Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments

This book and the Business for Peace Conference would not have been realized without the enduring commitment of many persons and the cooperation of a network of partner organizations. Our warmest thanks go to the all members of the Scientific and Organising Committee who read and selected the papers and who actively participated in the whole project: Henri Claude de Bettignies (prof. em. INSEAD, France), Rita Ghesquiere (prof. em. KU Leuven, Belgium), Josep M. Lozano (prof. ESADE, Spain), Kamran Mofid (prof. Founder Globalisation for the Common Good, UK), Sharda Nandram (prof. Neyenrode Business Universiteit, Netherlands), Hendrik Opdebeeck (prof. University of Antwerp, Belgium), Mike Thompson (prof. China Europe International Business School, Shanghai), Laszlo Zsolnai (prof. Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary), Luk Bouckaert (prof. em. Catholic University Leuven, Belgium), and Manas Chatterji (prof. Binghamton University, New York). All of them are fellows of the European SPES Institute.

We sincerely thank our colleagues of the co-organizing and sponsoring organizations:

Christ’l Joris (Belgian Red Cross, Flanders), Daniel Truran (ebbf – mindful people meaningful work), Iris Van der Veken (Global Compact Network, Belgium), Kamran Mofid (Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative, UK), Luc Simonet (Optimists without Borders, Brussels), Laurent Ledoux (Philosophie & Management, Belgique), Herman Van de Velde and Caroline Ven (VKW het Ondernemersplatform), Patrick Maselis (Mulder Natural Foods, NV), and Philippe van Assche (Westmalle Trappist Brewery, Belgium).

We thank Doris Umbers who helped us in the editing of this work; Jonas Slaets, Jochanan Eynikel, Koen Dewit, Leen Beulens, Lies Daenen, and Inge Lenaers for their support before, during and after the Ypres Conference.

We are very grateful to Herman Van Rompuy, who as president of the European Council opened the Ypres Conference, and to Peter Bouckaert, Director of the Human Rights Watch’s Emergencies, who shared in Ypres his experience and commitment for peace.

Last but not least, we wish to thank the Publisher and the 30 authors presenting their research and reflections in this volume. They made this book hoping that its readers will gain insight and commitment for the sake of peace.