Archive for category: Press Release

• Ranking highlights the quality and diversity of IESE participants, as well as the program´s international scope, relevancy and focus on responsible business

IESE Business School’s Global Executive MBA is among the top 10 programs in the world, according to the Financial Times Executive MBA Ranking for 2020, published today. IESE takes eighth position overall, and is third in Europe.

One of the reasons for IESE´s good position in the ranking is the high caliber of its participants, who are typically senior business leaders with around 15 years’ experience at top companies across the globe, as well as their international diversity (94% are international.) According to Eric Weber, IESE Business School´s Associate Dean and head of the Global Executive MBA program, “this diverse mix of backgrounds, perspectives and business knowledge that our participants bring to each class, creates a very dynamic and enriching learning environment. As participants have to collaborate closely with their high-level peers throughout the program, it also opens up numerous networking opportunities.”

With classes taught in five world cities on three continents, the truly international experience provided by the Global Executive MBA also stood out as key to the strong showing in the ranking. As did the program´s ability to help participants fulfill their goals.

First in the world for CSR

Finally, the FT ranking also highlighted the focus IESE places on responsible business leadership.  IESE placed first in the world on the Corporate Social Responsibility criterion, a measure which looks at the amount of course content dedicated to CSR, ethics, and social and environmental issues.

 “This strong ranking result is a reflection of the transformational impact of our Global Executive MBA and its ability to provide executives with the tools and vision needed to become outstanding global leaders. The fact we once again rank first in the world for corporate social responsibility, is a testament to the importance we place in making sure participants understand that the purpose of business, ultimately, must be to serve other people”, said Weber.

IESE´s Global Executive MBA is a 16 month long blended program that combines online learning with residential modules in five cities across the world. During the course, participants take in-person classes in five global business hubs: Barcelona, New York, Munich, Shanghai and Silicon Valley. They then customize their learning experience further by choosing from a portfolio of elective modules offered in Africa, Europe, India, Latin America, South East Asia and the United States.

The participants in the program hail from more than 30 different countries and 30 different industries, are on average 39 years old, and have around 15 years of professional experience. Nearly 40% are women. The next edition of IESE´s Global Executive MBA starts in April 2021.

This result comes after the FT also ranked the school first in the world for Executive Education, which IESE reached for the sixth consecutive year in 2020.

For more on rankings at IESE, see here.

• The impact of the health crisis on physical and emotional health has meant that 24% of  doctors have at some point considered leaving the profession  
• Teamwork is a clear protective element for the well-being of  doctors, and to reduce the stress and ethical conflicts that occur when making decisions   
• These are the preliminary results of a study on the impact of pandemics on the health of healthcare professionals in Catalonia, carried out by the CoMB, the Galatea Foundation and professors from IESE Business School and IEB-UB

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on the physical and emotional health of the general population. But healthcare professionals are a particularly vulnerable group, as they have to cope with the daily stress of being on the frontline of care, a lack of means, the pressure of making difficult decisions on a daily basis and a fear of contagion a. In fact, before the pandemic, several studies had shown that health professionals generally have a worse perception of their own mental health than the general population. 

In the midst of the pandemic, preliminary data from a study on the impact of COVID-19 on the health of healthcare professionals, which was carried out by the Galatea Foundation, the CoMB and the professors Núria Mas (IESE Business School) and Judit Vall (Barcelona Economics Institute IEB-UB), confirms that the current health crisis has not only greatly worsened the physical and mental health of doctors, but that the impact has been so great that this group now feels more tired and less prepared to deal with what has been called the “second wave” of the pandemic. This is affirmed by up to 42% of doctors, who face more pessimism in the coming months. 

The preliminary data of this study are based on a survey of 1,648 medical doctors in Catalonia who responded between July and August 2020. Going forward, and in collaboration with the Organización Médica Colegial and Mutual Médica, the study will be expanded to include other regions in Spain and other healthcare professionals.

The exhaustion shown by these healthcare workers is also evident by the 24% who say that, at some point over the last few months, they have questioned whether they wanted to continue working in their profession (22% have considered leaving their jobs, while 2% have considered this option more seriously). However, the bulk of the group still maintains a firm commitment to the profession and to their patients, despite the harsh environment they have experienced since the outbreak of the pandemic. 

