Business in the Community Ireland join forces with the newly opened UCD Centre for Business & Society (CeBaS)
Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI, the country’s network for CSR and Sustainability) today announced its partnership with the UCD Centre for Business and Society (CeBaS) at the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.
The official launch of the Centre took place at the Smurfit School earlier this week. Professors Donna Marshall, Andy Prothero and Colm McLaughlin, Co-Directors of CeBaS, on launching the centre emphasised the important role business plays in society, and how academic researchers, in this globally-recognised inter-disciplinary research centre, have a desire to engage with business, government, NGOs, consumers and other academic communities to inform responsible business practice.
This partnership with UCD will support BITCI’s mission of making all companies in Ireland responsible and sustainable.
Bernadette Phelan, Head of Advisory Services at BITCI and member of the CeBaS advisory board, commented, “Working with CeBaS will help our members to develop new and innovative sustainability projects, and provide us with enhanced capacity to scale up the impact of Irish business on a global stage”.
Carmel McQuaid, Head of Sustainability at Marks and Spencer, Board Member of BITCI and Chair of the CeBaS advisory board, welcomed the launch of the new centre and commented, “The launch of CeBaS will put Ireland on the map as an academic hub for sustainability and ethics research. We’re delighted to be involved and support its work on responsible business”.
CeBaS will be the largest research centre in the College of Business at UCD, and has academic researchers focusing on six key themes – Africa, Gender Discrimination and Diversity, Health, Transparency, Sustainability and Work. Two new projects include participation in the newly formed Science Foundation of Ireland Beacon research centre exploring Ireland’s bioeconomy, and an Irish Research Council grant examining the financing of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Photo caption: From left to right, Colm McLaughlin, Associate Professor in Human Resource Management and Employment Relations, Andy Prothero, Professor of Business and Society, Bernadette Phelan, Head of Advisory Services, BITCI, Donna Marshall, Professor of Supply Chain Management and Carmel McQuaid, Head of Sustainable Business, Marks & Spencer.
