Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Time: 5.00 pm – 6.20 pm
Language: English
Room:B1.001/002 Dargan
Description:
Circular Economy (CE) is gaining increased popularity among academics, policymakers, and practitioners in terms of providing a framework for societal, institutional and organisational change towards a more sustainable future (Fischer et al., 2021; Gümüsay and Reinecke, 2022; Stahel 2016; Stal and Corvellec, 2018). Despite this rising interest, CE remains theoretically under-explored and overlooked, with academic research primarily focusing on practical and technical aspects. Limited attention has been devoted to theories that can explain motivations, actions, and impacts of actors engaged with CE, particularly in the business realm (Patala et al., 2022). Moreover, the lack of theorisation has manifested in academic ambiguities around assumptions and definitions and has resulted in unclear boundaries and controversies (Corvellec et al., 2020).
This workshop will provide a high-level stock take on CE research, elaborate on the academic ambiguities, and explore the tensions between the practice of CE and the conceptualisation/theorisation about CE. The workshop will also introduce a tailored research method for harnessing reliable and impactful knowledge from CE practice.
Presenters
Kenneth Husted (PhD from Copenhagen Business School, Denmark) is a Professor of Innovation and Research Management at The University of Auckland Business School, New Zealand. He has been the Head of Department, Management and International Business since 2018; and Head of Department of Information Systems and Operations Management since 2022. He is also the Acting HoD of Department of Marketing. His research covers Innovation (R&D collaboration, circular innovation, innovation in low-tech industries) and Knowledge Management (knowledge sharing, knowledge protection, and knowledge governance). Kenneth’s current research projects focus on Circular Economy in Business, Industry 4.0 and innovation, development of innovation practices in traditional industries. His academic work has appeared in, among others, Journal of Management Studies, California Management Review, Technovation, Journal of World Business, Organizational Dynamics, International Journal of Technology Management, Journal of Knowledge Management, R&D Management. Kenneth is the Regional Editor for the Journal of Knowledge Management.
Stefano Pascucci is professor in Sustainability and Circular Economy at the University of Exeter Business School (UK) and visiting professor in Sustainable Business at the University of Auckland Business School (NZ). He holds a position as Visiting Researcher at the Business Management and Organization Group, Wageningen University (NL). He is a social scientist interested in sustainability and circular economy as a context to develop evidence-based theories and impacts for societal change. He is particularly focused on understanding the role of businesses, communities and other forms of organizing to ensure transitions into a more fair and sustainable society. His research includes food community organising, agribusiness management, and regenerative agriculture. He has published in various academic journals, amongst others, in the Organization Studies, Academy of Management Perspectives, Journal of Business Venturing, and Journal of Business Ethics.
Reference
Corvellec, H., Böhm, S., Stowell, A., & Valenzuela, F. (2020). Introduction to the special issue on the contested realities of the circular economy. Culture and Organization, 26(2), 97-102.
Fischer, A., Pascucci, S., & Dolfsma, W. (2021). Understanding the role of institutional intermediaries in the emergence of the circular economy. In Circular Economy (pp. 108-126). Routledge.
Gümüsay, A. A., & Reinecke, J. (2022). Researching for desirable futures: From real utopias to imagining alternatives. Journal of Management Studies, 59(1), 236-242.
Patala, S., Albareda, L., & Halme, M. (2022). Polycentric governance of privately owned resources in circular economy systems. Journal of Management Studies, 59(6), 1563-1596.
Stahel, W. R. (2016). The circular economy. Nature, 531(7595), 435-438.
Stål, H. I., & Corvellec, H. (2018). A decoupling perspective on circular business model implementation: Illustrations from Swedish apparel. Journal of Cleaner Production, 171, 630-643.
