Domènec
Melé

Emeritus Professor of Business Ethics

Chair of Business Ethics

• Ph. D. in Industrial Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
• Ph. D. in Theology, University of Navarra
• Master of Science, Universitat de Barcelona

Domènec Melé is professor emeritus in the Department of Business Ethics and Chair of Business Ethics at IESE.

He earned his doctorate in Industrial Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and his Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Navarra. In addition, he holds a degree in chemistry from the Universitat de Barcelona. He was ordained a Catholic priest (Opus Dei) in 1983. Before joining IESE in 1986 he was professor of Chemical Technology at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.

Over the last 30 years, Prof. Melé has researched and written extensively on the areas of economic and business ethics, corporate social responsibility, Christian social thought, spirituality in management, philosophy of management and humanistic management.

He has published over 70 scientific chapters and articles in referred journals, including the Journal of Business Ethics, Business Ethics Quarterly, Business Ethics: A European Review, Business and Society Review, and Philosophy of Management. Furthermore, he has authored about 20 case studies (IESE Publishing).

He has chaired 18 editions of the International Symposia on Ethics, Business and Society led by IESE since 1991. He is the co-founder of IESE’s Center for Business in Society, the director of the quarterly review Temes d’Avui (in Catalan) and vice-president of the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN)-Spain.

He has authored several books including Business Ethics in Action. Managing Human Excellence in Organizations, 2nd ed. Revised and extended (Macmillan International, 2019), Human Foundations of Management (2014), Management Ethics: Placing Ethics at the Core of Good Management (2012); Cristianos en la sociedad (Christians in Society), (5th ed. Rialp, Madrid, 2009), Ética en la empresa familiar (Ethics in Family Business), with M. A. Gallo (2nd ed., 2003) and Ética en dirección de empresas (Ethics in Management) (1997). He co-edited, among others, Human Development in Business, con C. Dierksmeier (2012) y Humanism in Economics and Business. Perspectives of the Catholic Social Tradition con M. Schlag (2015) and A Catholic Spirituality for Business. The Logic of Gift con M. Schlag (2019).

Prof. Melé has served as section editor of the Journal of Business Ethics for then years. Currently he is associate editor of the Humanistic management Journal and is a member of the editorial boards of Philosophy of Management (UK), Corporate Governance (UK) and Ethos. International Journal of Applied Ethics (Spain). He has also been co-guest editor of five special issues of the Journal of Business Ethics. In 2003 he received the award for excellence in research from the IESE Alumni Association.

Prof. Melé regularly delivers international seminars and participates in conferences organized by the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN); Society for Business Ethics (SBE); Academy of Management (AOM, Social Issues Management and Management Religion and Spirituality); International Society of Business, Economics and Ethics (ISBEE); Christian Humanism in Economics and Business, and the International Symposia on Catholic Social Thought and Management Education.

Areas of interest.

• Foundations of Business Ethics
• Philosophy of Management
• Humanizing Business
• Catholic Social Thought in Economics and Business
• Christian Spirituality in Management

Publications

Journal Articles (refereed)

