Call for conferences papers: 22nd Annual International Vincentian Business Ethics Conference (IVBEC)

22nd Annual International Vincentian Business Ethics Conference (IVBEC)

New York City

22nd October - 24th October 2015

IVBEC 2015 will take place at the New York Marriott Downtown, NYC

Sponsored by the Vincentian Universities in the United States - St. John’s University, DePaul University, and Niagara University, and co-sponsored by the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)



UN Global Compact and UN PRME:

What We Practice and What We Teach in Business Ethics

In addition to the general theme for the keynote and plenary sessions, the conference is organized in broad topical areas based on proposed submissions.

We are looking for submissions from business professionals, academics and young scholars who have an interest in and commitment to the study and discussion of business and professional ethics.

The conference will begin on Thursday afternoon, October 22nd and run until Saturday afternoon, October 24th. Specific details on the conference venue and accommodations may be found on our website (www.ivbec.org ). The conference registration fee is $350.00.

Proposals

We require a one to three-page proposal (Word or PDF formats) for one of the following: an empirical, theoretical or pedagogical research paper; a practical case study; an emerging approach to teaching business ethics; or, a panel session of business and academic leaders discussing problems and challenges concerning ethics and ethical decision making in business. All submissions must indicate whether they are “Discussion” papers (abstract only) or “Full” papers. Full paper submissions must follow the proposal with a full paper by the date designated below and will be considered for a Best Paper Award. Final proposals will be selected through a blind referee process based on the quality of the submission and their relation to the theme of the conference.

Submission Process

All submissions should include a separate title page and must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format to IVBEC2015@gmail.com. When submitting please label the files as follows: "Last Name, First Name - Title Page", "Last Name, First Name - Abstract" or "Last Name, First Name - Full Paper."

Papers are submitted with the understanding that they are original, unpublished works that have not been submitted elsewhere and that at least [one of] the author[s] will attend the conference and present the paper.

Abstract Submissions: April 15th 2015

The paper abstract or proposals should consist of a title page and a short summary (1-3 pages) on the subject, including keywords. The title page should contain the name, institutional affiliation, postal address, telephone number, fax number, country code, and electronic mailing address of each author. All materials or references that allow the blind reviewer to identify the author(s) should be completely removed from the abstract and paper, and appear only on the title page. Authors should bear in mind that abstracts will be used to publicize the content of their article and should therefore emphasize the value of the article's contribution to conference participants. Authors should also attempt to make the abstract understandable to both academics and laypersons alike.

Paper abstracts/Proposals should be typed using font size 12 on 8.5 x 11'' paper with 1'' margins.
Each page should be numbered and line spacing should be single spaced.

Full Paper submissions: September 1st, 2015 

Papers should roughly conform to the standards set by the Journal of Business Ethics. The title page should contain the name, institutional affiliation, postal address, telephone number, fax number, country code, and electronic mailing address of each author. The second page should include the paper title, an abstract that is 100-250 words and keywords. All materials or references that allow the blind reviewer to identify the author(s) should be completely removed from the paper, and appear only on the title page.

Papers should be typed using font size 12 on 8.5 x 11'' paper with 1'' margins.
Each page should be numbered and line spacing should be double spaced.

Opportunities for publication

Following the conference, participants will be invited to submit finalized papers for publication in a special edition of the Journal of Business Ethics.

Location

New York Marriott Downtown
85 West Street at Albany Street
New York, NY 10006

* Conference participants are encouraged to reserve a room at the conference hotel. For more details please visit the conference website: http://www.ivbec.org/hotel--venue.html





If you have any further questions, please email:
Dr. Linda Sama (samal@stjohns.edu)
Dr. Mitch Casselman (casselmr@stjohns.edu)

Call for papers. Special Issue: Gender Issues in Entrepreneurship

International Journal of Business and Globalisation

Special Issue on: "Gender Issues in Entrepreneurship"

Guest Editor:

• Veland Ramadani, South-East European University, Macedonia

For many years the opinion has been that male activity predominates in entrepreneurship. However, over time, women are gradually becoming a very important part of the world of entrepreneurs. Today, women represent more than one third of all people involved in entrepreneurial activity. In recent years they have attracted increasing attention and separate study among researchers.

There are two main reasons why this “kind” of entrepreneur needs to be studied separately: a) female entrepreneurs have been recognised as an important untapped source of economic growth, considering that they create new jobs for themselves and others, and provide different solutions to management, organisation and business problems and obstacles as well as to the exploitation of business opportunities; b) female entrepreneurs have been largely neglected both in society in general and in the social sciences, in light of the fact that mainstream research, policies and programmes tend to be “men streamed”.

Even with all the obstacles faced when starting and managing their businesses, more and more women today are establishing their own businesses. Although there is a trend towards increase in female entrepreneurship, this increase could be even greater if we can eliminate various barriers of different natures, thus enabling the potential of women to come to full expression.

