SIG OFFICERS (2023-2024):
Davide Bizjak (University of Naples Federico II), SIG CHAIR (davbiz@unina.it)
Edoardo Mollona (University of Bologna), PAST SIG CHAIR (edoardo.mollona@unibo.it)
Lucia Michela Daniele (University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”), GENERAL TRACK CHAIR (luciamichela.daniele@
Anna Pistoni (University of Insubria), PROGRAMME CHAIR (anna.pistoni@uninsubria.it)
Ilaria Tutore (Parthenope University of Naples), COMMUNICATION OFFICER (ilaria.tutore@uniparthenope.
Maria Coscia (Parthenope University of Naples), CO-COMMUNICATION OFFICER (maria.coscia001@studenti.
BUSINESS FOR SOCIETY SIG STANDING TRACKS
GT01_00 – Business for Society General Track
The Business for Society General Track examines how organizations engage with their social and natural contexts. Embracing an interdisciplinary approach, we seek insights from economics, political sciences, sociology, and the humanities. Aligned with EURAM 2024’s theme, “Fostering Innovation to Address Grand Challenges,” the track welcomes studies aimed at providing theoretical and practical answers to the following question: How, why and under what conditions can business act for society?. We especially value topics not primarily covered by other B4S tracks.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 1: No poverty; Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people; Goal 4: Quality education; Goal 5: Gender equality; Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth; Goal 10: Reducing inequalities; Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production; Goal 13: Climate action; Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
Primary Contact:
Lucia Michela Daniele, Department of Economics, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli – luciamichela.daniele@unicampania.it
ST01_01/ST02_01 – Rethinking the Responsible Corporation: Bridging Management, Law & Purpose (B4S & CoGo SIGs)
With this track, we develop new perspectives on the “responsible corporation”. What are the principles of governance, the institutional conditions or legal frameworks that enable corporations to better manage sustainability-related matters and responsible innovation? We encourage contributions that further our understanding of responsible corporations from various angles: theoretical or comparative approaches to corporate governance; recent institutional developments in sustainable finance or corporate law, such as purpose-driven corporations; alternative and emerging forms of business organizations; and historical as well as recent cases like Danone and Unilever.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 4: Quality education; Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth; Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; Goal 10: Reducing inequalities; Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
Primary Contact:
Kevin Levillain, MINES ParisTech, PSL Research University – kevin.levillain@mines-paristech.fr
ST01_02 – Performance measurement and management for sustainability
Measuring sustainability performance plays a central role in implementing sustainability strategy and developing relationships with stakeholders. It implies to adopt mechanisms to measure, represent, report and communicate firm’s performance, embracing environmental, social and financial results. A recent stimulus in this direction is the European Directive 2022/2464 on corporate sustainability reporting.
We aim to attract papers which critically review and advance theory, methodology and practice and provide empirical evidence on: 1) sustainability and environmental reporting, integrated reporting, non-financial disclosure, their quality and assurance, and main drivers, 2) management control and performance measurement for sustainability, the role of CFO and the controller.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people; Goal 5: Gender equality; Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation; Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy; Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth; Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; Goal 10: Reducing inequalities; Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production; Goal 13: Climate action; Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
Primary Contact:
Lucrezia Songini, University of Eastern Piedmont – lucrezia.songini@uniupo.it
ST01_03 – Finance and Economy for Society: Financial Inclusion, Empowerment and Sustainability
The growing pace of financialisation and commodification of the economy has brought to scrutiny the purpose of finance in society and its role in coping with grand challenges of the new millennium. The socioecological crisis in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak have highlighted the fragility of the economy, small enterprises and low-income households. This calls for more innovative policies, responsible finance and financial literacy to counter financial exclusion and economic inequality. Building on the conference theme “Fostering Innovation to Address Grand Challenges” this track invites scholarly contributions discussing the role of finance in creating an equitable and sustainable economy.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 1: No poverty; Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people; Goal 4: Quality education; Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy; Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth; Goal 10: Reducing inequalities; Goal 13: Climate action; Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
Primary Contact:
Sharam Alijani, NEOMA Business School – sharam.alijani@neoma-bs.fr
BUSINESS FOR SOCIETY SIG TRACKS
T01_04 – Sustainability and the Black Box of the Firm (2nd meeting)
