Call for abstracts
Corporate Responsibility Research Conference CRRC 2014
>> Business as Unusual <<
Organised and hosted by the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI), University of Leeds, in association with Kedge Business School
15 – 17 September 2014
at Devonshire Hall, University of Leeds (UK)
+++ CALL FOR ABSTRACTS EXTENDED TO 16 MAY 2014! +++
Click here to download a PDF file with the Call for abstracts [177 KB]
10 years ago we rebranded the conference to become the Corporate Responsibility Research Conference. These decisions coincided with the formation of the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) at the University of Leeds, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2014 and has become internationally renowned for its social science research into sustainability. This double anniversary is a good time to look back and into the future. Ten years ago a conference like CRRC covered unusual business research and many thought that making this business as usual was the way for companies to assume their responsibilities.
Ten years later we must ask ourselves the question whether business as unusual would have been the better route to take. Mainstreaming, business case, partnerships, dissemination and professionalization have all been important buzz words in the field that symbolize how environmental, social and ethical aspects are expected to become integrated into corporate practice; more and more corporate decision-makers are embracing corporate responsibility and sustainability. At the same time, many would argue that the pace of these changes is not only painstakingly slow, but unlikely to bring about real impact towards sustainability.
The tradition of CRR is to focus on participants and the debate. We aim to create an environment that is welcoming and friendly yet challenges the existing knowledge base and drives the debate around corporate responsibility forward. We are keen to invite a wide variety of participants from across disciplinary backgrounds and from a variety of academic departments.
We invite research papers from all fields of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability.
CRRC is the ideal place to test new ideas and to experiment with new formats. Therefore we also welcome suggestions for special workshop streams and innovative ideas. In addition, we invite submissions addressing the following topics (please click on workshop title for more information):
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(a) Accounting for Sustainability
(Dr Breeda Comyns, Kedge Business School)
Rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions resulting in climate change as well as social problems including poverty, corruption and social inequality are just some of the major global sustainability issues being faced by society. It is recognised that businesses can have an important impact on the environment and on the societies in which they operate. To respond to the social and environmental concerns of society, corporate accounting for sustainability and reporting of sustainability performance is becoming an important business activity. Concurrently, sustainability accounting is a growing field of academic interest. With the objective of growing and advancing this field of research, this track welcomes papers which address all aspects related to accounting for sustainability.
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(b) CSR and Consumer Behaviour
(Professor William Young, University of Leeds)
Driving consumer behaviour to more sustainable patterns is seen as a key way to change companies and reduce associated social and environmental problems. This track invites submissions from all disciplines and methodological approaches to address this topic. From consumer attitudes to behaviour, nudge theory to social practice, theory of planned behaviour to habit formation, surveys to interviews and focus groups, voluntary simplification to ethical consumerism, we accept all perspectives to forward this topic. How do governments, pressure groups, community groups and companies influence behaviour? How can this behaviour be moved from product substitution to reduced consumption patterns? This issue will be addressed and debated in this track.
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(c) CSR and Supply Chain Management
(Dr Anne Tallontire and Professor Chee Yew Wong, University of Leeds)
This session would explore how supply chain management (SCM) thinking is engaging with sustainability and corporate social responsibility. How is SCM evolving to deal with the social and environmental responsibilities of companies and to integrate sustainability? What are the opportunities and limitations within SCM and how can SCM link to other approaches grappling with the challenges raised by globalisation and global supply chains (e.g. global value chain analysis, international development, geography and ecological perspectives)?
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(d) CSR for and with SMEs and micro-enterprises
(Dr Alice Owen and Paul Abbott, University of Leeds)
This workshop would like to invite submissions focusing on CSR in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). How CSR does manifest in SMEs and why does it take that form? What is the role of SMEs and/or micro-enterprises in delivering CSR for larger enterprises (i.e. supply chain and procurement issues)? How do the costs and benefits of CSR approaches for SMEs and micro-enterprises differ from those experienced by larger companies? What could sector-specific approaches look like in sectors dominated by SMEs and micro-enterprises (e.g. construction)?
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(e) CSR, Governance and the Extractive Industries
(Dr James van Alstine, Dr Jen Dyer and Laura Smith, University of Leeds)
The promise of development benefits from extractives industry operations in both the global North and South often remain unfulfilled. Relationships between companies, communities and governments are frequently marked by mistrust and even conflict. Companies are facing numerous pressures (e.g. from investors and advocacy groups) to go beyond 'social license to operate' to ensure that host communities and countries gain socio-economic benefits. We invite papers that critique the partnerships and multi-stakeholders initiatives that are characteristic of CSR and 'good governance' in the oil, gas and mining sectors (such as community-based social investment programmes and international initiatives such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative). We are particularly interested in novel theoretical approaches that critique the societal impacts of these CSR and governance initiatives.
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(f) Tensions, conflicts and paradoxes in Corporate Sustainability and CSR
(Professor Frank Figge and Dr Tobias Hahn, Kedge Business School)
In this track we invite submissions that address tensions and conflicts between different aspects of corporate sustainability or CSR. We particularly seek submissions that go beyond the common assumption of the business case perspective that environmental, social and financial aspects will be congruent. We also encourage submissions that address the question how firms and managers perceive and deal with tensions and conflicts in corporate sustainability and CSR.
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(g) International CSR
(Dr Ralf Barkemeyer, University of Leeds)
This track invites submissions that address the international dimension of CSR, in particular focusing on multinational companies (MNCs). The increasing uptake of mainstream CSR tools has resulted in a unique set of management challenges for MNCs, balancing pressures for global consistency and local responsiveness in the different contexts they operate as well as along their supply chains. Among others, papers may explore international differences in CSR practices and perceptions, the role of MNCs in partnerships for sustainability, or CSR practices in emerging economy MNCs.