This special issue will focus on gender issues in entrepreneurship and/or small business perspectives. Both micro- and macro-level studies are invited, and both quantitative and qualitative approaches are welcome. We also encourage authors to come forward with emerging and groundbreaking topics to diversify and widen gender-based research.

Subject Coverage

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Government policy on gender and entrepreneurship
• Gender and motivational factors
• Gender and innovation activities
• Gender and risk management
• Gender and financing sources of entrepreneurial ventures
• Gender and business performance
• Gender and entrepreneurial intentions
• Gender and entrepreneurship education
• Gender and economic growth
• Gendered understanding of corporate entrepreneurship
• Gendered understanding of social entrepreneurship
• Gender, ethics and social responsibility
• Institutional support on gender and entrepreneurship
• Gender and entrepreneurship in developing and transition countries
• Inspiring stories

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process.

All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.

Important Dates

• Submission of manuscripts: 31 March, 2015
• Notification to authors: 30 June, 2015
• Final versions due: 31 August, 2015

Call for papers. Special Issue: Islamic Entrepreneurship and Business

International Journal of Business and Globalisation

Special Issue on: "Islamic Entrepreneurship and Business"

Guest Editors:

• Veland Ramadani, South-East European University, Macedonia
• Shqipe Gerguri-Rashiti, American University of the Middle East, Kuwait

Dana (2009; 2010) sparked interest in religion as an explanatory variable for entrepreneurship and business. Islam as a religion has given great attention to entrepreneurship and business. This can be seen in the verses of the Holy Qur’an and teachings of Mouhammed as a prophet

Muslims as entrepreneurs have been progressively seeking to set up businesses that are consistent with Islamic principles of living, known as Shariah law, respectively establishing companies whose activities are halal (lawful), not haram (unlawful). Even though, according to Islamic principles, some business elements and activities – such as interest payments, alcohol, gambling, producing and processing pork, pornography and some types of entertainment – are not allowed, today there are a lot of Muslims that are successful entrepreneurs.

Islam as a religion invites all Muslims to be active and hardworking, which are characteristics of entrepreneurs and business owners. Islam encourages prosperity through the correct usage of the resources given by God. Entrepreneurship and business in Islam is usually based on these principles: entrepreneurship and business is an integral part of this religion; success is not only measured by the end result but also by the means of achieving them; Islam encourages people to venture into business; business activity is part of ibadah or “good deed”; guiding principles of entrepreneurship and business are based strictly on the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s Hadith (teachings) and ethics and social responsibility are based on the exemplary conduct of Muhammad (S.A.W.).

The aim of this special issue is to explore entrepreneurship and business from the perspective of Islamic principles, which are usually based on collaboration, teamwork, generosity and altruism. Both micro- and macro-level studies are invited. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are also welcome. We also encourage writers to come forward with emerging and groundbreaking topics to diversify and widen research from the perspective of Islam.

References

Dana, L-P. (2009), Religion as an explanatory variable for entrepreneurship, The international journal of entrepreneurship and innovation, 10 (2),87-99
Dana, L-P., Ed. (2010), Entrepreneurship and religion, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Subject Coverage

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Islam and innovation activities
• Islam and risk management
• Islam and financing sources of entrepreneurial ventures
• Islam and business performance
• Entrepreneurial intentions of muslims
• Islam and gender issues in entrepreneurship and business
• Islamic entrepreneurship and business education
• Islamic entrepreneurship and business and economic growth
• Islam and social entrepreneurship
• Islam, ethics and social responsibility
• Inspiring stories

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

• All papers are refereed through a peer review process.
• All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.

Important Dates

• Submission of manuscripts: 31 March, 2015
• Notification to authors: 30 June, 2015
• Final versions due: 31 August, 2015

Call for conference papers: 2015 Annual Meeting of the International Association of Business and Society (IABS)

2015 Annual Meeting of the International Association of Business and Society (IABS)

Conference Theme: Pura Vida: Realizing Eudemonia in Business and Society

Hilton Papagayo Resort, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
March 12 – 15, 2015

Call for proposals:

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MONDAY OCTOBER 6, 2014

Conference Theme

Pura Vida has been a part of the Costa Rican vernacular for over 50 years. Translated literally, it means “pure life”; however the phrase more accurately connotes “live the best life” or “living the best life” whatever the circumstances. This sentiment reflects the true spirit of Aristotle’s definition of eudemonia, which encourages us to pursue happiness through the balanced execution of virtuous behavior.

