La Rochelle Business School has solid roots in the region and is marked by its special features, especially in economic and environmental terms. This is why it has developed two areas of expertise that differentiate it from other schools: tourism and sustainable development. These constitute what are probably the school's leading research departments, together with the Business Management department. 

“Business Management” research department

This department brings together researchers from different disciplines (management, law, economics and sociology) who apply a cross-disciplinary approach to innovative issues such as: - corporate strategy and competitive advantage- governance of organisations - management of organisations and stakeholder loyalty- intercultural management 

“Tourism Management” research department

This department brings together researchers from different disciplines (management, geography, sociology and economics) to work on the following issues :

• changes in consumer behaviour and the consumer experience, especially with regard to customer loyalty
• the role of information and communication technologies in defining new tourism-related professions
• the promotion of the concept of quality in tourist companies and activities 
• the impact of tourism in the environmental, socio-cultural and economic spheres, and indicators of sustainable tourism

“Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development" research department 

This department carries out research on the different aspects of environmental policies and strategies in an environment of sustainable development and CSR, in particular:

• innovative CSR strategies and value-added product offers
• brand equity and CSR policy 
• responsible communication through analysis of product life cycles
• integrating CSR through risk management and organisational learning
• managing stakeholder relations
• integrating CSR through costs and performance

Partnerships with other research centres

For reasons of geographical proximity, the school’s research policy is conducted in partnership with the Université de La Rochelle (ULR) and the CEREGE laboratory at the IAE in Poitiers. These partnerships involve the following:

• joint research papers and publications- research seminars (research methodology, presentation of research, etc.)
• pooling resources for the organisation of scientific events 
• participation of La Rochelle Business School in the development of the Doctoral School at the Université de Poitiers through its presence on the Conseil de Laboratoire
• opportunities for research professors from the school who have a HDR (habilitation à diriger des recherches – qualification to supervise research) to supervise doctoral theses at the CEREGE.

The school has also developed a research partnership in the field of tourism with IMIS-ESTHUA (University of Angers School of Tourism and Hospitality Management) and UQAM (Montreal – Quebec); this is reflected in the collaborative conference entitled “Les rendez-vous Champlain sur le tourisme”, which has so far been held three times (2006, 2008 & 2010).