Strategic management and economics are jammed with thin accounts of the firm, where the inner workings of enterprises are left unexplained. This has been carried over to stakeholder scholarship, where sustainable enterprise behavior is a matter of ethical willpower rather than organizational mechanisms. This forum welcomes scholarship that relies on a mechanism-based approach in search of endogenous determinants of pro-sustainability enterprise behavior, ranging from the routines enabled by capabilities hinging on tacit knowledge to more explicit and codified structures that manifest in institutional arrangements or modes of governance, thus contributing to opening the black box of the firm.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth,Goal 10: Reducing inequalities,Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities,Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production,Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
Primary Contact:
Alejandro Agafonow, ESSCA School of Management – alejandro.agafonow@essca.fr
T01_05 – Philosophy for business ethics
The topic aims to collect any kind of study that successfully applies and adopts philosophical paradigms to explain, interpret, and impact ethical behaviours in management and business. We are looking for novel or established approaches to create synergies between philosophical studies and managerial disciplines. Both in terms of theoretical paradigms and methods of analysis employed, we are open to a broad range of elements: Virtue Ethics, Consequential and Non-consequential Ethics, Marxist and Gramscian Ethics, Continental Philosophy, Social and Political Philosophy, CSR, Sustainability and Business Ethics, Corporate Misconduct and Corporate Political Activity, Ethics of Care, Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Business Ethics.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people,Goal 4: Quality education,Goal 5: Gender equality,Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth,Goal 10: Reducing inequalities,Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
Primary Contact:
Guglielmo Faldetta, Kore University of Enna – guglielmo.faldetta@unikore.it
T01_06 – Spirituality and Practical Wisdom: Navigating change and innovation to address the grand challenges
The topic welcomes research addressing how to innovatively overcome business grand challenges – such as inequality, emerging technologies, social injustice, quality of life, knowledge risk, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) – through spirituality and practical wisdom. We aim to receive various approaches to improve our knowledge on how practical wisdom and (religious or non-religious) spirituality support innovation, shared value creation, humanized strategies, organizational purpose, adaption to change, meaningful workplace, and work attitudes – such as ethical decision-making, knowledge sharing/creation, development of shared spaces, worker well-being, curiosity and creativity, job involvement, commitment, and satisfaction. Both theoretical and empirical studies
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people,Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth,Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
Primary Contact:
Raysa Rocha, University of Essex – raysa.geaquinto@gmail.com
T01_07 – Disrupting Management Education: Innovative approaches to address grand challenges
It has been argued that ‘to navigate the grand challenges of our time, management education needs to be shaken at its very foundations’ (Colombo, 2023, p. 132), in order to develop business leaders who are well prepared to think and act differently in the face of widespread disruption, environmental crisis and societal and ethical challenges. To reimagine management education requires us, as educators, to be courageous, to innovate, and experiment. In this track, we aim to move beyond critique, and to explore how Management Education might help disrupt traditional practices, develop new skills, and provide impactful learning experiences for our students.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people,Goal 4: Quality education,Goal 5: Gender equality,Goal 10: Reducing inequalities,Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities,Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production,Goal 13: Climate action,Goal 15: Life on land,Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions,Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
Primary Contact:
Fiona Hurd, Auckland University of Technology – fiona.hurd@aut.ac.nz
T01_08 – Arts & Philosophy for Business and Society
This track aims at providing an open, inclusive and rigorous forum to investigate how management scholars can learn from millennial knowledge of arts and philosophy. We also contribute to the fine-grained understanding of management practices of thriving artistic, cultural, heritage and creative organizations in a context of growing digitalization of cultural institutions. We invite scholars to consider arts and philosophy not only as objects of management but as also sources from which management could learn. Accordingly, we call for contributions that build from arts management research to explore wider aspects of the relationship between arts, culture, philosophy, business and society.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 4: Quality education,Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth,Goal 10: Reducing inequalities
Primary Contact:
Domenico Napolitano, Scuola Superiore Meridionale, Naples, Italy – domenico.napolitano-ssm@unina.it
