Prof. Dr. David Risi

Profile

Prof. Dr. David Risi Dozent

  • Address Berner Fachhochschule
    Business School
    Institut Sustainable Business
    Brückenstrasse 73
    3005 Bern

Activities

  • Research Professorship in Responsible Management

Teaching

  • MSc Circular Innovation and Sustainability

  • MSc Business Administration

  • BSc Business Administration

  • BSc International Business Administration

  • International Management and Business Ethics (BSc)

  • Expansion of Personal Competences: Business Models (MSc)

  • Introduction to Business Adminstration (BSc)

  • Sustainable Business (BSc)

  • Decision Making of Consumers and Managers (BSc)

  • Angewandte Unternehmensethik (BSc)

  • Corporate Social Responsiblity and Business Ethics (MSc)

  • Corporate Social Responsiblity (MSc)

  • Introduction to Management (BSc)

  • Inside the International Firm (BSc)

  • Grundlagen BWL (BSc)

  • Wirtschaftsethik (BSc)

  • Business Ethics (BSc)

Research

  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

  • Business Ethics

  • Sustainable Management

  • Organization Theory

  • Corporate Governance

  • Strategy

  • Decision Making

  • Organizational Behavior

CV

  • David Risi holds the Research Professorship for “Responsible Management” at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (Business) and is a Private Lecturer (with Habilitation) at the University of St. Gallen, and works on business ethics, corporate social responsibility, organizational theory, strategic management, and sustainable business. He completed his doctorate and habilitation at the University of St. Gallen.

    David Risi's work has appeared in influential practice-oriented (e.g., Harvard Business Review) and leading academic journals (e.g., Journal of Management Studies). He worked for a consulting firm for several years and was a senior researcher at Oxford University. He is an Editorial Review Member and Special Issue Editor of academic journals and leads teaching modules and research projects (supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation and Innosuisse, among others). He works closely with leading universities in Switzerland and abroad and with partners from industry and civil society, speaks on practical committees, and takes on consultancy mandates.

    David Risi was awarded the Academy of Management Social Issues in Management Best Dissertation Award in 2017. In 2021, he was nominated for the Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching. In 2025, he was honored in WirtschaftsWoche's business administration ranking as one of the top 100 “under 40s”.
  • Since Feb. 2024 Private Lecturer (Habilitated Lecturer) University of St. Gallen
  • Since Feb. 20243 Professor Bern University of Applied Sciences
  • Sep. 2020-Jan. 2023 Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) Bern University of Applied Sciences
  • Feb. 2020-Jan.2024 Senior Research Fellow University of St. Gallen
  • Jan. 2019-Sep. 2020 Postdoctoral Researcher Oxford University (Said Business School)
  • Dec. 2017-Jun. 2020 Postdoctoral Fellow University of Zurich (Department of Banking and Finance)
  • Aug. 2018-June 2020 Lecturer ZHAW School of Management and Law
  • 2024 Habilitation University of St. Gallen
  • 2017 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) University of St. Gallen
  • 2015 PhD Program (Organization Studies) York University (Schulich School of Business)
  • 2012 Master in Social and Communication Sciences University of Lucerne
  • 2008 Erasmus Exchange Program University of Valencia (Faculties of Social Sciences and Economics)
  • 2024: Quantitative research: data collection, analysis, and interpretation: two-day intensive course, Berne University of Applied Sciences
  • 2024: University teaching certificate: Berne University of Applied Sciences

Projects

  • Balancing at the Top: How CEOs Manage Conflicting Demands (Collaboration with the University of Oxford)
    CEOs often face conflicting demands – from external sources such as politics or investors, and from within their own organizations. These demands often do not align, creating tensions and contradictions. We closely examine the CEOs of large international companies to understand how they successfully navigate these challenges.

  • Unpacking the Internal Dynamics of Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation (Collaboration with the University of Oxford and the Free University of Amsterdam; funded by Swiss National Science Foundation)
    How do Swiss financial institutions turn their sustainability goals into action? That’s the question at the heart of our research project. We examine the individuals and organizational structures that underpin CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) strategies.

  • From Morals to Market Power: How Moral Values Drive Digital Platform Success (Collaboration with the Free University of Berlin and the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society)
    Digital platforms such as Google and Amazon have inspired both excitement and criticism, but the role of moral values in their rise has received little attention. Based on over 500 reports from 76 U.S. platform companies (1995–2021), we demonstrate that values such as freedom, inclusiveness, and sustainability have played a significant role in shaping the platform field. Over time, these values became closely tied to business strategies and global expansion.

