Social Enterprise & Business Ethics

PRESENTATION

The « Social Enterprise and Business Ethics » field pursues three major goals:

to develop research in the areas of social enterprise and business ethics mainly from the perspectives of economics, management and organization theory
to feed, through its work, teaching in the areas of social enterprise and business ethics at the University of Liège and elsewhere;
to participate in building an ecosystem that fosters the development of social enterprises and ethically-driven businesses.

Research projects cover a wide range of topics, both at the theoretical and empirical levels, using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, which are grouped under five main categories:

conceptual work defining the notions related to social enterprise and business ethics (e.g. social economy, non-profit or cooperative economy, philanthropy, etc.)
entrepreneurial dynamics underlying social and sustainable entrepreneurship in new fields of activity (e.g. ethical finance, fair trade, integration of low-skilled workers, etc.) and in the context of the sustainability transition (e.g. recycling, renewable energy, short food supply chains, etc.)
new financing modes for social and sustainable enterprises, including through philanthropy and social investment; new approaches to social impact measurement
organizational models and management practices in social enterprises, foundations and ethical businesses
institutionalization of social innovation in the context of transitioning to a more sustainable economy, including through cross-sector partnerships and networks with businesses and public authorities

These research themes are developed in direct connection with teaching and dissemination to practitioners. To do this, the domain relies on 3 chairs (W. ALTER, Cera and Baillet-Latour) and on numerous action research projects. For example, the ES.CAP project, thanks to funding from the Walloon region, aims to systematize the links between research, teaching and practice around various themes identified jointly. The research results thus make it possible to feed the course programs related to the subject, in particular the master's specialization in “Management of Social and Sustainable Enterprises” as well as the master's specialization in social economy (in collaboration with UCLouvain).