View Thread

Dear Colleagues,

Please note that due to numerous requests, we have extended the deadline for abstract submissions for the Corporate Responsibility Research Conference to 16 May 2014. If you haven't submitted an abstract already, the call for abstracts is still open!

With best wishes,

The CRRC Organizing Committee

Call for Abstracts

Corporate Responsibility Research Conference CRRC 2014
>> Business as Unusual <<

Organised and hosted by the Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds

in association with Kedge Business School

15 – 17 September 2014
at Devonshire Hall, University of Leeds (UK)

10 years ago we rebranded the conference to become the Corporate Responsibility Research Conference.  This decision coincided with the formation of the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) at the University of Leeds, which celebrates its 10^th 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:

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:

·         Research Question(s): What is the submission's goal?

·         Theoretical Framework: What main concepts, models or theories are used in the paper? Include 3-4 central references.

·         Method: Which method is used for the research work?

·         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 from 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

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.