  • When Responsibility Meets Control: Market Governance in a New Era (Collaboration with the Munich University of Applied Sciences and the Pennsylvania State University; funded by Swiss National Science Foundation)
    The project examines how European companies in China navigate two distinct systems of values. On one side are their own Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards; on the other is China’s Social Credit System (SCS). Focusing on firms from Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland, we examine how companies navigate the tensions between CSR expectations and local SCS regulations.

  • Smart Corporate Sustainability Powered by People and Artificial Intelligence (Collaboration with Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, Intep Ltd, and Equintel; funded by Innosuisse)
    Sustainability is a key success factor for SMEs — but implementing it can be complex. Hybrid intelligence, the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and human expertise, helps make sustainability data clearer, more efficient, and more manageable, and we show how this approach supports SMEs in practice.

Publications

  • Risi, D. (2024). The Value of Values for Corporate Social Responsibility - Descriptive and Normative Approaches and Their Reconciliation. Cumulative Habilitation: Unpublished.

  • Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3

  • Wickert, C. W., & Risi, D. (2019). Corporate social responsibility (Elements in Business Strategy). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: 10.1017/9781108775298

  • Risi, D. (2017). An institutional theory perspective on the implementation of corporate social responsibility within large firms: Empirical and conceptual considerations. Dissertation no. 4620: Difo-Druck GmbH, Bamberg.

  • Dey, P., Gurtner, S., Risi, D., & Tokarski, K. (Forthcoming). Intensifying research on the dark side of entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing.

  • Heroth, T., Risi, D., et al. (2025). Hybride Intelligenz in der Beratung: Eine Fallstudie wie man Nachhaltigkeitsherausforderungen in KMU erfolgreich meistert. Zeitschrift für Organisation & Führung 15.

  • Athanasopoulou, A., Marti, E., Risi, D., & Schlindwein, E. (2025). How Companies Restrain Means-Ends Decoupling: A Comparative Case Study of CSR Implementation. Journal of Management Studies, 62, 214–245. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1111/joms.13043.

  • Risi, D., & Schindwein, E. (2024). CSR und ESG kombinieren für ein sinnvolles Engagement für Nachhaltigkeit mit Realitätscheck. Zeitschrift Führung + Organisation, 6, 357–362.

  • Marti, E., Risi, D., Schlindwein, E., & Andromachi Athanasopoulou (2024). Creating a Corporate Social Responsibility Program with Real Impact. Harvard Business Review, March 27, 2024, p. 1-9.

  • Risi, D., Wickert, C. W., & Tommaso, R. (2023). Coordinated enactment: How organizational departments work together to implement CSR. Business & Society, 62(4), 745-786. DOI: 10.1177/00076503221110213

  • Risi, D., et al. (2023). Institutional theory-based research on corporate social responsibility: Bringing values back in. International Journal of Management Reviews, DOI: 10.1111/ijmr.12299

  • Wickert, C. W., Risi, D. & Tommaso, R. (2022). What a mature CSR team looks like. Harvard Business Review, November 16, p. 1-9. https://hbr.org/2022/11/what-a-mature-csr-team-looks-like

  • Risi, D., & Marti, E. (2022). Illuminating the dark side of values: A framework for institutional research. Journal of Management Inquiry, 31(3), 253-263. DOI: 10.1177/10564926221091521

  • Risi, D. (2022). Institutional research on business and society: Integrating normative and descriptive research on values. Business & Society, 61(2), 305-339. DOI: 10.1177/0007650320928959

  • Risi, D., Paetzold, F., & Kellers, A. (2021). Wealthy private investors and socially responsible investing: The influence of reference groups. Sustainability, 13(22), 1-24. DOI: 10.3390/su132212931

  • Risi, D. (2020). Time and business sustainability: Socially responsible investing in Swiss banks and insurance companies. Business & Society, 59(7), 1410-1440. DOI: 10.1177/0007650318777721

  • Risi, D., et al. (2017). Reconsidering the "symmetry" between institutionalization and professionalization: The case of CSR managers. Journal of Manag Studies, 54(5), 613-646. DOI: 10.1111/joms.12244

  • Risi, D. (2016). Longitudinal comparison between CSR implementation and CSR function's resource access. Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, 2016(1), 25-28. DOI: 10.5465/ambpp.2016.69

  • Risi, D. (2014). Strategische Überlegungen für eine gute Unternehmensführung: Ein Plädoyer für die Verbindung von Compliance und Integrity. Zeitschrift Führung + Organization, 83(4), 221-226.

  • Risi, D. (2014). CSR professionals and institutional work: An institutional perspective on [...]. ZFWU, 15(2), 279-286. DOI: 10.5771/1439-880x-2014-2-279.

