Students learn to recognize and take into account the cultural differences in customs, values, attitudes, education, aesthetic values, religions, and languages between regions. The student must seek to understand the different culture of the proposed markets to serve them better while, at the same time, helping their companies to succeed. By implementing a brand engagement culture within their organization, companies strengthen their relationship with all stakeholders, via increased participation inside and outside the organization.

Course Name: Leadership and Management Attributes
Instructor: Jose Antonio Espinoza, Fernando D'Alessio, Jose Pereyra

The course seeks to engage students with theories and models of leadership and how these have evolved, especially in the last 50 years. We review the concepts of leadership and the attributes that a leader should have, to lead his followers toward the common good. The relationship of leadership and strategy will be a central aspect of the course, because the need for the desired transformation of organizations to make themselves better, more productive and competitive, especially in this multicultural global arena, can only be achieved by transformational leaders.

Being a leadership class, the issues of ethics and social responsibility are interwoven into the course and are always an important part of discussions. Furthermore, sessions 11 and 12 are entirely dedicated to the topic of ethical leadership, and sessions 13 and 14 are dedicated to the topic of the PRME and GRLI specifically.

Pages

Type of Offering

1st International Forum on Strategy
Date: January, 2010

Topics covered included: Entrepreneurship Helping the Economic Development of Countries, Innovation and Creativity to Break National Schemes and Paradigms, The Strategy of National Competitiveness, and Guidelines for a National Strategy. Presented by Fernando D'Alessio, Director General of CENTRUM Católica, Yash Gupta, Dean of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Bruno Giuffra, Professor of CENTRUM Católica, and Adolfo Chiri, President of Cambridge Insight, LLC.

International Seminar on Family Owned Businesses
Date: September, 2010

International Seminar partnered with Harvard Business Review on the topics of Family Enterprises - Succession, Family Unity, and Protocol.

Stress and Performance
Date: November, 2009

Are high performance compatible with good quality of life? José Caraball of David Allen & Co. discusses different issues of human capital management focusing on improving the quality of life of the work force while improving work performance. Topics covered include: Defining objectives; stress, its causes and consequences; the power of focusing; the imagination, feelings and their interaction; and happiness.

Discovering the hidden value of businesses: Managing intangible assets
Date: August, 2009

Discussion over the nature of a company's intangible assets, represented by its brand, employees, work climate, business social responsibility practices, and how they determine the level of competitiveness of a business in the global market. Speaker: Ramón Rivera Chú (CENTRUM Catolica Professor)

Managing Corporate Social Responsibility
Date: June, 2010

Seminar on the Ethos-Peru 2021 indicators. These indicators are an evaluation and monitoring tool for managing corporate social responsibility. The indicators are classified in the following categories: Values, Transparency and Corporate Governance, Internal Public, the Environment, Providers, Consumers and Clients, Community, Government, and Society.

Female Entrepreneurship in Peru
Date: October, 2010

Conference partnered with CAME (Center for the Support of Female Entrepreneurs). Its objective is to consider the guidelines and tools available for starting a business, and the competencies and abilities one must have as a female entrepreneur. Topics covered include: Innovative business entrepreneurship, female entrepreneurship in Peru, and Strategic Business Plans and Financing for Female Entrepreneurs.

Best Practices in Leadership: A Global Perspective
Date: March, 2011

A two day conference with 21 local and international academic experts. Topics covered include: Are Leaders Born or Made?, Are Business Schools the Place to Craft Leaders?, Are Social Responsibility and Human Soft Skills Being Audited in Business School Processes?, Global Responsible Leadership, and The Links of Global Leadership and Strategy.

International Week - Family Owned Businesses
Date: September, 2010

Speaker series on the challenges and opportunities in family owned business, and family entrepreneurship given by Dr.Joan M. Amat (IESE), and Dr. Jaime Salomon and Luis Chang Ching (CENTRUM)

Rutas hacia un Perú Mejor - Routes to a better Perú
Type: Book Presentation and Talk
Date: July, 2010

Presentation and discussion about the book “Rutas Hacia un Perú Mejor” (Routes towards a better Peru), covering a wide gamut of questions such as: How to satisfy the needs of present generations without compromising future ones? Is economic growth the only thing that Peru needs to solve its social problems? What is the fundamental social problem with an economy like Peru’s? How does one confront inequality? Is leadership based on national identity and moral values possible? What conditions are necessary to develop national and corporate leadership? What consequences will the international crisis have on the Peruvian economy? What are the recommendations for improvement in competitiveness in the financial sector? What are the prospects of the external sector in the international financial post-crisis? What is the magnitude of the energy deficit and how can we confront it? What are the challenges in education and what can we learn from other countries’ experiences? What is preventive control of economic concentrations and what is its contribution to competition and development? Are eco-businesses a strategic option for national development? What are its advantages and social and environmental implications? Is corporate social responsibility useful to competitiveness and inclusive development? How does one implement programs that stimulate the capabilities of female business leaders? And, what are the characteristics of rural development that would permit the integration of communities in the high Andes?