Costa Rica: An Ideal Setting to explore Eudemonia
Costa Rica exemplifies conservation and economic growth in coexistence.
Capturing 99% of its electricity from clean sources, Costa Rica strives to be carbon neutral by 2021.
Public policies prioritize investment in renewable energy sources at times choosing to limit economic opportunities in fossil fuel extraction.
Costa Rica has a good reputation for its emphasis on democracy and respect for human rights.
Identified by Ethisphere as one of the top ten most ethical travel destinations in the world
Named by the New Economics Foundation as the “Happiest Country” out of 155 countries considered

IABS Conference 2015 invites submissions that consider:

• How does our teaching, research and service activities facilitate the pursuit of eudemonia in business and society?
• How does our work connect us to the environment, with each other and with ourselves? 
• Are we engaged in a balanced execution of virtuous behavior?
• How do our economic, political and social ideologies foster or inhibit virtue? 
• How do these same ideologies influence the questions we ask? The manner we investigate these questions? The conclusions we draw? 
• Do our paradigms serve to realize pura vida, or do they keep us from it?
• How do we help our students to pursue pura vida? Do we model pura vida for our students?
• How do our service activities or engagement in our communities inside and outside the university reflect pura vida or “living the best life”?
• To what extent does our research theorize and measure eudemonia by corporations and other organizations in relation to society?

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND CONFERENCE INFORMATION AT: WWW.IABS.NET

Call for papers: Annals in Social Responsibility

New Journal Call for Manuscript Proposals

Annals in Social Responsibility

Co-Editors: Timothy M Devinney (Leeds) & Marc Orlitzky (South Australia)

Annals in Social Responsibility is a new journal published once annually. We are currently seeking proposals for manuscripts to be included in the inaugural issue or to be published in subsequent editions.

Journal Description & What Do We Publish?

Annals in Social Responsibility (ASR) publishes articles covering the significant developments in the area of Social Responsibility. ASR is a multi-disciplinary journal that publishes work arising from traditions in management, operations & supply chain management, marketing, economics, accounting & finance, sociology, psychology, political science, law, philosophy and other social and physical sciences that relate to the role that individuals, groups and institutions play in understanding of responsibilities and roles in society. Topics covered in the journal include major theoretical and methodological developments as well as current research in the aforementioned disciplines. Articles typically pertain to issues of corporate social responsibility, environmental and organizational sustainability, economic, corporate, social and political development, corporate, institutional and societal governance, property rights, social institutions and NGOs, and global issues of peace, conflict and human rights. Articles published appeal to a broad intellectual audience in their respective fields.

To be accepted for publication a paper must make a significant contribution to advancing knowledge about social responsibility through new theoretical insights, managerial application, methodology/data—or some combination thereof.

ASR has a particular interest in publishing the following types of manuscripts:

1. Comprehensive, state-of-the-art literature reviews that integrate diverse research streams and identify promising directions for future investigations

2. Analytical essays that offer new conceptual models or theoretical perspectives and use these frameworks as a foundation for developing research propositions

3. Empirical articles that report results from exploratory or hypothesis-testing studies based on quantitative and/or qualitative methodologies

4. Methodological papers that refine existing methodologies or develop new ones for investigating particular issues or topics central to the fields of inquiry listed above.

ASR Editorial Review Board

• Herman Aguinis (Indiana, USA) – Human Resources, Modelling
• Ruth Aguilera (Illinois, USA) – Governance, Intl Business
• Pat Auger (Melbourne, AUSTRALIA) – Marketing, Modelling
• Pratima Bansal (Ivey-UWO, CANADA) – Management, Sustainability
• Michael Barnett (Rutgers, USA) – Management, Sustainability
• Russell Belk (York, CANADA) – Marketing, Consumer Behaviour
• Gordon Clark (Oxford, UK) – Earth Sciences, Sustainability
• Jonathan Doh (Villanova, USA) – Politics, NGOs, Intl Business
• Giana Eckhardt (London, Royal Holloway, UK) – Marketing, Consumer Behaviour
• Jeffrey Harrison (Richmond, USA) – Strategy, Law
• Stuart Hart (Cornell, USA) – Management, Innovation
• Michael Hiscox (Harvard, USA) – Politics, Intl Relations
• Ans Kolk (Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS) – NGOs, Development, Intl Business
• Ted London (Michigan, USA) – NGOs, Development, Intl Business
• Jeffrey Malpas (Tasmania, AUSTRALIA) – Ethics, Philosophy
• Anita McGahan (Toronto, CANADA) – Strategy, Management
• Joachim Schwalbach (Humboldt U-Berlin, GERMANY)
• Donald Siegel (SUNY Albany, USA) – Strategy, Management, Governance
• N. Craig Smith (Insead, FRANCE) – Strategy, Marketing
• Tom Sorrell (Warwick, UK) – Philosophy, Politics
• David Vogel (Berkeley, USA) – Economics, Politics
• Richard Wilk (Indiana, USA) – Culture, Anthropology
• Cynthia Williams (York, CANADA) – Law, Governance
• Maurizio Zollo (Bocconi, ITALY) – Strategy, Sustainability

Submission Process

ASR does not accept article submissions without the initial submission of a proposal. The objective of the proposal process is to be efficient in the processing of articles. We want to know "what" you are going to say, "to whom" you are going to say it, "why" what you are saying is important, and "how" you are going to convince your audience of the veracity of your argument. This allows the editorial team to provide author(s) with information that facilitates the review process, while allowing us to be proactive in working with authors.

Proposals should be no longer than 5 pages single-spaced with standard 1-inch margins and in a 12-point font. The proposal must include the following information with the following headings.