  • Bohn, S., Kontareva, A., & Risi, D. (2025). How morality translates into growth and dominance: The role of normative values in the emergence and establishment of the digital platform field. Academy of Management Proceedings.

  • Schlindwein, E., Risi, D., & Wickert, C. W. (2024). Making sense of causal ambiguity: The case of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2024. DOI: forthcoming

  • Stucki, T. & Risi, D. (2023). More flexibility, less sustainability: How workforce flexibility has a dual effect on corporate environmental sustainability. DRUID Conference 2023. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4581828

  • Athanasopoulou, A., Smets, M., Risi, D., & Morris, T. (2020). Lonely at the Top? CEO sensemaking in the boardroom. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2020 (1). DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2020.20409abstract

  • Risi, D., & Wickert, C. W. (2019). Exploring the internal dynamics of corporate social responsibility implementation. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019 (1). DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2019.10561abstract

  • Risi, D., Vigneau, L., & Bohn, S. (2019). The role values play for agency in institutions. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019 (1). DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2019.10558abstract

  • Risi, D. (2017). Toward a morally reflective institutional analysis. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2017 (1), 10512. DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2017.10512abstract

  • Risi, D. (2017). Understanding financial intermediaries' hesitation about socially responsible investing. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2017 (1), 10331 DOI: 10.5465/ambpp.2017.10331abstract

  • Risi, D. (2016). Longitudinal comparison between CSR implementation and CSR function's resource access. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2016 (1), 10138. DOI: 10.5465/ambpp.2016.69

  • Risi, D., Schlindwein, E., & Wickert, C. W., & Schmidpeter, R. (forthcoming). Combining Management Concepts for Sustainable Organizational Transformation: When Corporate Purpose Gets a Reality Check. In: Schmidpeter, R., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Management: Springer.

  • Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Why Sustainability?. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 17-27. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_1

  • Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). The Concept of Sustainable Development. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 17-27. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_2

  • Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Challenges of Managing Common Resources. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 29-34. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_3

  • Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Corporate Sustainability. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 35-76. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_4

  • Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Social Innovation (or Why We Need the Civil Society). In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 77-89. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_5

  • Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Policy Instruments and Financial System. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 91-104. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_6

  • Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Sustainable Consumption. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 77-89. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_7

  • Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Sustainability in a Digital Context. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 117-128. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_8

  • Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). The Future of Sustainable Business: The Circular Economy. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 129-140. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_9

  • Wickert, C. W., & Risi, D. (2019). Implementing corporate social responsibility as institutional work: Exploring the day-to-day activities of CSR managers in multinational corporations. In: Sales, A. (Ed.). Corporate social responsibility and corporate change. Institutional and organizational perspectives: Springer, 101-122. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-15407-3_12

  • Risi, D. (2013). Compliance and its effectiveness in preventing unethical behavior: Analysis of the Siemens Business Conduct Guidelines. In: Brändli, S., Schister, R., & Tamò, A. (Eds.). Multinational Companies and Institutions in Transition - Challenges for Business, Law and Society: Stämpfli Verlag, 289-307.

  • Stucki, T., Risi, D. (2025). Umweltverantwortungsinitiative: Eine Einordnung aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht. (06.01.2025) https://www.bfh.ch/de/aktuell/storys/2025/umweltverantwortungsinitiative-wissenschaftliche-einordnung

  • Risi, D., Marti, E., Schlindwein, E., Athanasopoulou, A. (2024). Wirkungsvolle Unternehmensverantwortung erfordert Experimentieren. Verantwortung – Das Magazin für Nachhaltigkeit, CSR und nachhaltiges Wachstum. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

  • Risi, D., Stucki, T. (2024). CO₂-Gesetz: Ein Perspektivenwechsel. Neue Zürcher Zeitung. (01.07.2024) https://sustainableswitzerland.ch/artikel/co-2-gesetz-ein-perspektivenwechsel-id.2226

  • Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R. (2023). Die soziale Dimension der Circular Economy. Warum auch die Gesellschaft mit eingebunden werden sollte. Verantwortung – Das Magazin für Nachhaltigkeit, CSR und nachhaltiges Wachstum. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 04.2023, 63. (23.10.2023) https://www.faz-institut.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/23-LOW-WEB-RISI-SCHMIDPETER-GESCHUETZT-V-04-2023.pdf

  • Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R. (2023). Zwei Seiten einer Medaille. Im Zusammenspiel entfalten die Managementkonzepte CSR und ESG ihre Wirksamkeit. Verantwortung – Das Magazin für Nachhaltigkeit, CSR und nachhaltiges Wachstum. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 03.2023, 6-7. (25.07.2023) https://www.faz-institut.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/19-LOW-WEB-RISI-SCHMIDPETER-GESCHUETZT-V-03-2023.pdf