The survey confirms the worsening physical and mental health of medical doctors from several indicators: the frequency with which they experience physical and emotional exhaustion, headaches, stomach ache or back pain; as well as the capacity to deal with problems, among others. The values of these indicators are compared at three different times: before the pandemic, during the outbreak of the first wave (March and April) and during the summer. The worst values are obtained in the March-April period, while during the summer, despite experiencing an improvement in their well-being, they do not recover the levels they experienced pre-pandemic. 

The study finds that there are certain groups that show worse health indicators, such as the doctors working in primary care, those who worked at ICUs and emergency services and those who decided to self-isolate during the harshest months of the pandemic to protect their relatives. These groups also show a slower recovery than their peers. 

Among primary care doctors (25.7% of the sample), more have considered leaving the profession: 31.7% have considered it at some point, well above the 21.3% of their colleagues in the hospital field and 22.2% in other areas. They also indicate that they feel less prepared to deal with what is left of the pandemic: 48.4% of primary doctors say this is the case, while the same feeling is reported by 44.5% of hospital doctors and 34.8% from other areas. 

As for doctors who worked at ICUs and in emergency services, up to 68% stated that at the peak of the pandemic (March-April) they felt tired always or very often (above 57.6% of the total sample), a percentage that before the crisis was 27.7% (18.9% in the total sample) and still remained at 47.4% in July-August (42% in the total sample). 

Teamwork acts as a protective element 

One of the most positive aspects revealed by this study is the role of teams as protective elements for the health and well-being of doctors. Professionals who work in teams where goals are shared and where there is a “sense of belonging” report better indicators of physical and emotional health than the rest. These professionals face fewer ethical conflicts and less stress in their daily activity, as decisions and problems are shared. According to the survey, up to 31.2% of medical doctors who do not have the support of a “protective team” say they face ethical conflicts frequently, a percentage that drops to 24.5% among professionals who feel integrated and supported by a team. 

These preliminary data suggest that group interventions aimed at care teams, such as those being carried out by the Galatea Foundation, can be very useful, both to redirect problematic situations and to restore the well-being of professionals, and to carry out preventive interventions. 

General recommendations: 

The preliminary results of the study Impact of COVID-19 on the health of health professionals make it possible to formulate general recommendations aimed at improving the health of healthcare professionals, reducing risk factors and promoting preventative activity. The authors of the study emphasize that ensuring the physical and mental health of healthcare professionals and, ultimately, “caring for those who care for us” is a key element in ensuring good care for citizens. These are their main recommendations: 

• The current health system must be reformed in order to guarantee the protection of the health of the professionals within it and minimize the risk factors favored by the system itself. To do this, we need to move towards having adequate human and financial resources, more autonomy for health professionals and teams, providing training for stress management and complex decision-making, and so on. 
• The health of healthcare professionals must be a priority of the health authorities, which must offer adequate care, both in terms of treatment, prevention and the promotion of well-being. 
• It is also necessary to promote professional training in relevant areas (e.g. management of emotions, difficulties, etc.) to aid prevention efforts. 
• It is essential to promote and support working in teams, as well as to facilitate how they can operate best, as they are one of the main protective elements that the system itself can offer. 

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About the authors of the study:

Núria Mas

Professor and head of the Department of Economics at IESE Business School. PhD in Economics from Harvard University and a degree in Economics from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). She is a member of the Governing Council of the Banco de España, holder of the Jaime Grego Chair in Healthcare Management and academic director of IESE´s Health Sector Meeting. She was a member of the Advisory Council for the Sustainability and Progress of the Generalitat’s Health System. Her research focuses on the field of health economics, especially the organization of health systems.

Judit Vall Castellón

Applied economist, specializing in the analysis of econometric and quantitative methods. She has a degree in Economics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). She holds a master’s degree from the University of Essex and a doctorate from the University of Maastricht, which she received with a Marie Curie scholarship. Her current research focuses on analyzing the impact of public policies and pension systems on labor market decisions as well as health.

Galatea / CoMB Foundation Team

Working group of professionals from the Galatea Foundation (Antoni Calvo, Anna Mitjans, Mari Pau González and Lucía Baranda), the CoMB (Berenguer Camps, Gerard Serratusell and Sònia Miravet), the WTO (Mª Fe Bravo Ortiz, Domingo Sánchez and Félix Martín) and Mutual Médica (Montse Clarà and Assumpció Torrents) with expertise in research on health professionals and their health, as well as in the demography and working conditions of doctors.

