New Momentum for Research on Sustainable Corporate Management

New Institute for Business Ethics and Sustainable Strategy at FHWien der WKW (University of Applied Sciences for Management & Communication) cooperates with local companies and international research institutions.

Vienna, May 27th, 2020 – The founding of the Institute for Business Ethics and Sustainable Strategy (IBES) creates an internationally visible research institute in Vienna that will take an academic approach to addressing the issue of sustainable and responsible corporate governance. With IBES, FHWien der WKW is pooling and expanding its well-established research capacities in the fields of strategic sustainability management and business ethics. The new research institute builds on long-standing partnerships with local companies such as Berndorf, Blaguss, Hofer, Kapsch and Manner, and cooperates with the institutes of Harvard Business School, INSEAD and the University of St. Gallen, among others. Through the institute, companies, NGOs, governmental organisations and students are provided with an academically renowned, but at the same time practice-oriented partner for the pursuit of responsibly and sustainably handling the pressing issues of digitalization, globalization and climate change.

Today, companies can only achieve lasting success if they can anticipate and successfully manage the challenges posed by current major trends such as digitalization, climate change and pandemics at an early stage. To this end, they need practice-oriented analyses, forecasts, guidelines and well-trained personnel. A new partner in Austria is now dedicated to precisely these purposes: the Institute for Business Ethics and Sustainable Strategy (IBES) at FHWien der WKW. This institute combines the research and teaching competences of the university of applied sciences, which specializes in management and communication, and stands unparalleled in Austria in the fields of business ethics, corporate governance, strategy and competition, and sustainability management. At the same time, IBES maintains partnerships with Austrian companies and world-leading universities and networks.

Major trends such as digitalization and sustainability cannot be mastered with existing management methods

“Developments such as globalization and digitalizationas well as threats such as global warming and pandemics are transforming our society”, explains the head of IBES, Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz. “In order to have enduring success, companies have to react to these developments”, adds Scholz. However, due to both the size and complexity of these challenges, existing management concepts fail to measure up. This is where the work of IBES comes in. Together with numerous partners in the form of both scholars and practitioners, the institute develops sound answers to questions in the areas of ecologically, economically and socially sustainable corporate management. In this way, IBES supports a sustainable transformation of corporate practice.

“We conduct research together with colleagues from renowned research institutions such as INSEAD and the University of St. Gallen”, explains FH-Prof. Dr. Ann-Christine Schulz, research coordinator and deputy head of IBES. “We publish our results in leading scientific journals and incorporate the findings directly into our teaching at FHWien der WKW. At the same time, we inform practitioners from the business world directly and personally through articles in industry media outlets, and at conferences”. This transfer of the latest findings from academic research to the world of business is indeed a high priority for IBES. In doing so, it uses a solid foundation of thriving partnerships with Austrian companies such as with Berndorf Foundation AG, Blaguss Travel GmbH, Hofer KG, Kapsch TrafficCom AG or Josef Manner & Comp. These partnerships can be traced back to the two forerunner organizations of IBES at FHWien der WKW, the Center for Corporate Governance & Business Ethics and the Center for Strategy & Competitiveness.

FHWien der WKW stands for innovative university teaching and sustainability

With the founding of IBES, FHWien der WKW is further expanding its pioneering role in the field of business ethics and sustainability management. “As a leading university of applied sciences in the field of management and communication, we know how important the topic of sustainability is for companies. Through IBES, our students gain the latest knowledge in the fields of strategic management, sustainable corporate governance and business ethics. This enables us to offer optimal preparation for their future tasks as managers”, says Ing. Mag. (FH) Michael Heritsch, MSc, CEO at FHWien der WKW.

Students also benefit from the international network: IBES coordinates FHWien der WKW’s membership in Harvard Business School’s Microeconomics of Competitiveness network, which brings together more than one hundred educational institutions around the world and coordinates their curricula by means of international case studies. IBES also coordinates the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) of the UN Global Compact Initiative, which FHWien der WKW joined in 2015. These are aimed at training managers to think and act in an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable manner. IBES is also a member of the global Network for Business Sustainability, whose members are committed to making the economy more sustainable.

About IBES

The Institute for Business Ethics and Sustainable Strategy (IBES) at FHWien der WKW is particularly concerned with business ethics, sustainability management and strategy. Urgent issues of ecologically, economically and socially sustainable corporate management are researched against the background of current challenges such as globalization, climate change and digitalization. IBES activities include research, teaching and practical application. The research contributes to the scientific discourse through publications of the highest calibre. The results of the research are incorporated into teaching at FHWien der WKW and thus benefit the students. IBES is also distinguished by its close cooperation with practical application. For example, issues are examined together in close cooperation with companies such as Josef Manner & Comp. AG and Kapsch TrafficCom AG and other partners such as governmental and non-governmental organisations.

FHWien der WKW

University of Applied Sciences for Management & Communication

FHWien der WKW has been Austria’s leading university of applied sciences for management & communication for more than 25 years. Working in close contact with Austrian corporations, FHWien der WKW offers comprehensive and practice-oriented academic programs to over 2,800 Bachelor and Master students. Two thirds of our teaching staff have a background in business. Our programs are tailored to the needs of companies, optimally preparing our graduates – around 11,000 to date – for their future careers.