MELÉ, D. (2024). What is the humanistic and ethical value of the “logic of gift” in business relationships? A conceptual approach. Business and Society Review. doi:10.1111/basr.12361. (Online first) MELÉ, D. (2023). La interacción entre personas en la empresa: ¿pueden complementarse mutuamente los enfoques de Pérez López y Wojtyla? Empresa y Humanismo, 26 (1), 121-152. doi:10.15581/015.XXVI.1.121-152. FONTRODONA, J., MELÉ, D. (2022). Thinking about the future of work. Promoting dignity and human flourishing. Humanistic Management Journal, 7 (2), 181-188. doi:10.1007/s41463-022-00136-2. DOMINGO, VIANNEY, V., MELÉ, D. (2022). Re-thinking management: insights from western classical humanism. Humanistic management: what can we learn from classical humanism? Humanistic Management Journal, 7 (1), 1-21. doi:10.1007/s41463-021-00115-z. MELÉ, D. (2021). Ethics at the workplace in the fourth industrial revolution. A Catholic social teaching perspective. Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, 30 (4), 72 -783. doi:10.1111/beer.12368. ROSZKOWSKA, P., MELÉ, D. (2021). Organizational factors in the individual ethical behaviour. The Notion of the "Organizational Moral Structure". Humanistic Management Journal, 6, 187-209. doi:10.1007/s41463-020-00080-z. MELÉ, D., SCHLAG, M. (2020). Building institutions for the common good. The practice and purpose of business in an inclusive economy. Humanistic Management Journal, 5 (1). doi:10.1007/s41463-020-00092-9. MELÉ, D. (2020). Bienes, normas y virtudes en ética empresarial. Studia Poliana (22), 221 - 240. doi:10.15581/013.22.221-240. MELÉ, D., CHINCHILLA, N., LÓPEZ-JURADO, M. (2019). The "Freely Adaptive System". Application of this Cybernetic Model to an Organization Formed by Two Dynamic Human Systems. Philosophy of Management, 18 (1), 89 - 106. doi:10.1007/s40926-018-0098-x. MELÉ, D., FONTRODONA, J. (2017). Christian Ethics and Spirituality in Leading Business Organizations: Editorial Introduction. Journal of Business Ethics, 145 (4), 671 - 679. doi:10.1007/s10551-016-3323-3.

Working Papers

MELÉ, D., GUILLÉN, M. (2006). Intellectual evolution of strategic management and its relationship with ethics and social responsibility (DI-658-E). MELÉ, D. (2004). The principle of subsidiarity in organizations. A case study (DI-566-E). MELÉ, D. (2004). Corporate social responsibility in Spain: An overview (DI-543-E). MELÉ, D., DEBELJUH, P., ARRUDA, M. C. (2003). Politicas de ética empresarial en las grandes empresas de Argentina, Brasil y España (DI-509). MELÉ, D., DEBELJUH, P., ARRUDA, M. C. (2003). Corporate ethical policies in large corporations in Argentina, Brazil and Spain (DI-509-E).

Proceedings

MELÉ, D. (2018). Meanings of Work in Catholic Social Teaching- Dialogue with "Meaningful Work" in Organizational Studies. In Antonio Argandoña Rámiz & Francisco Javier Insa Gómez (a cura di) (Ed.), Work in a Human Economy: Business and Common Good in a Changing Society. Atti del Convegno "The Heart of Work" Pontificia Università della Santa Croce. Roma, 19-20 ottobre 2017, Volume IV/5 (pp. 95 - 113). Edizioni Santa Croce. MELÉ, D. (2016). Beyond Business with a Human Face: Business Oriented toward the Person. Proceedings of the II Research Workshop: Missions, Leadership and Sustainability (pp. 7 - 18). Universitat Internacional de Catalunya.

Articles in other publications

MELÉ, D. (2023). La interacción entre personas en la empresa ¿pueden complementarse mutuamente los enfoques de Pérez López y Wojtyla? Empresa y Humanismo, 26 (1), 121-152. doi:10.15581/015.XXVI.1.121-152. MELÉ, D. (2018). El reto del humanismo cristiano en la universidad. Humanitats (2), pp. 91 - 114. MELÉ, D. (2018). ¿Tiene cabida en la empresa el desarrollo humano integral? Revista de Fomento Social (290), pp. 369 - 386. MELÉ, D. (2016). El reto de la sostenibilidad: Virtudes para la sostenibilidad empresarial. Harvard Deusto Business Review (260), pp. 44 - 44. MELÉ, D. (2016). Ética en la empresa. Para llevar a cabo un acompañamiento espiritual que sea serio, claro y provechoso. Palabra (637-638), pp. 88 - 91.