Hacia la Empresa Familiar Líder
Type: Book Presentation and Talk
Date: August, 2009

Book presentation and discussion by Dr. Manuel Bermejo Sanchez of IE Business School on his book "Hacia la Empresa Familiar Líder" which discusses the challenges of family-businesses in Spain and Latin America offering an optimistic and practical vision from the latin point of view of family which differs greatly from the north american point of view.

International Seminar on Family Owned Businesses and Entrepreneurship
Date: March, 2010

Topics covered included: Entrepreneurship in family owned businesses. Internationalization of business and family owned businesses. Resource-based view and strategy in family owned businesses. Succesful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices. Speakers included Mattias Nordqvist (Co-Director of STEP Project, Babson College, Lucia Naldi (Research Fellow Jönköping International Business School), and Thomas Gura (Director of STEP Project Latin America)

Career Services

CENTRUM Catolica and DBM Peru signed a strategic alliance in 2001 to help improve students’ employability, offering personalized advice from specialized consultants on campus. This partnership makes CENTRUM Catolica the only Business Center that offers this type of worldwide program. DBM offers on-campus one-on-one consultations as well as group workshops and round tables.

This service is offered to students in the full-time and part-time Master’s Program, in the Global Business Administration, Master of Philosophy (MSM), Professional in Business Administration (PBA) and doctoral (Ph.D.) programs to help them make a successful transition in the work process, focusing on four fundamental aspects:

1. Strengthening awareness of skills and identifying personal and professional achievements, as well as motivating continuous improvement of employability.

2. Designing, launching and managing the tools and strategies for an effective personal marketing plan.

3. Providing support and advice to obtain a position in the labor market, as well as access to the DBM job bank to bring the maximum number of vacant positions to their attention.

4. Providing students with career management skills that enable them to be proactive by continuously designing and building their own professional futures.

International MBA
Global MBA
Energy MBA
Centre for Social Responsibility and Sustainability Studies
Business School Housing? Yes
Number of Faculty: 11
Contact Name: Percy Marquina
Contact Email: percy.marquina@pucp.edu.pe

It focuses on understanding the development of Business Social Responsibility in the country’s different industrial sectors and companies. Subjects include:

a) The ethical orientation in national entrepreneurs.

b) Strategies used in the implementation

Center for Family-Owned Business
Business School Housing? Yes
Number of Faculty: 9
Contact Name: Luis Chang
Contact Email: lchang@pucp.edu.pe

Its main activity is the STEP Project (Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices), led worldwide by Babson College, the number one university in the United States in the area of entrepreneurship. This project is to analyze a global sample of successful second-generation family firms to identify common characteristics that have enabled them to develop and grow. Exploring transgenerational entrepreneurship in family-owned businesses seeks to answer two main questions: How do family-owned businesses generate and sustain business performance from one generation to another? and how does business performance relate to continuity and the transgenerational potential of family-owned groups? It is believed that the answers to these two questions explore and capture the competitiveness, productivity, growth and continuity of family-owned businesses.

The results are being validated with families in annual symposia that are held under the auspices of Babson College. The Center for Family-Owned Businesses prepares case studies based on Peruvian family-owned businesses like other business schools participating in the project do in their respective countries. Each of the participating schools has access to case studies of the other schools to conduct research from them. CENTRUM has been participating in this project since 2008 and has now contributed 4 case studies of Peruvian family-owned businesses from different economic sectors.

Centre for Strategy and Leadership Studies
Business School Housing? Yes
Number of Faculty: 20
Contact Name: Piero Morosini
Contact Email: pieromorosini@gmail.com

Studies are conducted on leadership and managerial attributes in the country’s business community. It seeks to understand prevailing managerial profiles and how they are influenced by contextual factors such as culture, the business environment and knowle

Center of the Female Entrepreneur
Business School Housing? Yes
Number of Faculty: 9
Contact Name: Beatrice Avolio
Contact Email: bavolio@pucp.edu.pe

It seeks to understand and develop the potentials of the Peruvian female entrepreneur.

It has signed an agreement with the Association of Female Entrepreneurs of Peru (AMEP), Peruvian subsidiary of the World Association of Female Entrepreneurs (FCEM - Les Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Modial).

In mid-year, it sponsors, together with AMEP, the forum ""Being Women and Doing Business in Peru."" In the context of the discussion in this forum, a line of research has been established with female entrepreneurs as its core. Research topics identified with AMEP on the basis of business experience of their associates will assist the students of CENTRUM Católica who wish to carry out such research, to seek the Master’s of Strategic Business Management degree.

Center for Entrepreneurship
Business School Housing? Yes
Number of Faculty: 9
Contact Name: Christian Mejia
Contact Email: christian.mejia@pucp.edu.pe

Its purpose is to bring together entrepreneurial theory and practice in order to integrate teaching, research and activities that can influence thought and action of organizations and society. It fosters and supports the implementation of business plans by students of the various programs of Masters and Executive Education programs. Since 2008, 8 business plans have been conducted for Master’s thesis, and 3 more are being elaborated.