  • Risi, D., Schlindwein, E. (2023). Wie Schweizer Banken und Versicherungen nachhaltige Massnahmen umsetzen. SocietyByte: Wissenschaftsmagazin der Berner Fachhochschule. https://www.societybyte.swiss/2023/03/14/wie-schweizer-banken-und-versicherungen-nachhaltige-massnahmen-umsetzen/ (14.03.2023)

  • Risi, D. (2022). Was moralische Werte für Corporate Social Responsibility bedeuten. SocietyByte: Wissenschaftsmagazin der Berner Fachhochschule. https://www.societybyte.swiss/2022/07/12/was-moralische-werte-fuer-corporate-social-responsiblity-bedeuten/ (12.07.2022)

  • Risi, D. (2021). Auch in der Schweiz ist das Bildungssystem nicht perfekt. Bildungsmagazin, https://eduwo.ch/bildungsmagazin/interview-david-risi/ (16.02.2021)

  • Risi, D. (2020). Implementing socially responsible investing in Swiss banks and insurance companies. Business & Society Blog, https://businessandsociety.org/swiss-banks/ (16.12.2020)

  • Risi, D. (2019). Corporate Social Responsibility Managers und ihre informellen Strategien. Organizational Viability@ZHAW. https://blog.zhaw.ch/organizationalviability/2019/04/25/corporate-social-responsibility-managers-und-ihre-informellen-strategien/ (25.04.2019)

  • Risi, D. (2018). Zeit und Nachhaltigkeit: Socially Responsible Investing in Schweizer Finanzinstituten. Organizational Viability@ZHAW. https://blog.zhaw.ch/organizationalviability/2018/11/15/zeit-und-nachhaltigkeit-socially-responsible-investing-in-schweizer-finanzinstituten/ (15.11.2018)

  • Bendell, A., Busch, T., Carroux, S., Mudaliar, A., Pomares, R., Risi, D., Utz, S. (2018). The value of the Toniic member network. T100 Powered Ascent Report, 2018(1), 17. https://toniic.com/download/t100-powered-ascent-report/?wpdmdl=1002&_wpdmkey=65f46e785d185 (24.05.2018)

  • Risi, D., Wickert, C. W., & Sayah, S. (2014). Corporate social responsibility managers as internal activists for ethics and sustainability. Amsterdam in Science, Business and Society, 2(1), 8-11 [Review by the editor].

  • Risi, D., Wickert, C. W., & Sayah, S. (2014). CSR managers as agents for corporate sustainability. [German title: CSR Manager als Agenten unternehmerischer Nachhaltigkeit] CSR MAGAZIN, 13, 44-45.

Memberships

  • Institut Sustainable Business

  • Academy of Management

  • European Group of Organization Studies

  • Journal of Management Studies (Editorial Review Board)

  • University of St. Gallen (School of Humanities and Social Sciences)

  • International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing (Special Issue Editor)

Awards

- WirtschaftsWoche Business Studies Ranking, "Top 100 under 40s”

- F.A.Z.-Institut für Management-, Markt- und Medieninformationen GmbH, Germany: Guest of honor at the Responsible Leadership Conference
- British Academy of Management, United Kingdom: "Wiley Top Cited Article 2022-2023"
- British Academy of Management, United Kingdom: "Wiley Top Downloaded Paper"
- Journal of Management Studies, United Kingdom: Member of the Editorial Committee, Editorial Review Board [re-election]

- F.A.Z.-Institut für Management-, Markt- und Medieninformationen GmbH, Germany: Guest of honor at the "Responsible Leadership Conference"
- University of Johannesburg, South Africa: Invitation [declined] as "Visiting Professor"
- International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, Switzerland: Invitation as Editor [special issue]

- ESG Investing, United Kingdom: Elected as a jury member for the "ESG Reporting Awards 2022"

- "Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching", finalist

- Journal of Management Studies, United Kingdom: Member of the Editorial Board, Editorial Review Board
- Academy of Management, United States: Best Book Award (SIM Division), Nomination

- Academy of Management, United States: "Outstanding Junior Faculty" (SIM, ONE, and PNP Divisions), Nomination

- "Academy of Management Best Dissertation Award" (SIM Division), Winner

- German Academic Association for Business Research (VHB), Germany: "Best Paper Award", finalist (nominated by the Organization Sciences group)
- Academy of Management, United States: Best Student Paper Award (SIM Division), Finalist
- Academy of Management, United States: "Best Paper Proceedings" (SIM Division)

- International Sociological Association, Italy: "PhD Students/ Early Career Researchers Award"

- Society for Business Ethics, United States: "Founders' Award"