Archive for November/2009

IE University has designed an online game that brings interdisciplinary, international and collaborative aspects of science to students all over Europe. “The International Lake Game Competition” is an interactive game played over the internet, whereby participants gain first-hand experience of the tension involved in deciding between cooperating for the good of their community, or opting for personal gain. The game was created by the multimedia department of IE Business School’s e-learning unit, and will soon be played by students from countries that include France, Switzerland, Portugal and Spain. Participants will compete online on November 12 to demonstrate their capacity to cooperate in an unusual setting: an artificial lake on whose shores 8 factories have been built, all of which need the water in the lakes to produce their goods.

The way the game works is apparently simple: participants are divided into 24 teams, which in turn are positioned around 3 artificial lakes in such a way that each team is in charge of one of the 8 factories around each reservoir. The factories have to decide, as the game unfolds, if they will make the effort to clean the waste water that flows out of their plant and into the reservoir, in which case their income will go down, or if they dump untreated water, in which case their profits will go up. The production process of all the companies will be halted if the level of pollution in the reservoir goes beyond a given threshold, which means that cooperation with the other factories is vital for their own survival and a chance to get through to the final. The company who makes the greatest profit will win the game.

The teams, half of which will be international, will have two opportunities to communicate using a webcam and microphone; hence, the competition will be run entirely in English. It is the most innovative and risk-based activity offered by IE University for the Science, Technology and Innovation Week, a key event in the communication of advances in science and technology in Europe, and set to take place from November 12 – 19 in Spain’s Castilla y León province. 

The coordinator of activities at IE University, Jesús G. Ochoa de Alda, sees the game as an ideal opportunity to showcase the issue addressed by the latest winner of the Nobel Prize for Economy, US researcher Elinor Ostrom, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for her “analysis of economic governance, especially the commons”. Her theory overturned a line of thought that has stood for the last 30 years that claimed that the overexploitation of shared resources by a community would inevitably lead to their extinction. Ostrom rejected this theory, favoring an alternative ending, and which makes for an excellent setting for the Lake game, based on dialogue among the members of the community. Ochoa, who teaches Evolutive Biology at IE University, observes that “sometimes the individual has to earn less so that the community can survive”.

In addition to the Lake game, IE University has programmed a further 20 activities for the 2009 Science Week, including courses, workshops, conferences, roundtables, exhibitions, and fieldwork. The object of all said activities is to serve as a platform to bring science, technology and innovation closer to the society they serve.

IE Business School is 9^th in the world ranking of MBA programs published by the Aspen Institute´s Beyond Grey Pinstripes.  The biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools evaluates the proper integration of social and environmental issues in MBA programs of the 149 best business schools worldwide.  This year’s ninth position – and the 2^nd in Europe – is a rise from the School´s tenth spot in 2007. 

IE also ranks first in the category which evaluates time dedicated to teaching MBA students about ethical and social environmental issues.  The authors of the ranking  note that among the other European Schools featured, IE Business School best integrates ethical, environmental, and social responsibility studies into the classroom. 

“The best business students move quickly into the front ranks of business–and the attitudes and values they bring to the table are deeply influenced by their time in business education,” said Judith Samuelson, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program.  “Will they accept the status quo or act on their passion for the positive role business can play at the intersection of corporate profit and social impact?  The schools that are competitive in the Beyond Grey Pinstripes ranking are the real trailblazers – they assure that students have the right skills as well as the will to make things happen.”

Since its inception, IE’s commitment to society has permeated every aspect of the school and is reflected in the core program content, electives focused on corporate responsibility, and consolidated initiatives such as the Chair in Corporate Ethics.  This commitment has culminated in the creation of a dedicated department, Social Impact Management, which plays a key role in the day-to-day activity of the school.

“IE Business School continues to maintain and renew its commitment to society, backed by two decades of work towards progress in areas such as ethics, social responsibility, sustainable development, environmental protection, and management of diversity,” said Joaquín Garralda, dean of academic affairs at IE Business School.  “We are convinced of the importance of training managers who have a holistic view of the impact of their decisions on the environment.”

At the academic level, IE Business School has integrated social and environmental management in the content of more than 80 core subjects and electives in the Masters programs. Within the area of Entrepreneurship, IE has a specialization in ‘Social Entrepreneurship’ to promote the development of social enterprises.  In addition, all MBA students should discuss the social and environmental impact of their projects. Internationally, IE organizes collaborations with top-caliber institutions in the area of social innovation and sustainability.