Knowledge Centre

Business Ethics Centre (BEC) is a joint unit of both the Kozminski University and the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences, established 10 years ago in 1999. BEC is the first and the only such a unit operating in Poland. Its mission is to serve as a center of excellence in the discipline of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Actively operating in different research and educational projects and working with managers in Poland and in the region, BEC is recognized by the country's academia and business as well as by foreign/international scholars, practitioners, and organizations. It collaborates with the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN) via Polish Association for Business Ethics (EBEN Poland), the European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS), and Caux Roud Table via Caux Round Table Poland. BEC's program "European Standards of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility" was awarded the Grand Prix for the best Polish Educational Program by Polish Managers Association and Deloitte.

Kozminski University (previously Leon Kozminski Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management) is an internationally renowned private business school located in Warsaw, Poland. KU is widely known and complimented for its educational and research excellence all over the world. According to The Guide to the Best European Business Schools (McGraw Hill, New York) it is one of Europe’s 50 leading business schools and is ranked as Poland’s best business school. The University is actively involved in promoting business ethics through its Business Ethics Centre.

Being entrepreneurial, ambitious, and responsible the Kozminski University has achieved much since its creation. It offers recognized graduate and undergraduate programmes BBA, MA, MBA, and doctoral studies (Ph.D.) in business management and finance, economics and law for students coming from different nationalities, creating a truly international atmosphere that enables them to experience the richness of various cultures blended together with its own “Kozminski Way”.

The „Kozminski Way” consists of three main components: (1) the highest international standards of academic excellence; (2) openness to the World; (3) respect for students’ interests, empathy, friendly service, and spirit of togetherness. It was confirmed through signing a declaration of acceptance of the Global Compact standards and it Six Principles of Responsible Management Education. Kozminski University mission is to teach business, management and law combining world-class research, practice and academia in the heart of Europe.

Having met the strict quality criteria the Kozminski University received the European Quality Label of EQUIS in 1999 as the only business school from Central and Eastern Europe, reconfirmed in 2002. EQUIS is a quality assurance system established by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) as a service to the management education profession worldwide. EQUIS schools are officially recognized by public authorities and are regarded as major quality institutions by participants, clients and competitors. They have a clearly articulated policy for the internationalization of their student body, faculty and programs. They also have a clear policy with regard to their relations to the corporate world as manifested by responding to its needs, corporate participation in their policymaking, working contacts with business, and structured opportunities for students to gain experience through internships and fieldwork. Kozminski University has AMBA accreditation for MBA program from The Association of MBAs - the international authority on postgraduate business education and the only professional membership association for over 9,000 MBA students and graduates, accredited business schools, and MBA employers. Additionally KU has an accreditation from Central and East European Management Development Association (CEEMAN). \

Kozminski University has over 80 cooperation agreements with prestigious international schools, which provides a rich framework for joint international research. Kozminski University is regularly visited by world-class scholars in the fields of economics (including Nobel Prize winners Robert Mundel and Douglas North) and management (including Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Mary Jo Hatch). It has an active cooperation and working relationships with key multinational companies operating in the region.

Kozminski University is a well-known host for national, regional and international conferences and seminars, to mention only two of them:

• The 30th European Foundation for Management Development Annual Conference "One Europe? One World?" was hosted by Kozminski University in June 2001. This three-day conference was an exciting event gathering a panel of international decision makers, academic and business representatives from 38 countries to discuss how they see the future of the single European market and its competitiveness in a worldwide context.
• 4th Annual Colloquium of The European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS) "Corporate Responsibility and Competitiveness: Developing Human Capital for Sustainable Growth" was hosted by Kozminski University in December 2005 with over 250 participants from 27 countries. In addition, there was a marketplace exchange for education and training experiences and innovations and a special conference for PhD students. The intention was to mobilize thought leaders from companies and business schools - as well as other stakeholders such as policy-makers and NGOs - from enlarged Europe and around the world to explore issues such as corporate responsibility, competitiveness and the development of knowledge, skills and mindsets for today's and tomorrow's managers and leaders.

CEE countries are experiencing deep and rapid change in the transition from planned to market economies as well as from an industrial to a more knowledge based economy. Poland is a transforming economy and young democratic republic, which is increasingly integrating into the global political and economic system since 1989. In spite of a national history that was marked by foreign dominance, Poland has preserved a strong national identity characterized by a very high influence of the Roman Catholic church and of the unions.

The legacy of communism in CEE left these countries lacking a well-developed modern infrastructure of ethics, especially with respect to the public sector, and outdated management techniques. The cradle-to-grave social welfare system has to a large extent been dismantled and the expectations of citizens transformed. Yet, the change to a market economy has not brought along the expected instant economic prosperity but in fact implied high social costs. The transition resulted in limited access to healthcare and social services, and has left large gaps in standards of living. Business has played a vital role in the transformation, not only through capital investment in plant and machinery, but investment in human and knowledge capital. But what needs to be done in order to improve the business environment? How to mobilize new members of the EU to speed up the economic reconstruction in an ethical way?

The expansion of the EU has intensified some of these problems. Financial crisis, corruption, areas of poverty, social exclusion, unethical patterns of behavior, are all challenges facing society, and the businesses that are a part of it. Developing globally competitive and dynamic knowledge economies whilst at the same time tackling environmental damage and managing changes responsibly and in the ethical way form the challenges throughout the world. The recent financial crisis has only intensified these challenges. The role of business is as important as the role of government and civil society in jointly facing these challenges.