Funders and partners
Find out about the Centre for Business in Society's funders and global partners
Our research
The behaviours of organisations and policy makers impact on individuals, groups and communities, businesses and organisations, nations and global relations. These effects and consequences can be beneficial and enable enhanced social, economic and environmental well-being. However, negative consequences can also arise from business practices and policy makers paying insufficient attention to their corporate responsibilities or their impact on society. Our research aims to understand the role of business in society, to share these emerging insights and to seek a fairer outcome for all.
CBiS’s team of researchers has long-established multiple industry and institutional collaborations on a global scale, sharing the benefits of impact-led research. We embrace research methods that are considerate and sensitive to the constantly changing business environment, behaviours, practices and society.
Our core funding stems from EU and government bodies, charities, research councils and local businesses. CBiS has a clearly defined focus within each research cluster as detailed in our Research Brochure.
CBiS’s work has been gaining momentum as an innovative and leading research centre. As a result we expect to expand our network of partners, collaborators and funders. We are open to discuss possible partnerships and funding opportunities. Contact us to see how we can potentially work together.
The Centre for Business in Society REF2021
CBiS has had a successful outcome in the latest assessment of research in UK universities.
Find out moreCore themes
Our mission is to deliver effective solutions to policy makers, businesses and industries that reflect responsible practice. Through understanding the impact of organisations’ activities, behaviours and policies, our research seeks to promote responsibility and to change behaviours so as to achieve better outcomes for economies and societies.
CBiS's research themes have now formed the basis of our four research teams which are centred around the following themes:
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Sustainable Production and Consumption
Sustainable Production and Consumption
This research team focuses on the ultimate goals of living within environmental limits and the attainment of social justice, through the delivery of responsible business and ethical consumption practices.
Our research is aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12: ‘Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns’. The cluster frames its research around a holistic approach to sustainability, whereby true sustainability requires the alignment of social, economic and environmental goals. Our research takes a ‘whole supply chain’ approach, examining activities, attitudes and behaviours at different points in the life cycle of products.
Our projects cover areas such as waste reduction, resource and energy efficiency, sustainable community and consumer behaviours, ethical certifications and supply chain governance. Our work is global in nature, reaching out in particular to South Africa, Indonesia and China. The interdisciplinary cluster team generates a dynamic environment for cutting-edge research.
The team is led by:
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Economic Transformation, Inclusion, and Entrepreneurship
New approaches and forms to economic and regional development
Encouraging economic growth and development is a core aim of public policy; however, there is increasing concern with the question ‘who gains from growth?’ This question was brought into sharp focus by the global financial crisis, alongside continued economic and social inequalities, and on-going austerity in many countries. In the UK, there are long-running concerns about low-pay, productivity and spatial disparities in economic performance and outcomes, as well as increasing concerns about insecurity in the labour market. There is also a growing acknowledgement that future growth and development must be ‘greener’ and more sustainable. Yet questions remain about the ability to balance economic, social and environmental sustainability – with an associated proliferation of proposed development models, such as local economic development (LED), the low carbon economy, the circular economy, a sharing economy, community economic development and community finance.
The team is led by:
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Sector, Economic Equality, and Responsible Finance Studies
Responsible finance for nations, organisations and individuals
The capital account liberalisation and financial reforms since the early 1980s, including eased restrictions on foreign direct investment and short-term portfolio flows, are at the heart of financial globalisation. Financial openness and deregulation can be seen as an essential step in the process of economic development, but can also have detrimental effects, including higher co-dependence, contagion and likelihood of systemic crises. This research team focuses on the study of such economic and financial phenomena and how these impact on economies, industries, individuals, communities and societies, with a particular focus on responsible finances and investments. This cluster is very eclectic in nature, focusing upon the study of such economic and financial phenomena and how these impact on economies, industries, individuals, households, communities and societies. This includes the examination of wide-ranging issues, including economic growth and social development, inequality, responsible finances and investments.
The team is led by:
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Data, Organisations and Society
The use, privacy and security of data in organisations and society
Data availability has increased exponentially in the last decade, paving the way to a new business environment. As such a growth rate continues to accelerate, so does the need for a better understanding of the opportunities provided by the new phenomenon and the challenges it poses to business, individuals and society regarding strategic decision-making and innovation, business strategy, data security and protection, surveillance, ethics and data privacy.
The team is led by:
Our response to COVID-19
Our researchers at the Centre for Business in Society have been exploring the impacts of COVID-19 on business and society as well as sharing their expert thoughts on a range of topics affecting us all in these unprecedented times.
Newsletter cover photo credit: 'Taxi in the old Cathedral ruins' – Andrew Moore