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(h) The Private Sector and Development
(Dr Anne Tallontire, University of Leeds)
This session focuses on the role of the private sector in development. Papers are encouraged from a variety of perspectives, both applied and critical, from business or development perspectives. Papers may explore the role of CSR as a development tool and the impacts of CSR on development, the emergence of 'making markets work for poor' and 'inclusive business' approaches. Alternatively they may examine how the role of business as a development actor shapes understanding and practices of development, and outcomes for different actors at difference scales and in different sectors.
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(i) Organisational Behaviour, psychology and CSR
(Dr Sally Russell, University of Leeds)
In this workshop we invite participants to present and discuss research that draws on models of organisational behaviour and psychology to inform their research. Organisational behaviour and psychology scholars have the potential to make a significant contribution in advancing CSR practice in organisations and in this workshop we aim to highlight recent work in this area. The workshop will focus on research that examines CSR within and across the three levels of the individual, the group and the organisation. Presentations and discussions will seek to highlight current research and identify research gaps with the aim of advancing research and practice in CSR.
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(j) Ethical, Critical, and Political Perspectives on Corporate Responsibility
(Dr Pasi Heikkurinen, MTT Agrifood Research Finland and Karl Johan Bonnedahl, Umeå School of Business)
As we have witnessed an upsurge in power of the corporation, the question of its responsibility towards societies and natural environments has never been as acute as it is today. Corporate practitioners find themselves in a position in which they are acting as significant harbingers of our common future. This is not a modest responsibility. For the sake of humanity and other beings, not only the potential but also the pitfalls of corporate responsibility must be scrutinized in detail. This workshop invites papers that examine the responsibility of the corporation from ethical, critical, and political perspectives.
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(k) Circular Economy
(Dr Louise Canning and Anja Stoll, KEDGE Business School, in association with The Ellen MacArthur Foundation)
The circular economy offers the opportunity to move away from our "take - make - dispose" model, by ensuring, through careful design and innovative business models, that technical and biological materials continuously flow, safeguarding valuable resources and restoring natural capital. The term goes beyond the mechanics of production and consumption of goods and services, in the areas that it seeks to redefine (examples include rebuilding capital including social and natural, and the shift from consumer to user). The framework of the circular economy is grounded in the study of non-linear, particularly living systems, and draws from various schools of thought.
Implementing principles of the circular economy poses significant challenges and opportunities for business, and has implications at core strategy level. We are therefore particularly interested in papers that link principles of the circular economy to Business Management and Economics, and examine the systemic nature of a potential transition to circular models. Contributions can both be empirical as well as conceptual.
We especially welcome papers on real-world cases that help us to learn about the opportunities offered and challenges encountered by organisations implementing principles of the circular economy. We are interested in theoretical contributions at the interface of the different disciplines of Business Studies and Economics and the circular economy.
Abstracts
Initial abstracts of a maximum of 600 words should be emailed to abstracts@crrconference.org by 16th May 2014. Files should be sent in MS Word format, and the file name should be first author’s surname. Please include names, affiliations and contact details of all authors. Please use a maximum of 600 words, answering the following questions:
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Research Question(s): What is the submission's goal?
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Theoretical Framework: What main concepts, models or theories are used in the paper? Include 3-4 central references.
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Method: Which method is used for the research work?
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Findings: What are the main outcomes and results?
Abstracts will be reviewed and selected by the scientific committee of the conference. Authors will be notified of acceptance by mid-May 2014.
Papers
The conference papers of a maximum of 6,000 words including references should be emailed to papers@crrconference.org no later than the end of July 2014. Please note that papers will not be accepted or appear on the programme unless speaker(s) have registered in full for the conference.
Pre-Conference Afternoon Events
This year, there will be two pre-conference events taking place on the afternoon of 15 September 2014, (1) our PhD Workshop and (2) a Research Funding and Networking Workshop.
(1) Our popular pre-conference PhD Workshop will be held on the afternoon of 15th September 2014. It will appeal to first-time attendees as well as those who have attended throughout their PhD career. This annual workshop provides a relaxed environment to allow lively exchange and discussion between PhD students as well as the opportunity to gain helpful advice and feedback from a panel of experienced PhD supervisors in the field. We’ve expanded the PhD workshop last year and we want to continue talking about Post PhD opportunities and we will of course cover needs of PhD students throughout their studies.
(2) We will be running a Research Funding and Networking Workshop for the first time this year. Its aim is twofold: (a) to provide information on current and upcoming funding opportunities such as Horizon 2020; (b) to provide a forum for CRRC participants to exchange and discuss funding ideas and to share information more generally. There will be external speakers, but in essence the workshop will be very interactive and draw from the participants’ experiences.
Best Paper Awards
The scientific committee of the conference will review all papers presented and award two prizes for the CRRC best overall paper and the CRRC best PhD paper at the conference dinner. Criteria for the selection process are contribution to the research field, quality of the research, innovativeness, and diversity of views.
Important Dates
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February 2014 |
Call for abstracts opens |
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16th May 2014 |
Deadline for abstract submission |
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Mid-May 2014 |
Notification of accepted abstracts
Conference registrations opens |
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31st July 2014 |
Deadline for full papers |
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29th August 2014 |
Deadline for registration |
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15th September 2014 |
CRRC Pre-Conference Events |
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16th -17th September 2014 |
Corporate Responsibility Research Conference |
Conference Fees
* Please note that the all-inclusive package includes accommodation at Devonshire Hall, all meals and both conference dinners.
For more detailed information on the conference, accommodation, the venue and logistics, please visit our website (www.crrconference.org) or contact the conference chair Professor William Young at info@crrconference.org.