About the Barcelona Medical Association (CoMB)

The Barcelona Medical Association (CoMB) is a democratic corporation, with more than 125 years of history, which brings together all doctors in the counties of Barcelona (currently, more than 35,000 professionals). It represents the profession, defends and supports doctors and ensures good practice in front of the citizens. More than twenty years ago, the institution was a pioneer in designing and launching a program (PAIMM) for the care of doctors with mental health disorders and addictions that has become a national and international benchmark, and the starting point for the subsequent creation of the Galatea Foundation.

About Galatea Foundation

The Galatea Foundation (www.fgalatea.org) offers healthcare services aimed at improving the health and well-being of health professionals. Professionals with severe mental disorders and addictions are treated at the Galatea Clinic, while emotional suffering and less severe conditions are treated through the Foundation’s emotional support service. With the health crisis caused by COVID-19, the Psychological TeleSupport for health and social professionals has been launched. At the same time, the Foundation also carries out preventive and health promotion activities: studies on health, lifestyles and working conditions of professionals, training to promote healthy professional practice, team interventions.

About IESE Business School

IESE is the graduate management school of the University of Navarra. With campuses in Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Munich, New York and São Paulo, IESE offers training for executives in Europe, Asia, America and Africa. Since 1958, the school has formed more than 50,000 entrepreneurs and managers, offering them a personalized and transformative experience. IESE wants to continue to build tomorrow by training leaders who can have a positive and lasting impact on people, businesses and society. This effort has been recognized by the Financial Times ranking, which for the sixth year in a row has positioned IESE as the number one school in the world for executive education.

About the Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB)

The Institut d’Economia de Barcelona (IEB) is an economics research center that aims to promote and disseminate research, and contribute to the debate and decision-making on economic policy. Founded in 2001 at the University of Barcelona, ​​the IEB received a major boost in 2008 with the establishment of the IEB Foundation, in whose Board of Trustees private companies (Abertis, “la Caixa” and Saba), public institutions participate. (Barcelona City Council) and universities (University of Barcelona and Autonomous University of Barcelona), which is a paradigmatic example of public-private collaboration with the academy. Thanks to research excellence and collaboration between the university, the public sector and business, the IEB has become a leading international research center.

• New cohorts of the Master in Management (MiM), MBA and Executive MBA begin classes at IESE´s campuses in Madrid, Barcelona, Munich and São Paulo
• The Master in Management has increased its class intake with 83 students in Madrid, up from 47 students last year
• IESE has adapted its campuses and put in place a rigorous set of health protocols to ensure a safe and productive learning environment

September 14, 2020. Despite the COVID-19 crisis, IESE Business School has received strong demand from students interested in programs such as the MiM, MBA and EMBA, reflecting the value that current and future professionals place in the school for their training needs.

Specifically, this week the school welcomes the new classes of the Master in Management (MiM) and the MBA in the Madrid and Barcelona campuses, respectively, and the Executive MBA in Munich and São Paulo. A total of 535 participants have started face-to-face classes in a safe and productive learning environment, which guarantees the hybrid participation of students who for any reason cannot come to campus.

Highly international class

The incoming students of all three programs, which are tailored to managers and entrepreneurs at different stages of their careers and professional needs, are highly accomplished and diverse.

The new students of IESE´s Master in Management class of 2021 recently began their IESE experience with a career bootcamp and orientation sessions at IESE´s campus in Madrid. The class counts on 83 students from 20 different countries, 38% of whom are women. Aimed at recent graduates with minimal or no work experience, the average age of the class is 23.

Launched last year and taught over 11 months, the MiM program is studied full-time in English from the Spanish capital. It provides an immersive experience for participants, enabling them to acquire the best business tools to kick-start their management career.

Meanwhile, the new editions of the Executive MBA program in Munich and São Paulo have also started. IESE´s campus in Germany begins its second class of the executive MBA with 56 new participants from 20 different nationalities. In São Paulo, there are 41 participants of six nationalities.

