The only way to spur growth in European countries that are suffering most is through credible policies of controlling the fiscal deficit, explains IESE Prof. Pedro Videla of the school's Department of Economics. There is no "serious data" that proves that pro-growth spending policies will have a positive effect, he says.

The 17th International Symposium on Ethics, Business and Society opened on the Barcelona campus yesterday to discuss "Universal Ethics. Cultural Diversity and Globalization."

IESE Business School has earned the number one spot in the Financial Times´ 2012 overall ranking of business schools offering executive education programs. This year, the school rose from number three to number one in the annual ranking.

After covering more than 800 business cases and 500 technical notes since enrolling in IESE´s MBA program, the class of 2012 finally arrived at the finish line of their experience. This year´s graduating MBA class included 270 students from 50 different countries who decided to invest in an MBA during uncertain times and are now heading out into a challenging landscape.

While e-commerce still represents a small slice of overall retail sales globally, trends in social media and mobile technologies will continue to fuel its growth in the future, said IESE Prof. Evgeny Káganer in a special session with IESE alumni on Thursday, May 11.

The rise of globalization and cultural diversity have given the topic of universal ethics unprecedented importance in the business world. With this in mind, IESE will host the 17th International Symposium on Ethics, Business and Society on the school's campus in Barcelona on May 14-15. The theme of the event is "Universal Ethics, Cultural Diversity and Globalization."

On May 7, IESE Business School hosted an event in Munich with Prof. Siegfried Russwurm, Siemens´ CEO of the Industry Sector, who is also a member of IESE´s International Advisory Board. In the session, led with IESE Prof. Franz Heukamp, he discussed the topic of effective leadership in times of uncertainty.

This month's video newsletter Eye on IESE takes a look back at a range of recent highlights at the school. They include the meeting of the school's International Advisory Board, which explored prospects for the global economy; the recent visit by John S. Reed of MIT Corporation, who discussed Europe's future as seen from the United States, in a session with IESE Prof. Xavier Vives; and a Wall Street Journal Executive Viewpoints event, which included panelists Michael Bloomberg, Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles.

IESE's New York campus will host a special session for alumni and guests today entitled, Flexibility and Sustainable Workplaces. The event will feature guest speakers Kathleen Christensen, program director of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Stephanie Voquer, chief human resources officer at MasterCard Worldwide, and IESE Prof. Marta Elvira, who will moderate.

In this interview, IESE Prof. Rolf Campos explains that in the 1980s many countries defaulted but significantly fewer people were aware of it because the debt was owed to banks and was not issued in bonds. The case of Greece has gained unprecedented attention because it is a developed country, he said, which has sparked additional concern among investors.