The “Philippe de Woot Award” aims to promote a sustainable corporate social responsibility by awarding, every two years, a Master student from a Belgian School of Management for his/her Master thesis which constitutes an original contribution to the understanding and thinking of CSR. The award is an initiative of the Louvain School of Management in cooperation with Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Universiteit Antwerpen Management School, Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, ICHEC and HEC Management School - University of Liège.

The first award ceremony is scheduled in December 2009 and will take place together with a conference with reputed speakers from different backgrounds on the theme of CSR. Furthermore, a simultaneous symposium will give the management schools and companies a chance to review CSR teaching programmes and trainings on offer today in Belgium and Europe, and to suggest innovative horizons.

Context

Corporate social responsibility is the contribution companies make to sustainable development. It is based on the carefully balanced consideration of four criteria:

• economy-related criteria (creativity, innovation, corporate spirit)
• the environment
• social- and societal-related criteria
• corporate governance that strengthen the above criteria

The question of corporate role, governance and responsibility in the environmental and social domains is inside all spirits. The impact of companies on society has reached unprecedented levels resulting from the size of enterprises, their international presence and market globalization. Rarely, we have known a period of crisis so critical where the international institutions, states, civil society, investors and the academic world wonder about the credibility and the efficiency of the economic and financial markets, today in full turnover.

Philippe de Woot

Throughout his career lasting 40 years, Philippe de Woot - Emeritus Professor of the “Université Catholique de Louvain” – always encouraged students, enterprises, economic actors as well as international and national public bodies to adhere to the ethics of what is now called CSR. He was a precursor of the ground swell embodied today in the commitment to CSR of the best enterprises and management schools.

Who can participate?

The competition is open for any student who graduated from a Belgian University or Management School at Master level and whose Master thesis is about corporate social responsibility, as the contribution of companies to sustainable development. Candidates must have completed their thesis during their academic year in 2007-2008 or in 2008-2009.

Prize

The award-winner will receive a prize of € 3,000. €1,500 will be directly given to the student and the remaining €1,500 will be offered to an environmental or a social project to be chosen by the student. In addition, communication in the media and international networks will be ensured. Finally, the award-winner will have the chance to meet privately an actor of reference from the economic, politic or civil world for a debate on responsible management.

The deadline to address candidatures is set for October 1st, 2009. Submissions must be sent by e-mail as well as post to Valérie Swaen, Louvain School of Management, Louvain-la-Neuve Campus, Place des Doyens 1, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve – Tel.: + 32 10 47 91 56 – valerie.swaen@uclouvain.be.