The Executive MBA is an 18-month program, taught part-time. Designed for high-potential managers, executives, and entrepreneurs who want to advance their careers, the average class age is 34.

Finally, the first-year class of IESE´s full-time MBA program will also get underway later in the month on IESE´s campus in Barcelona. The IESE MBA class of 2022 consists of 355 students, 82% of which are international. 32% of the class are women and the average age is 29.7. The participants have an average of nearly six years professional experience. Consistently ranked within the top programs in the world, IESE´s MBA program is taught in English over 15 or 19 months.

Rigorous health protocols and hybrid classrooms

To ensure a safe and productive learning environment for new students, IESE has adapted its campuses and put in place a strict set of health protocols.

These comprehensive measures include controlled access to the campus (such as temperature detection and a daily health status questionnaire), widespread testing (all IESE participants and employees must be tested prior to their first visit to campus), as well as mandatory mask use and interpersonal distancing in all spaces, among many others.

At the same time, IESE has redoubled its commitment to the hybrid methodology so that participants who cannot attend face-to-face classes can remotely follow their classes with maximum fluency. In recent months, the school has installed cameras, screens, special blackboards, speakers and microphones so that both the teacher and the classroom students can interact with those at home in real-time.

In addition, the teachers and the program team have been trained in the best online teaching practices and have incorporated new dynamics in order to reproduce the active experience of the case method for the hybrid format.

All of these measures allow the school to continue to offer a high-quality educational experience, while ensuring student and faculty safety throughout the new academic year.

• The Business Acceleration Program will be taught on IESE´s campus in Munich from February 2021

• In addition to utilizing a mix of learning methods, participants get personalized mentoring and one-on-one executive coaching

July 16, 2020.  IESE Business School has announced it is launching a new program targeted at ambitious working executives in the DACH region. The Business Acceleration Program (BAP), which starts in February 2021, will be taught in English from IESE´s campus in Munich. The program is designed to boost participants´ leadership potential and expand their professional network, all while causing minimal disruption to their current professional commitments.

The program is open to high-potential managers and project leaders with at least five years of managerial experience. It is especially aimed at those who are working in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other Central European countries, and who wish to quickly develop themselves and their companies in a targeted manner.

Delivered in a flexible format that minimizes the time needed away from the office, the eight-week program will be taught through a mix of interactive lectures, experimental learning, and business simulations led by IESE´s highly rated faculty, alongside in-person insights from top CEOs and senior managers. Throughout, participants will work closely with their high-caliber peers, facilitating networking.

In addition, participants will be assigned personal mentors throughout the program, and work one-on-one with a seasoned executive coach, which will help them solidify concepts in the program and become better equipped to reach a concrete personal or professional goal.

The program content is organized into three broad areas considered key to helping participants future-proof their careers. The first part will focus on how to approach global business systems from new angles, as well as deepening their understanding of core business areas. In the second, participants will examine the opportunities and significance of digitalization and new technologies. Part three focuses on corporate strategy and negotiation – and the central importance of ethics to bringing out the best in companies and developing as a manager.

Classes will take place every three weeks on Fridays (all day) and Saturdays (half day), meaning participants only need to take eight normal working days out of the office. This format allows participants to better interweave the course within their current working lives and put the actionable insights they gain on the course immediately to use in their workplace.

The price is 21,800 euros.

For more information, see: https://executiveeducation.iese.edu/functional-directors/business-acceleration-program-munich/

• New York and Paris take the 2^nd and 3^rd spot of the annual IESE Cities in Motion Index. London stands out for its human capital and international projection, New York’s stronger points include its economy and urban planning, while Paris does well for international projection and transportation

• As COVID-19 is forcing a rethink of urban strategies and a new focus on resilience, the study´s authors also offer 7 recommendations for how cities can adjust to the new reality

July 02, 2020. London has once again been declared the smartest city in the world, according to the seventh edition of the IESE Cities in Motion Index 2020. New York takes the second spot, followed by Paris. The top 10 list is rounded out by Tokyo (4), Reykjavik (5), Copenhagen (6), Berlin (7), Amsterdam (8), Singapore (9) and Hong Kong (10).

Prepared by IESE Business School´s Center for Globalization and Strategy and co-authored by professors Pascual Berrone and Joan Enric Ricart, the annual index analyzes the level of development of 174 world cities across nine dimensions* considered key to truly sustainable cities.

