Luis
Palencia

Professor of Accounting and Control and Analysis of Business Problems

• Ph.D. in Business Administration (Accounting), University of California-Berkeley
• Master of Science in Business Administration, University of California-Berkeley
• MBA, IESE Business School
• Degree in Civil Engineering, Universidad de Cantabria

Luis Palencia is a Full Professor in the Department of Accounting and Control at IESE. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Cantabria (1986) and completed his MBA at IESE in 1989. Before transitioning to academia, he spent three years in the Project Management Department at the engineering firm Bechtel, where he oversaw projects for the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Organizing Committee. He joined IESE in 1992, initially teaching management accounting and Analysis of Business Problems. In 1999, he earned a Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of California, Berkeley.

His research focuses on business valuation using accounting-based models and the effects of accounting conservatism on these models. He is also interested in unstructured decision-making processes.

At IESE, Palencia teaches “Analysis of Business Problems” (critical business thinking) and “Financial Accounting” in both degree programs and executive education. He has authored numerous business cases and teaching materials.

He has held various leadership roles at IESE, including Director of the MBA and PDG programs, and has been Head of the Accounting Department and the Analysis of Business Problems area. He also mentors students and colleagues.

Palencia currently serves on the board of the José Antonio Segarra Foundation, which supports employment centers for persons with intellectual disabilities. He leads PADCET, a training program for executives of these centers. Since 2017, he has also been a board member at COBAS Asset Management, an investment fund.

Since 1993, he has been involved in numerous consulting projects, particularly in business valuation, the design, and implementation of cost systems, and the development of strategic plans for social organizations.

Areas of interest.

• Cost systems and financial information
• Accounting based valuation models
• Financial statement analysis

Publications

Books

PALENCIA, L. (2010). Accounting Conservatism in Accounting-Based Valuation Models. Interaction Between Conservatism and Growth. Saarbrücken, Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing. ANDREU I CIVIT, R., BERASATEGUI RODRÍGUEZ, L., CARDONA SORIANO, P., CASTAÑOSA, C., FERNÁNDEZ, A., GARCÍA PONT, C., ... VIVES L. (2006). Mejorar la gestión de las empresas. Agunos de los mejores casos del IESE. Edición 2005. Aravaca: McGraw-Hill Interamericana de España.

Book Chapters

PALENCIA, L. (2006). Análisis del proceso de toma de decisiones: Un método de resolución de problemas no operativos. En Jaume Ribera, José A. Gutiérrez Fuentes, Magda Rosenmöller (Eds.), Gestión en el sector de la salud. Vol. 2: Elementos de gestión en las instituciones (pp. 509 - 527). Madrid: Pearson-Prentice Hall.

Studies

FONTRODONA, J., CARRILLO, J., SEGARRA, J. A., PALENCIA, L., POBLETE, M. J. (2019). Libro Blanco para la formación, ocupación y empleo de las personas con discapacidad y especiales dificultades en los centros especiales de trabajo de Cataluña. IESE. FONTRODONA, J., CARRILLO, J., SEGARRA, J. A., PALENCIA, L., POBLETE, M. J. (2019). Llibre blanc per a la formació, ocupació i treball de les persones amb discapacitat i especials dificultats als centres especials de treball de Catalunya. IESE.

Cases

BONETTI, P., PALENCIA, L. (2024). Who is Who?. A case of unidentified companies. IESE, C-815-E. BONETTI, P., PALENCIA, L. (2024). Who did what?. A case of unidentified accounting decisions. IESE, C-816-E. SOLER, E., PALENCIA, L. (2024). RELE-Rouen: Inmersión lingüística en Normandía. IESE, ASN-105.

Technical Notes

STEIN, G., PALENCIA, L. (2022). De la decisión a la acción. IESE, ASNN-15. STEIN, G., PALENCIA, L. (2022). From decision to Action. IESE, ASNN-15-E. VÁZQUEZ-DODERO, J. C., FRAGUAS, R., PALENCIA, L., ROSENBERG, M., WEBER, E., STEIN, G. (2022). Ya no eres un técnico. Directivos y técnicos: dos maneras de trabajar. IESE, ASNN-14.

Outputs in other media

FONTRODONA, J., PALENCIA, L. (2019). Les dificultats de l'especial dificultat. Ara, Barcelona. FONTRODONA, J., PALENCIA, L. (2019). Las dificultades de la especial dificultad. Ara, Barcelona. PALENCIA, L. (2012). Los que más tienen. ABC (Edición Cataluña), Barcelona.