Pages

"Keen to be Green" organisations: a focused rules approach to accountability
Author(s): Rocky Dwyer

This paper aims to outline and discuss how to incorporate a practical-focused rules approach to guide strategic processes to enhance competitiveness and growth, while improving performance measurement and accountability of green organization initiatives. An examination of theoretical perspectives was undertaken to determine the relevance of the theory to guide business flexibility and decision making to enhance competitiveness and growth, while enabling the implementation of a green agenda, in a changing business environment. Understanding the importance of flexibility, strategic processes would enable individuals and organizations to better respond to green factors associated with changing business opportunities and customer demands.The paper advocates that an understanding of the focused rules concept can enable business leaders to create green yet practical business strategies to build organizational flexibility, which in turn will lead to enhanced competitiveness and growth opportunities.The paper presents an overview of the literature which enhances both personal knowledge and understanding at the theoretical and practical levels, enabling business leaders to gain insight into the inherent factors that may be influenced to advance organizational environmental goals and objectives.

Journal Title: Management Decision Volume: 47 Edition: 7 Page Numbers: 1200-1216
Ethical Products and Consumer Involvement: What's New?
Author(s): Valéry Bezençon

This paper aims to provide an adequate instrument to measure involvement, its antecedents and its impact on behaviours relating to ethical product consumption, using the case of fair trade. Based on an in-depth analysis of the involvement literature and the specificities of ethical products, a model is derived using a hypothetico-deductive approach. It is then analysed using structural equation modelling. The new construct specific to ethical products is a strong predictor of involvement. In addition, the involvement in the ethical aspect of products is much stronger than the involvement in the product category to explain selected consumer behaviours. Beyond the theoretical contribution for ethical consumption analysis, practical implications for fair trade marketing can be derived. A section of the article discusses how to improve fair trade products' communication, how to make those products more competitive, and who should distribute them. Current generic involvement models are insufficient to apprehend ethical consumers, who constitute a market in constant expansion. This research fills this gap by providing an original instrument which distinguishes the product-specific involvement from the involvement in the ethical values carried by the product.

Journal Title: European Journal of Marketing Volume: 44 Edition: 9 Page Numbers: 1305-1321
Fair Trade Managerial Practices: Strategy, Organisation and Engagement
Author(s): Valéry Bezençon

The number of distributors selling Fair Trade products is constantly increasing. What are their motivations to distribute Fair Trade products? How do they organise this distribution? Do they apply and communicate the Fair Trade values? This research, based on five case studies in Switzerland, aims at understanding and structuring the strategies and the managerial practices related to Fair Trade product distribution, as well as analysing if they denote an engagement with Fair Trade principles. The results show a high heterogeneity of strategies and engagement. In general, strategies implemented by mainstream actors contribute to increase Fair Trade global sales but do not convey the transformative message of Fair Trade through their engagement. The latter is rather communicated through alternative channels. Problems and potential solutions to this issue are discussed.

Journal Title: Journal of Business Ethics Volume: 90 Edition: 1 Page Numbers: 95-113
Job Creation Versus Job Shedding & The Role of SMEs in Economic Development
Author(s): Mukole Kongolo

SMEs have historically played an important role in contributing to economic development of many countries around the world. Naturally all businesses start as small businesses or even start out of small businesses initiated by individuals. Evidence from this study shows that SMEs represent vast portion of businesses in developing countries including South Africa. In South Africa, SMEs account for about 91% of the formal business entities, contributing to about 51 and 57% of GDP, providing almost 60% of employment. The main challenges affecting SMEs in South Africa include lack of management skills, finance, access to bank credit, access to markets, appropriate technology, low production capacity, recognition by big companies, lack of interest, long bureaucracy processes, and support for the roles that small businesses can play in economic development. This study re-assesses the role of SMEs in creating jobs, boost, enhance and support economic development in South Africa.

Journal Title: African Journal of Business Management Volume: 4 Edition: 11 Page Numbers: 2288-2295
Liberal Thought in Reasoning on CSR
Author(s): Ulf Richter

In this article, I argue that conventional reasoning on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is based on the assumption of a liberal market economy in the context of a nation state. I build on the study of Scherer and Palazzo (Acad Manage Rev 32(4):1096–1120, 2007), developing a number of criteria to identify elements of liberal philosophy in the ongoing CSR debate. I discuss their occurrence in the CSR literature in detail and reflect on the implications, taking into account the emerging political reading of the firm. I conclude that the apolitical framework in the mainstream CSR literature has to be overcome since it does not reflect recent changes in the socio-economic conditions for economic actors in a globalizing world.

Journal Title: Journal of Business Ethics Volume: 97 Edition: 4 Page Numbers: 625-649