Corporate Social Responsibility Fundamentals

Valérie Swaen is a distinguished Full Professor of Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility at both the Louvain School of Management (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium) and IESEG School of Management (France). She holds a PhD in Management Sciences from UCLouvain and currently serves as the president of the Louvain Research Institute in Management & Organizations (LouRIM) until 2024. As the founder and head of the Louvain CSR Network, she has been instrumental in advancing research and practice in corporate social responsibility, while also holding several prestigious CSR Chairs with major companies including Solvay, Spadel, and SNCB. Her research expertise spans relationship marketing, consumer behavior, and corporate social responsibility, with particular emphasis on stakeholders' reactions to CSR communication. She has published extensively in leading international journals including the Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Management, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and Journal of Business Ethics. Her significant contributions include coordinating the Belgian Corporate Responsibility Barometer studies and developing the Philippe de Woot Award for excellence in CSR research. She has also pioneered educational initiatives in sustainable business practices, including developing MOOCs on CSR that have reached global audiences. Under her leadership, the Louvain CSR Network has become a vital platform for connecting researchers and practitioners dedicated to advancing responsible leadership and sustainable production practices.

Barbara Dupont is a multifaceted academic professional currently serving as a Research Support Officer at LouRIM (Louvain Research Institute in Management & Organizations) and academic manager of the MaCCS program at IHECS. Her academic journey began at the Université catholique de Louvain where she earned her Bachelor's degree and later completed her Master's in Management Sciences with a focus on Marketing at the Louvain School of Management. Her career has evolved through various roles at UCLouvain, including serving as a Teaching and Research Assistant in Marketing from 2013 to 2015, followed by a position as Teaching Assistant in Corporate Social Responsibility in 2015-2016. She has made significant contributions to MOOC development at the Louvain School of Management, particularly in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility, where she collaborated with Professor Valérie Swaen on developing and implementing online courses. Beyond her academic work, Dupont is also pursuing doctoral research in Communication at UCLouvain/IHECS, focusing on gender studies and television studies, while maintaining an active role as a cultural critic and feminist writer, managing the popular Instagram page "D'où?" which has garnered over 19,000 followers.

Jessica Lieberman is a multifaceted academic professional who has made significant contributions to both educational technology and cultural studies. She holds a Master's degree in Information and Communication with a specialization in Organizational Communication from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and a Master's degree in Management Science from the Louvain School of Management at UCLouvain. Her career spans across multiple roles, including serving as a teaching and research assistant in Corporate Social Responsibility at the Louvain School of Management, where she primarily focused on the Philippe de Woot Major in Corporate Sustainable Management. Currently, she works as a MOOC project coordinator at UCLouvain, collaborating with Professor Valérie Swaen on developing innovative online courses in CSR and sustainable development, particularly the courses "Discovering Corporate Social Responsibility" and "CSR Reporting and Communication" which have reached over 3,000 participants from 130 different countries. She has also contributed to academic research on MOOC development and implementation, co-authoring work on creating MOOCs as support for flipped classroom organization. Beyond her academic work, Lieberman has transitioned into a role at La Défense as an Adjoint RH vision stratégique, where she continues to apply her expertise in organizational communication and management. Her professional journey demonstrates a strong commitment to combining educational innovation with corporate social responsibility, making complex subjects accessible to global audiences through digital learning platforms.