The idea: The specific important and innovative idea that is going to be the focus of the article. This should not be long-winded literal description but be a clear and concise statement of the big/new idea that is at the core of what you are doing.

To whom is the article speaking: While ASR is clearly speaking to other scholars interested in issues of social responsibility, it is important to frame your paper in a specific topical and disciplinary area in the first instance. Hence, you need to outline who might be the primary audience for your article. For instance, is it the legal community, anthropologists, or marketing scholars (i.e., to what extent is it disciplinary?)? Is it those interested in human rights, CSR performance, or social innovation (i.e., to what extent is it phenomenon or topic based?)?

The importance of the idea: Why is your paper important? This needs to be understood as you address how you are going to take your specific knowledge and frame it in a way that resonates with your audience. In other words, why is it important to your readership and not just to you?

How are you going to justify, defend and communicate your idea: What is the theoretical and/or empirical evidence the article will be presenting in order to convince your audience of the veracity and importance of your idea? If you have specific data sources, outline what these are. If you are building a theoretical argument, then outline how you are going to logically justify and defend that argument. If your paper is empirical, provide a brief overview of your methods (e.g., experimental design, econometric model, statistical testing, etc.).

Although ASR will ultimately be using the ScholarOne platform, we are asking potential authors to submit their proposals via a dedicated email address (ASR.Editors@gmail.com) by 11:59 PM (GMT) on 1 September 2014.

Accepted proposals will need to have their manuscripts available for review within approximately one month of this deadline (October 2014) if they are to be considered for the inaugural issue (to be published in mid 2015). Hence, proposals submitted before the deadline will be handled on a rolling basis, which will give authors more time to work on the manuscripts.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the editors at this email (ASR.Editors@gmail.com). DO NOT simply reply to this email as it will not go to the journal.

Call for Journal Special Issue:heory Building Surrounding Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Journal of Supply Chain Management (JSCM)

A Special Topic Forum (STF) Dedicated to “Theory Building Surrounding Sustainable Supply Chain Management”

Guest Editors:

• Gideon Markman, Colorado State University
• Dan Krause, Colorado State University

The area of social and environmental sustainability attracts scholars from diverse disciplines (e.g., supply chain, management, finance, accounting, marketing, political science, sociology, economics, management, etc. to name a few). Such cross-disciplinary effort is needed because although many scholars link sustainability to discrete business activities—inbound and outbound logistics, processes and operations, finished products and customer interface, distribution channels, and services—we do not have an overarching, integrative theory of sustainability.

For example, some suggest a “green to be seen” perspective—that consumers are willing to pay extra forsustainable offerings but only if clear status incentives are associated with such purchases (Griskevicius, Tybur, & Van den Bergh, 2010). Others note that because a shift towards sustainable practices is costly and disruptive of firms’ functions, green management matters, but only if it yields higher profits (Siegel, 2009). If companies can charge premium prices (and consumers are willing to pay more) for sustainable products, but only when such purchases enhance buyers’ reputation or firms’ bottom line, what are the implications for products, services, and operations that are less observable or less augmentative of financial performance? Indeed, some companies, such as Apple, decline to name their suppliers and the provenance of raw materials (The Guardian, 2013). When companies follow a policy of non-disclosure of suppliers, materials, and practices, do they worry that transparency—including the touting of ethical supply chain practices—reveals their competitive secrets to rivals? Are they simply attempting to hide unethical practices? Or, are there other reasons?

Regardless of the motivation, it is increasingly apparent that choices and considerations of sustainability are critical in most if not all business functions. Despite the importance of sustainability, not every scholar, manager, or company agrees on the conceptual connections among and drivers of sustainability and SCM. Part of the problem is insufficient theory.

Supply chain scholars are perhaps among the most qualified to develop a theory of sustainability because they observe firms’ entire value chains. Such scholarship analyzes how firms combine raw inputs from disparate suppliers; how inputs are processed and augmented into outputs; and how such outputs are then sold to customers. This also means that supply chain scholars can keenly appreciate how even seemingly inconsequential choices in early value-chain activities can trigger cascading effects that bring a smooth-running operation to a grinding halt with negative consequences—e.g., undermining the reputation of a single firm, or worse, ravaging entire industries (e.g., the tobacco industry).

Such examples, and scores of insightful studies in diverse disciplines, corroborate the need—in fact, an opportunity—to develop an overarching, integrative theory of sustainability. Hence, this STF is a platform for scholars to showcase their best conceptual research on sustainability, and hopefully, its impact on operations and supply chain management. The STF might appear broad—encompassing sustainability, ethics, CSR, and of course, supply chain management—but the focus on theory papers (which encompass both pure conceptual theory building and qualitative methodologies such as inductive case studies) rather than deductive, big data, “empirical” research does narrow the scope.