T01_09 – From AI to digital transformation in the Human+ Era: what are the effects on business for society?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed organizational practices, leading to innovative applications in management, manufacturing, design, and digital transformations. Researchers and policymakers emphasize human-centric AI development, leading to changes in HR, digital marketing, decision-making, and corporate governance. AI impacts multiple sectors, including healthcare and creative industries, and necessitates a revolution in education. AI also affects self-esteem and body image, posing ethical questions on human-machine interaction and human obsolescence. The path to singularity is closer, but are we ready to manage the opportunities and challenges of a Human+ society? This track invites papers investigating the impact of AI on management and society.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people,Goal 4: Quality education,Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth,Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure,Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
Primary Contact:
Francesco Laviola, Sapienza University of Rome – francesco.laviola@uniroma1.it
T01_10 – Rethinking the future of food and food business models: sustainability, wellbeing, innovation and technology
Connecting food with sustainability, wellbeing, innovation and technology is becoming crucial today for all the actors (companies, policy makers, consumers, etc.) focused on improving the world we live in. Today new trends (e.g., entomophagy, sustainable agriculture practices) are emerging and different innovations in the field and new digital technologies (e.g., AI, extended realities) can play a powerful role for encouraging the shift towards more sustainable, inclusive, and healthier food practices. We encourage submissions of papers that discuss about the future of food, focusing on the relationship between food and sustainability, innovation and technology to achieve consumer, business and society wellbeing.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 2: Zero hunger,Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people,Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure,Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
Primary Contact:
Monica Mendini, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland – monica.mendini@supsi.ch
T01_11 – Stakeholder Engagement for Sustainable Value Co-Creation
This track explores stakeholder engagement and its impact on modern companies value creation. Companies can enhance their value creation processes by understanding and interacting with actors in stakeholders networks. Accepting theoretical and empirical research, this track aims to study effective ways to help companies understand, and manage, stakeholder networks developing ad-hoc strategies, measures, and tools (such as the digital platforms). We also accept papers studying how stakeholders can leverage their networks to more profoundly influence companies. By addressing these aspects, this track wants to contribute to a more profound understanding of stakeholder engagement’s role in driving sustainable value creation.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure,Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities,Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
Primary Contact:
Mario Tani, University of Naples Federico II – mario.tani@unina.it
T01_12 – Collective Action to Face Grand Challenges: joint power behind sustainable business and projects
Society structures and production standards deplete the planet’s life support system. The grand challenges caused by human intervention derail the business-as-usual approach. This topic inquiries how collective action promotes transformative movements. They can arise from communities, projects, social movements, organizations, and governments. Stakeholder engagement, entrepreneurship, and collaboration among different sectors tend to result in innovation and in this kind of social change. Transformative movements are geared toward social and environmental problem-solving within ecosystems that can develop sustainably. We are interested in multidisciplinary studies aimed at understanding, describing, or analysing any level of collective action and their relation to grand challenges.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 10: Reducing inequalities,Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities,Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production,Goal 13: Climate action,Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions,Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
Primary Contact:
Irene Ciccarino, BRU-ISCTE-IUL – Irene.Ciccarino@iscte-iul.pt
T01_13 – Transition to Circular Economy Business Model supported by innovation and Industry 4.0
Learn to apply the elements of a circular business model to a traditional business model supported by the artefacts and technologies of industry 4.0 and innovation. We await papers that are aligned with the themes: circular economy transformation in supply chains and organizations; digital transformation and circular economy; big data and circular economy; artificial intelligence and digital economy; finance supply chain management and circular economy; green recovery and circular economy; rethinking product design for a circular economy; changing business models and shifting systems thinking; rethink consumer ownership, transitioning from products to services; the economic benefits and social impacts; public policies
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
Goal 3: Good health and well-being for people,Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities,Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production,Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals
Primary Contact:
Simone Sehnem, Unoesc and Unisul – simonesehnem_adm@yahoo.com.br