World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an independent international not-for-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1971 by Swiss business professor Klaus Schwab, the WEF serves as a platform for business and political leaders from numerous countries to discuss and debate social and economic issues of global concern. Schwab adopted a stakeholder model of management that maintains that managers should take account of the interests of many different constituencies in pursuing corporate strategy. He also believed that there should be a stronger bridge between business and political decision making. According to the foundation’s mission statement, the WEF is “committed to improving the state of the world in partnerships to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.”

The core membership of the WEF consists of 1,000 corporations, ...