We are particularly interested in “edgy” manuscripts that would yield conceptual platforms, open up new research frontiers, or offer new insights that significantly enrich discussion and discourse as well as those that unpack important, timeless, yet revelatory topics. We dare contributors to think outside the traditional “research sandbox" and to feature radical, controversial, novel, useful, and non-obvious conceptual lenses—even if notfully grounded in well-validated empirical studies. Of course, manuscripts can't be merely descriptive; a strong effort to build a theoretical foundation is still needed. The STF hopes to energize the field by featuring contributions that extend existing knowledge, challenge research dogmas, cross disciplinary boundaries, and reveal what we otherwise had not conceived about sustainability.

To echo others and apply their logic to the STF, a good theory would offer a causal story about the nature of sustainability, as well as on its antecedents, drivers, and consequences (Sutton & Staw, 1995). Laced with a set of convincing and logically interconnected arguments, a theory of sustainability might also burrow into micro-processes, laterally into neighboring conceptual arenas (e.g., ethics), or in an upward direction, tying itself to broader social or environmental outcomes and events. Indeed, a theory of sustainability might have implications that we have not seen, including inferences that run counter to prevalent expectations. Weick (1995) notes that a good theory explains, predicts, and delights; we will be delighted to receive manuscripts that feature a theory that explains and predicts social and/or environmental supply chain sustainability.

The STF and review process will favor scholarly work that breaks away from “gradualism” in order to shed light on both big conceptual questions and on significant and practical problems that are related to the topical area. Consistent with the JSCM ethos, the final manuscripts—collectively and individually—will have to make strong theoretical contributions.

Submission process and guidelines:

• Papers will be reviewed following the JSCM double-blind review process. Papers should be submittedbetween December 15, 2014 and the January 15, 2015 deadline via the Journal's online submission platform (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jscm). Please note in the cover letter that the submission is for theSpecial Topic Forum on Theory Building Surrounding Sustainable Supply Chain Management. Papers should be prepared using the JSCM Guidelines.
• Questions can be addressed to the guest editors:
• Gideon Markman (gideon.markman@colostate.edu)
• Dan Krause (dan.krause@business.colostate.edu). 
• The editors welcome informal enquiries related to proposed topics.

Special Issue Workshop: To help authors advance their manuscripts, a Special Issue Workshop will be held in May 2015 in Denver, Colorado (to co-occur with the Sustainability, Ethics, and Entrepreneurship—SEE—Conference). Authors of R&R manuscripts will be invited to present and discuss their papers during the workshop, but presentation at the workshop does not guarantee acceptance of papers for publication in JSCM. Attending the workshop is not a precondition for acceptance into the STF.

References:

Griskevicius, V., Tybur, J.M., & Van den Bergh, B. 2010. Going green to be seen: Status, reputation, and conspicuous conservation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98: 392–404.
Monbiot, G., 2013. Why is Apple so shifty about how it makes the iPhone? The Guardian.http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/23/apple-shifty-about-making-iphone (last accessed - December 25, 2013).
Siegel, D.S. 2009. Green management matters only if it yields more green: An economic/strategic perspective. Academy of Management Perspective, 23:5-16.



Further info:
Gideon D. Markman
Associate Professor of Strategy, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship
Dept. of Management
Colorado State University
218 Rockwell Hall
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1275
USA
Office: 970.491.7154
Fax: 970.491.3522
E-Mail 1: gideon.markman@colostate.edu
E-Mail 2: gid.markman@gmail.com

Call for book chapters: The UN Global Compact: Fair competition and environmental and labour justice in international and domestic markets

Scope and Aims of the Book Chapters:

Proposed title: “The UN Global Compact: Fair competition and environmental and labour justice in international and domestic markets”
Since UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the Global Compact in 1999, over 12,000 organisations around the world have voluntarily adopted and promoted its values and Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and corruption.
This corporate citizenship initiative has seen as a non-compulsory alternative to international market regulations. Around the globe, the United Nations Global Compact has promoted the creation of local and regional networks for businesses to act together to mainstream the Ten Principles of Global Compact.
This edited volume brings together contributions from around the planet on the specific implications for business when embracing the Global Compact. Managerial, internationalisation, legal, behavioural and sociological perspective will be reflected at this volume in which both evidences and theoretical developments will be reflected.

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Global Compact: Its background, context and current influence
• · Political, cultural and social responsibility issues at the firm level
• · Corruption and competitiveness
• · Global Compact and business experiences
• · Private sector challenges and the United Nations
• · Business managers and the adoption of Global Compact
• · Multinational corporations and Human Rights
• · Business implications of child labour
• · Labour relations and international business
• · Sustainability and international business
• · Multinational enterprises (MNEs) at the local and international environment
• · Challenges for MNEs operating in emerging countries
• · MNEs and poverty alleviation
• · International Business ethics and global risk
• · International business and the illegal economies
• · IB, corruption and bribery
• · IB and criminal organisations
• · Public- Private and Business-Community partnerships
• · Corporate Philanthropy
• · Investment and CSR
• · Climate change and international business
• · Corporate Diplomacy
• · Role of corporations in shaping global business policy
• · Corporate Governance (CG) within the framework of International Business
• · Corporate Citizenship
• · Global Compact and IB
• · Social Responsibility Networks
• · Freedom of association and IB