Books

MELÉ, D. (2024). The Humanistic person-centered company. Conceptual foundations. Cham: Springer International Publishing. MELÉ, D. (2022). Ética Profesional. Ediciones UC - Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. MELÉ, D. (2020). El valor humano y cristiano del trabajo. Enseñanzas de S. Juan Pablo II. Barañáin: EUNSA. Ediciones Universidad de Navarra. MELÉ, D. (2019). Business Ethics in Action. Managing Human Excellence in Organizations. Red Globe Press. MELÉ, D. (2015). Ética en dirección de empresas. Calidad humana para una buena gestión. Madrid: Pearson Educación.

Edited books

SCHLAG, M., MELÉ, D. (2019). A Catholic Spirituality for Business: The Logic of Gift. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press. MELÉ, D., SCHLAG, M. (2015). Humanism in Economics and Business. Perspectives of the Catholic Social Tradition. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. MELÉ, D., DIERKSMEIER, C. (2012). Human Development in Business. Values and Humanistic Management in the Encyclical 'Caritas in Veritate'. Basingstoke [England]: Palgrave Macmillan. MELÉ, D., CASTELLÀ, J. M. (2010). El desarrollo humano integral. comentarios interdisciplinares a la Encíclica "Caritas in veritate" de Benedicto XVI. Barcelona: Iter. SENDAGORTA, E., MELÉ, D. (2008). Liderazgo y espiritualidad. Reus: Empresa & Humanidades.

Book Chapters

MELÉ, D. (2024). La subjetividad de la persona en la acción emprendedora. En Fité, R.M.; Nueno, P.; Mehta, K. and Vilà, J. (Eds.), Primero las personas: pensamiento emprendedor para resolver problemas empresariales (pp. 35-42). Barcelona: Gestión 2000. MELÉ, D. (2024). Supremacía de la dimensión subjetiva del trabajo. En Fité, R.M.; Nueno, P. ; Mehta, K. and Vilà, J. (Eds.), Primero las personas: pensamiento emprendedor para resolver problemas emrpesariales (pp. 273-290). Barcelona: Gestión 2000. MELÉ, D. (2023). Profesor y referente entrañable. En Fernández, Fernando & Andrés-Gallego, José (Eds.), Sobre José Luis Illanes, persona y obra. Madrid: Ideas y Libros Ediciones. BURGOS, J. M., MELÉ, D. (2023). Personalism. In Poff, D. ; Michalos, A. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics. Cham: Springer International Publishing. MELÉ, D. (2022). Catholic social teaching as a foundation for business ethics. In Faldetta, Guglielmo; Mollona, Edoardo; Pellegrini, Massimiliano Matteo (Eds.), Philosophy and business ethics organizations: organizations, CSR and moral practice (pp. 169-196). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Studies

MELÉ, D. (2015). Global reach of transnational corporations. Caritas in Veritate Foundation.

Cases

MELÉ, D. (2022). El dilema de Ute: tensión entre la empresa y la vida familiar. IESE, BE-216. MELÉ, D. (2013). Conchi Martín: buscando trabajo (A). IESE, BE-181. MELÉ, D. (2013). Conchi Martín: buscando trabajo (B). IESE, BE-182. MELÉ, D. (2013). Conchi Martín: Looking for a Job (A). IESE, BE-181-E. MELÉ, D. (2013). Conchi Martín: Looking for a Job (B). IESE, BE-182-E.

Technical Notes

MELÉ, D. (2023). Ética en la toma de decisiones. IESE, BEN-152. MELÉ, D. (2023). Ethics in business management. IESE, BEN-148-E. MELÉ, D. (2023). Dealing with corruption: A guide for business managers. IESE, BEN-153-E. MELÉ, D. (2023). Ethics in decision-making. IESE, BEN-152-E. MELÉ, D. (2023). Personal moral responsibility in companies. IESE, BEN-151-E.