Department of Management, Society and Communication

Biography:
Jacobo Ramirez is an Associate Professor in Latin American Business Development at the Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC), Copenhagen Business School (CBS). He earned his doctoral degree in Business Administration at Newcastle University, England (2005), in collaboration with the Grenoble School of Management, France.

Jacobo Ramirez was a co-founder of the Latin America Business Forum (2014) at CBS to further develop Danish business engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This initiative has helped Jacobo to develop an ongoing dialogue with business community and Governmental Officials (e.g. Ambassadors and Ministers) through several business and research seminars at CBS. Prior to joining CBS, Jacobo was a co-founder and chaired of the research group European Studies on Development and Competitiveness at the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico (2007-2010).

Jacobo Ramirez is a Mexican–Danish double national born in Mexico to indigenous Mexican parents from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and has lived and worked in Copenhagen since 2006.

Research Statement:
Dr Jacobo Ramirez’s research focus is on sustainable business development in Latin America, a region with security risks, fragile formal institutions and social unrest, among other features, yet also a growing income. Sustainable business development in such ‘transition contexts’ offers numerous research avenues. The first angle of Ramirez’s research focuses on people management in security risk contexts; the second is on ‘green business’, with an emphasis on how businesses can help to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Through these two avenues, Dr Ramirez has been able to propose novel methodologies and strategies to discuss sustainable business in Latin America. ‘Sustainable development’ is a broad term. From a business perspective, it refers to the development of strategies that ensure a business can continue to exist and progress in the future. Through studies on the private sector, particularly Danish firms in the Global South, Ramirez has designed novel methodologies and strategies with which to study and propose organisational strategies to overcome institutional change. Over the last eight years, Dr Ramirez has cultivated a research agenda on the relationship between transitioning institutional contexts and the development of local and foreign organisations operating in Latin America. Ramirez’s current research work aims to evaluate how governments, organisations and civil society shape sustainable businesses and workplaces in the Global South. Dr Ramirez’s ultimate goal is to bridge the gaps between business studies, humanities and the social sciences.

Teaching Statement:
Jacobo Ramirez has a strong and multinational educational background (England, France and Mexico) and extensive professional experience from universities in the Americas and Europe. Dr. Ramirez has designed and implemented online and face-to-face courses (taught in Spanish and English) in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. Dr. Ramirez uses his own teaching cases of Danish firms in LAC (e.g. Arla Foods, Novo Nordisk, Vestas, etc.) as his main teaching strategy. Dr. Ramirez organises business related seminars with practitioners Governmental Officials (e.g. Danish and LAC’s Ambassadors and Ministers) to discuss with students and researchers current business development and society trends between Denmark and LAC. At CBS he teaches on bachelor and master programs. Dr. Ramirez is the coordinator of the following master degree courses at CBS: Leading and Managing in Latin America and Business Strategies in Latin America and the Caribbean (taught in Spanish), and co-coordinator of the courses Business Strategy in Developing Countries and Emerging Markets, and Leadership and Governance at MNEs. He also has taught executive education programs and/or consulted for companies such as PEMEX (Mexican Oil Company), and CEMEX, among others.

Business and Society Statement:
Jacobo Ramirez’ research and teaching activities have helped to develop an ongoing dialogue among academics, students, practitioners, politicians and civil society. This dialogue has taken the form of research and teaching seminars that Jacobo has organised to discuss current business and society trends (e.g. green energy, terrorism, intellectual property, displacement, distance learning, etc.) around the world. Jacobo has also disseminated his work to non-academic audiences (e.g. through case studies, editorials and blogs) in order to further develop an interchange between business and society.