Important dates:

• · Submission deadline for chapter proposals (title and 300-500 words abstract): April 1st 2014
• · Notification of acceptance/rejection of chapter proposals: April 15th 2014
• · Deadline for full chapter: 1st of August 2014
• · Notification of acceptance/rejection of chapter proposals: 30th of August 2014
• · Deadline for submission of final chapters: 1st of October 2014

Accepted chapters will be compiled in a book, which will be published by Emerald Books within theAdvances in Sustainability and Environmental Justice (indexed in Scopus)

Book Editors:

• Dr. Liam Leonard, Editor of CRIMSOC and Advances in Sustainability, United States/Ireland.liam_leonard@yahoo.com
• Prof. Dr. Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez, Universidad EAFIT, Colombia mgonza40@eafit.edu.co

Call for papers: International Business and Society on the Transitional Periphery: Comparative Perspectives

Call for Papers Special Issue: International Business Review

International Business and Society on the Transitional Periphery: Comparative Perspectives

• Guest Editors: Mehmet Demirbag and Geoffrey T. Wood

Submission deadline: 31 December 2013

Context

There has been a growing body of literature dealing with business and management issues in the transitional economies of Central and Eastern Europe. In contrast, a few notable exceptions notwithstanding, the literature on the “transitional periphery” – the post-Soviet economies of the Caucasus and Central Asia is sparse – with existing accounts largely dealing with macro-economic and political developments. Yet, many of these economies are of considerable importance and relevance owing to rich natural resource endowments, combined with strategic locations.

However, economies in the region generally battle under weak and corrupt political institutions, with a large number of endemic border and internal ethnic disputes, as well as rising social inequality Many emerging businesses battle under chronic failings by governance, even if others benefit from political patronage: another burden is that traditional supply chain routes have broken down following on independence. All countries have faced rising social inequality, lop-sided and underdeveloped consumer markets, and potentially destabilizing levels of youth unemployment. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that organizational outcomes across the region are homogenous: there is evidence, for example, of much difference in managerial practices reflecting variations in cultural setting.

A number of these countries are significant producers of oil and gas, which brings with it dangers of the resource curse: this would include an over-reliance on a single revenue source to the neglect of other areas of the economy, over-valued currencies, regional imbalances, and rising corruption. Indeed, there is much evidence that this process is already well underway, even while oil resources are fast depleting. In addition, all countries have faced rising social inequality, lop-sided and underdeveloped consumer markets, and potentially destabilizing levels of youth unemployment. A further phenomenon has been the rise of quasi-states in the Caucasus (for example, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia), disrupting trade and markets and making for open-ended tensions.

Despite this, natural resource endowments and, in some instances, historic links and/or prosperous diasporas have meant that countries on the transitional periphery have also become important destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI) and multinational firms’ (MNCs) operations. FDI flows to transitional periphery not only from western developed economies, but also from other emerging countries and regions (South-South FDI). Given the transitional nature of institutions and complexities associated with governance of organizations, management of relations with governments, political elites, and trade unions appear to be increasingly challenging. Countries on the periphery of transition have administrative heritages which are significantly different than that of other emerging regions.

To date, transitional countries on the periphery are still a terra incognita and our stock of knowledge in business and management practices remain mired in anecdotal evidence. Given the importance of these resource rich countries and potential for investment, the neglect of publications focused on periphery of transition is astonishing. Over the last two decades these countries have been undergoing profound and uneven institutional transformations which have ramifications for both emerging and developed country MNCs. Institutional settings in periphery of transition often necessitates MNCs to design different strategies to deal with the complex competitive dynamics in these countries. This special issue will provide insights into the challenges faced by MNCs in the region and develop concepts, models and tools for both policy makers and managers in these countries. The proposed special Issue offers a rare and unique opportunity for scholars engaged in research on these firms to share their findings in such a scholarly outlet.

Key Issues

Papers should preferably involve cross-national comparative analysis; if based on a single country, this should be analyzed within a broader comparative perspective. Comparisons with countries outside the region, particularly with other variants of transitional or emerging market capitalism, are welcome. Papers could deal with the following issues, although innovative work in related relevant areas would be welcome:

• · MNCs and the local political economy: trends in FDI and relations with local elites.
• MNCs and political risk management in the region
• · In what ways are MNCs are affecting institutional changes in the region?
• · Coping and beyond: How have firms in the region dealt with adversity?
• · How do MNCs engage powerful external stakeholders, such as religious and ideological groups, political institutions, powerful political actors and civil society organizations?
• · MNCs and the Quasi-States (South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia).
• · MNCs: How are firm practices amended in specific cultural and institutional settings?
• · Sunset industries in the region: Beyond redemption?
• · Market entry strategies of developed country MNCs compared to emerging country MNCs in the region.
• · Do MNCs use conventional models and methods to enter and operate in these countries, or do they opt out for new approaches?
• · How do MNCs select and manage their partners in the region?
• · Mergers and acquisitions: challenges on the periphery of transition
• · Supply chains and markets: dealing with new barriers and opportunities.
• · MNCs and environmental issues in the region
• · Doing business in the region: Ethical issues.

