INCAE ON SUSTAINABILITY

The cátedras, or research chairs, are grants obtained through private sector funding, which INCAE channels toward
priority research areas.
The Steve Aronson Chair of
Strategy and Agribusiness
Research Chairs
BATCCA Chair on Corporate Social
Responsibility
The Steve Aronson Chair of Strategy and
Agribusiness is INCAE’s first patrimonial chair. It
launched in 2010, thanks to a donation from Mr.
Steve Aronson, founder of Café Britt. The chair’s
main objective is to generate knowledge and
tools for companies in the agricultural, fishery
and forestry sectors in the Latin American tropics
in order to increase their competitiveness and
added value, thus replicating Aronson’s business
success story. Since the chair’s creation, its team
has developed more than 20 case studies and
participated in various conferences, international
forums and journal publications (e.g., Journal of
Business Research, and Management Decision
online journal).
This chair launched in 2006 and ended in 2014. As
part of its Corporate Social Responsibility activities,
the British American Tobacco Caribbean and Central
America company contributed to INCAE’s research
on issues related to the development and promotion
of social responsibility practices in Central America
and the Caribbean.
PRINCIPLE 3: METHOD
Esteban R. Brenes, PhD.
Full Professor. The Steve Aronson
Chair of Strategy and Agribusiness.
esteban.brenes@incae.edu
Juan Carlos Barahona, PhD.
Assistant Professor
juan.barahona@incae.edu
Harry Strachan Chair for Philanthropy & Social Investment
In January 2013, a group of investors led by philanthropist Harry W. Strachan created an endowment fund with the
sole purpose of financing a research program centered on Social Investment and Philanthropy in Central America.
Its two main objectives are to:
• Develop modules (cases and teaching notes) to help the MBA, AMP and Special Seminars teach these topics
effectively.
• Inspire leaders and family groups to be active in social investments and create a culture that encourages philanthropy.
The chair’s activities have focused on analyzing best practices at the international level (including the Social Enterprise
Initiative at Harvard Business School) and understanding the current status of philanthropy in Central America.
A series of interviews with philanthropists, foundations and NGOs have been carried out in order to thoroughly
understand their challenges.
Andrea Prado, PhD.
Assistant Professor. Harry Strachan Chair for Philanthropy &
Social Investment.
Academic Director of Central America Healthcare Initiative.
andrea.prado@incae.edu
31