With cities being hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, the latest edition of the index comes at an uncertain time for many urban managers. As such, the authors also detail seven recommendations for how to ensure prosperous, sustainable and resilient cities in the current context. According to them, “this crisis represents an opportunity to rethink many cities’ strategies and increase their resilience. To do this, our index indicates that greater public-private collaboration, as well as strengthening urban-rural links, must play a key role.”

How the world’s cities compare:

Globally, cities in Europe continue to dominate the ranking, with 27 among the top 50. This select group also includes 14 cities in North American, 5 in Asia and 4 in Oceania.

London’s No. 1 ranking is due in part to its international projection (an area in which European cities dominate) and human capital. It also achieves excellent results in seven of the nine dimensions evaluated. The two exceptions were the environment and social cohesion, where London’s performance was more mediocre.

New York tops the charts for its economy (an area in which 9 of the top 10 positions go to U.S. cities), urban planning (6 of the top 10 are North American), and mobility and transportation. Its great Achilles’ heel continues to be social cohesion, with one of the world’s worst performances on that dimension.

In contrast, Basel (21st in the general ranking), comes first for social cohesion, thanks to its fairly equal income distribution, low unemployment, crime and homicide rates. In this dimension, which is key to citizens’ quality of life, 7 of the top 10 performers are European, and 3 of them are Swiss. Another area with a standout from Switzerland is urban governance: Bern (31st in the general ranking) ranks highest.

For the environment, the best performing city is Reykjavik (5th overall), followed by Copenhagen (6th), thanks to their low levels of pollution and contamination.

For technology, Hong Kong (10th in the overall ranking) leads the way, followed by Singapore and San Francisco. It’s worth noting that Hong Kong stands at 10th place in the general ranking, after advancing 17 positions since 2017.

Seven recommendations for cities in a post-COVID world

Contextualizing these results amid the current pandemic, the report’s authors, Pascual Berrone and Joan Enric Ricart, provide a set of conclusions and recommendations which highlight the relevance of urban resilience today and the need to promote public-private collaborations:

1. People first. The COVID-19 crisis makes it clear that smart urban design must focus on the quality of life for its people. In this sense, cities should emphasize the joint advancement of social cohesion and the economy for a just recovery.

2. Identify what is essential in your city. City managers must determine their top priorities and which needs require the most resources, time and effort. The indicators in this report can be used as a diagnostic tool.

3. New strategies for a new environment. COVID-19 will impose a new future on cities. For example, social distancing measures mean low-cost mass tourism will no longer be an option for many cities; traditional retail will face tougher competition online; public transportation will have to be redesigned; public interactions in green spaces may change. Cities will have to adapt to this new scenario.

4. Resilience as a new urban paradigm. The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of cities’ capacity to overcome traumatic circumstances. Promoting a new focus on urban resilience is essential and it can be achieved by combining a solid infrastructure with agile and efficient management.

5. Recovery through collaboration. If all social actors (the public sector, private companies, civic organizations and academic institutions) collaborate, cities bounce back quicker. We must break down the “silos” that prevent us as leaders from seeing possible synergies.

6. Link between territories. In recent decades, the growing hegemony of the city has come at a cost to the countryside. However, during the health crisis, territories’ interrelation and dependency are increasingly clear. Reconsidering and strengthening urban-rural links can create more efficient systems.

7. Lead by example. For a quick, effective, and inclusive recovery, urban managers should lead by example, guided by principles of justice and collaboration for the benefit of all. “Ultimately,” the authors conclude, “we will need urban managers who apply the concept of smart governance, which includes accurate diagnosis, clear vision and multidimensional management of challenges.”

OPEN HIGH-RESOLUTION INFOGRAPHIC

Notes to Editors:

About the IESE Cities in Motion Index

*This seventh edition of the IESE Cities in Motion Index (CIMI) analyzes the level of development of 174 cities along nine dimensions considered keys to progress: human capital (developing, attracting and nurturing talent), social cohesion (consensus among the different social groups in a city), economy, environment, governance, urban planning, international projection, technology, and mobility and transportation (ease of movement and access to public services).

View the full study here.

The interactive website also allows viewers to bring up the data for each city in the index, and compare two cities’ data at the same time.