The special issue is open and competitive and submitted papers will undergo the normal rigorous, double-blind review process to ensure relevance and quality. The key criteria for acceptance of manuscripts are (1) relevance to the theme of the special issue, (2) scholarly rigor of analysis, and (3) practical orientation. Submitted papers must be based on original work not under consideration by any other journal or outlet. Reviewers for papers submitted to the Special Issue will be drawn from the Special Issue Editorial Review Board and IBR editorial review board. No submission will be reviewed prior to the closing date.

A guide for authors and other relevant information for submitting papers are available on IBR’s web page (http://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-business-review/)

All submissions should be submitted electronically to http://ees.elsevier.com/ibr/ choosing ‘Transitional Periphery SI’ as the article type.


Submission deadline: 31 December 2013

Guest Editors

Prospective authors are urged to contact the guest editors with their initial proposals or ideas well in advance of the deadline for final paper submission.

Contact details

• Mehmet Demirbag, University of Strathclyde (mehmet.demirbag@strath.ac.uk) (demirbag1@gmail.com) 
• Geoffrey Wood, University of Warwick (Geoffrey.Wood@wbs.ac.uk ) 

Call for papers: Ethics, technology and innovation

Overview

This event, and the related symposium to be published in the Journal of Business Ethics in the first half of 2015, intends to analyze the impact of ethics-related variables on the development of new products and services and on organizational innovation. For example, in recent years, customers’ privacy expectations have shaped how companies design and commercialize new products and services in communication, entertainment and many other sectors (see, e.g. Floridi, 2005; Pollach, 2005; Nissenbaum, 2009; Vaccaro and Madsen, 2009). By the same token, security and reliability expectations have dramatically affected how designers develop new products and services in the automotive sector (see, e.g. Thomke, 2003).

Organizations differ in how they deal with ethical issues. For example, the literature on technology ethics (see, e.g. Nissenbaum 2004 Gorman, 1998; Mitcham, C. 1995) presents interesting cases where designers have intentionally pursued an immoral objective, see e.g. a bridge designed with the aim of preventing bus transit from areas with a high concentration of Afro-Americans (which embed and convey social discrimination values) or hardware and software designed to control users’ activities, violating elementary privacy rights, etc. Thus, Internet technologies have not only driven a flatter world as many argue, but they have also led to the creation of ‘digital sweatshops’, i.e. overcrowded rooms where workers play online games, such as Lineage, for up to twelve hours a day in order to create virtual goods, such as characters, equipments or in-game currency, which can then be sold to other, obviously richer, players (Floridi, 2009, p. 14).

On the other side of the moral scale, it is possible to find exemplary cases of high ethical standards. The example that comes quickest to mind are the 100% biodegradable products: They address the function for which they were designed but they also convey the moral duty of environmental protection (see, e.g. Guiltinan, 2009; Fraj-Andrés et al., 2009).

These considerations highlight the need to further current understanding of the role played by ethics-related variables in new product / service development and more generally, in firms’ innovation efforts (see, e.g. Adolphson, 2004; Madsen, 2005). This symposium will address this need by focusing on three main broad themes.

First, the issue of social responsibility (SR) has attracted considerable attention from scholars and practitioners during the last two decades. However, there is a shortage of studies, in the literature on technology policy and ethics, concerning under what conditions, how and why companies address ethical and social responsibility issues in the development of new products / services. For example, we do not know how organizational processes of information collection and sharing, decision-making, project evaluation etc. are adapted (if they are at all) to include ethical considerations in response to, e.g. changing EU Eco-norms, or customers’ expectations and/or moral values shared at industry level.

A second main theme that this symposium will investigate concerns the impact of environmental ethics on new product development. In particular, contributions are expected to explore how environmental concerns affect new product and service development, how companies deal with different environmental legislations when they design new products and services, and the use of environmental sustainability as a source of competitive advantage.

The third and last theme will explore processes associated with social innovation in hybrid organizations (Montgomery et al., 2012; Santos, 2012; Vaccaro, 2012). In particular, the symposium’s editors will encourage papers that analyse how stakeholders’ expectations and perceptions affect process innovation and/or changes in the structure and strategy of organizations attempting to combine business and social objectives.

Theme 1: Ethics, Social Responsibility and Innovation

• 1. How customers’ ethical perceptions and expectations affect new product/service development.
• 2. How stakeholders’ ethical perceptions and expectations affect new product/service development.
• 3. How companies manage and resolve conflicting ethical perceptions and expectations of their stakeholders in multi-cultural or multi-national contexts.

Theme 2: Environmental Ethics and Innovation

• 1. How environmental issues affect new product and service development.
• 2. How companies deal with different environmental legislations in new product and service development.
• 3. Environmental sustainability as a source of competitive advantage.
• 4. Ethical issues in environmental sustainability: green-washing vs. real environmental improvement. 

