POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
Antoni Serra Ramoneda UAB–Caixa Catalunya Research Chair
Faculty of Business and Economics
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
The Research Chair
The Antoni Serra Ramoneda Research Chair is sponsored by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Caixa Catalunya, a leading savings bank in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>. With an annual endowment of 120,000 euros (approximately $174,000 USD, $188,000 AUD) over the next five years (2008–2013), the main objective of the Chair is to promote research in the field of Business.
Another of the purposes of the Chair is to present the results of its research by means of seminars, courses and workshops, and to promote the adaptation of such results to the business environment in order to achieve more competitive organizations that are capable of facing the challenges of a global economy.
The Chair will also oversee the incorporation of its research results into teaching programs in order to achieve the main objective of the studies at taught by the Faculty of Business and Economics at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, namely, the promotion of high quality and innovative education.
Objectives
The Chair, which is associated with the Department of Business at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, has a clearly defined primary objective, namely, to carry out research in the field of Business. The Chair will promote: the preparation of publications; a series of research activities such as collaboration with other researchers and Research Centers and the organization of conferences and workshops; the presentation of seminars; and the supervision of PhD theses.
At the same time, the Chair also has a secondary objective that is derived from the first: the dissemination of results. There are two reasons for circulating research results, which reflect the main concerns of the man after whom the Chair is named. The first is education: top-level researchers can only be trained if they have access to the latest knowledge. The training of researchers is carried out mainly by means of PhD and Masters Programs, but is also done in standard undergraduate degree courses. Nor should we overlook the relationship with the country's industrial and financial structure, which is the main driving force behind the creation of richness. Interaction will be sought between the Chair and the financial and industrial worlds by promoting the adoption of the research results.
Antoni Serra Ramoneda and Caixa Catalunya
Antoni Serra Ramoneda was President of Caixa Catalunya from November 1984 to March 2005, a decisive period in the development of the Savings Bank, as reflected in the main business variables and actions it performed within the social environment. Over those twenty years, the number of employees was more than doubled, to over 5,000, and it now has in excess of a thousand branches.
As President of Caixa Catalunya, Antoni Serra Ramoneda implemented the intense process of modernization that resulted from the IT revolution, eventually placing Caixa Catalunya at the forefront of technology, and diversifying its areas of financial activity, with increasing involvement in operations with companies and business concerns in top level financial organizations, including such sectors as energy and telecommunications.
As well as these diverse activities within the financial environment, Caixa Catalunya has also been involved in important social projects, which are articulated through the four foundations created by the Bank during this period. These foundations made it possible to cover social needs in the areas of culture (Fundació Caixa Catalunya), the environment (Fundació Territori i Paisatge), solidarity (Fundació Un Sol Món) and social health care and care for the elderly (Fundació Viure i Conviure). In addition, there was one other outstanding achievement, namely, the acquisition and recuperation as a social space of La Pedrera of Antoni Gaudí, which so distinctively identifies Caixa Catalunya's social schemes.
Antoni Serra Ramoneda and the UAB
He was the first secretary of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona's Promoting Committee, a founding member of the Faculty of Business and Economics, a Professor of Business Economics and, from 1980-85, Rector of the UAB. Under his Rectorship, the UAB became the first university in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region> to have democratic university statutes, the Faculty of Veterinary Science was established, and, in accordance with the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Institute</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Catalan Studies</st1:placename></st1:place>, the Center for Mathematical Research was created; and furthermore, the Alternative-Energies Physics Laboratory was established. He was also involved in the creation of the Business and Science Foundation, and in collaboration with the CSIC, he set up the <st1:placename w:st="on">Microelectronics</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype> and the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Institute</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Economic Analysis</st1:placename></st1:place>, among other achievements.
After his time as Rector, he became one of the promoters of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Industrial Economy</st1:placename></st1:place>. Amongst the most outstanding aspects of his career was the manner in which he never gave up teaching, right up to his retirement, in the 2002-2003 academic year. As a professor, he was both respected and appreciated by a large number of university students. The UAB paid tribute to him in an event held on September 29, 2004.
Throughout his life he has received numerous awards, some of which include the Narcís Monturiol prize for scientific and technological merit awarded by the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Sant Jordi Cross awarded by the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Medal of Scientific Merit awarded by the Barcelona City Council, and the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite in France. He is currently president of the Generalitat de Catalunya's Managing Council for University-System Quality and a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Business at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Location: <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Barcelona</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region></st1:place>
<st1:city w:st="on">Barcelona</st1:city> is located on the north east coast of the Iberian peninsula on the coast of the <st1:place w:st="on">Mediterranean sea</st1:place>. It is the second largest city in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region> (1.5 million; 4.5 million with its outskirts), and the capital of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Catalonia</st1:place></st1:state>. The city is unequivocally a Mediterranean city, not only because of its geographic location but also and above all because of its history, tradition and cultural influences. The Capital of Catalonia has long been a center for artistic and architectural developments, and progressive political and philosophical currents. <st1:city w:st="on">Barcelona</st1:city> is one of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region>'s industrial and manufacturing centres, and has attracted hundreds of thousands of working migrants from elsewhere in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region> and abroad. <st1:city w:st="on">Barcelona</st1:city> is a cosmopolitan and bilingual city, Catalan, generally spoken in all of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Catalonia</st1:place></st1:state>, and Castilian (Spanish). The Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter), which contains the remains of the original city built by the Romans and well-preserved medieval buildings, houses the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Picasso</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>. Dotted throughout <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> are the marvellous works of Antoni Gaudí. La Padrera one of the most famous buildings of Antoni Gaudí belongs to Caixa Catalunya. Site of the 1992 Olympics, which inspired a massive project of urban and harbor renewal, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> has cemented its reputation as one of the more outward-looking of European cities.
Description:
The UAB campus consists of teaching and research centers, libraries and laboratories. Located 35 minutes from the center of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> by metro, the UAB is, in effect, a separate university town. The university community is made up of 37,000 undergraduate students, 6,500 post-graduates, 2,700 teachers and researchers, and 1,200 administrative staff. The UAB's 11 faculties offer a wide range of study and research, including the Humanities and Social Sciences, Law, Business and Economics Studies, Health Sciences, Experimental Sciences, Art and Design, Technology, and Engineering. While Catalan is the primary language of instruction at UAB, a wide range of subjects are offered in Spanish and English. The UAB was the promoter of the installation of a new generation of the synchrotron in southern <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>. It is built next to the Campus of the UAB with an investment of over $110 USD. The synchrotron has room for up 160 research teams and has attracted a collection of experimental laboratories as well as business installations. Recently the UAB has been granted as one of the TOP 35 Institutions Outside North America in postdoc training (The Scientist's Best Places to Work Survey, March, 2006). All these aspects define the UAB as one of the leader research centers in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>.
Applications
If you would like to apply for the Antoni Serra Ramoneda UAB-Caixa Catalunya Research Chair, please send a copy of your CV in one of these three languages: Catalan, Spanish or English to: catedra.serraramoneda@uab.es
Additional information: http://selene.uab.es/dep-economia-empresa/asr/catedra.htm
Department of Business
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Edifici B – Campus de la UAB
08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès). <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Barcelona</st1:city></st1:place>. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region></st1:place>
Phone: +34 – 93 5811209; Fax: +34 – 93 5812555
http://selene.uab.es/dep-economia-empresa
Best regards,
Charles Wankel, IMD-L list director
Innovative Approaches to Reducing Global Poverty see:
http://www.amazon.com/Innovative-Approaches-Reducing-Global-Poverty/dp/1593117523