Theme 3: Social Innovation and the Organization

• 1. How employees’ ethical expectations and perceptions affect innovation in organizational processes.
• 2. How stakeholders’ ethical expectations and perceptions affect innovation in organizational processes.
• 3. Innovation in organization structure: How to combine business and social objectives by leveraging stakeholder expectations.
• 4. The new emerging ethical issues affecting hybrid organizations.

Timetable and submission procedures: 

The conference is organized by ETH, Zurich, IESE Business School on January 7 and 8, 2014. The conference’s venue will be the ETH Campus in Zurich. The deadline for submission of the complete paper is December 1, 2013.

Papers have to be submitted to the attention of Ms. Rosario Magre Miro RMagre@iese.edu specifying in the subject of the e-mail “Submission to Innovation Conference”. (If you do not receive a confirmation of your submission within 24 hours, please re-submit your document). Acceptance for presentation at the conference will be sent to authors by December 8.

The best papers presented at the conference will be invited for submission to the symposium of the Journal of Business Ethics. This process will include a double-blind review process by 2-3 anonymous referees. The invitation for submission to the symposium does not guarantee publication of the article.

Papers that were not presented at the conference cannot be submitted for publication in the symposium. Please use the guidelines for authors of the Journal of Business Ethics (http://www.springer.com/social+sciences/applied+ethics/journal/10551 ) to format your paper.

Guests Editors' bio

Stefano Brusoni is Professor of Technology and Innovation Management at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETH Zürich). He coordinates the TIMGROUP - the new Chair of Technology and Innovation Management at the Department of Management, Technology, and Economics (D-MTEC). He is Associate Editor of Information, Economics and Policy and member of the Review Board of Organization Science. His publications have appeared in journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science, Research Policy and Industrial and Corporate Change.

Antonino Vaccaro is Academic Director of the Center for Business in Society at IESE Business School where he also serves as a faculty member in the department of business ethics. He has served as guest editor for Ethics and Information Technology and for the Journal of Business Ethics in a special issue about Network Ethics and in the special issue of the EBEN AC 2011. His publications have appeared in journals such as Journal of Management Studies, Research Policy, Journal of Business Ethics, Ethics and Information Technology and IEEE-HICSS-Transactions, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, The Information Society, etc.

References

• Adolphson, D. 2004. A New Perspective on Ethics, Ecology, and Economics, Journal of Business Ethics 54(3), 201-213.
• Flanagan, N., Howe, D and Nissenbaum, H. 2008. Embodying Values in Technology: Theory and Practice. In Information Technology and Moral Philosophy, Jeroen van den Hoven and John Weckert (eds.). Cambridge University Press.
• Floridi, L. 2005. The Philosophy of Presence: From Epistemic Failure to Successful Observability, Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 14(6) 656-667.
• Floridi, L. 2009. Information Ethics: A very short introduction (Oxford, Oxford University Press).
• Fraj-Andrés, E., Martinez-Salinas, E. and Matute-Vallejo, J. 2009. ‘A Multidimensional Approach to the Influence of Environmental Marketing and Orientation on the Firm’s Organizational Performance’, Journal of Business Ethics, 88(2), 263–286.
• Gorman, M. E. 1998. Transforming Nature: Ethics, Invention and Design. Springer.
• Guiltinan, J. 2009. Creative Destruction and Destructive Creations: Environmental Ethics and Planned Obsolescence, Journal of Business Ethics, 89, 19–28.
• Madsen, P. 2005. Responsible Design and the Management of Ethics, DMI Review 16(3): 37-41.
• Mitcham, C. 1995. Ethics Into Design. In Discovering Design, Eds. R. Buchanan and V. Margolis, 173-179. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Montgomery, A.W., Dacin, P. and Dacin, T. 2012. Collective Social Entrepreneurship: Collaboratively Shaping Social Good, Journal of Business Ethics, 111(3), 375-388.
• Nissenbaum, H. 2004. Privacy as Contextual Integrity. Washington Law Review, 79(1): 119-158.
• Nissenbaum, N. 2009. Privacy in Context: Technology, Policy and the Integrity of Social Life (Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press).
• Pollach, I. 2005. A Typology of Communicative Strategies in Online Privacy Policies: Ethics, Power and Informed Consent, Journal of Business Ethics, 62, 221–235.
• Santos, F. 2012. A positive Theory of Social Entrepreneurship, Journal of Business Ethics, 111(3), 335-351.
• Thomke, S. 2003. Experimentation Matters: Unlocking the Potential of New Technologies for Innovation. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press.
• Vaccaro, A. and P. Madsen, 2009. ‘Transparency: The new ICT-driven Ethics?’ Ethics and Information Technology, 11(2), 113-122.
• Vaccaro, A. 2012. To Pay or not to Pay? Dynamic Transparency and the Fight against the Mafia’s Extortionists, Journal of Business Ethics, 106(1), 23-35.