Tracks and track chairs

Business Ethics and CSR

Different opinions on business ethics and CSR circulate today. Some argue that being ethical goes hand in hand with business responsibility. Others believe morals are a costly choice in the business environment, and label CSR initiatives as marketing stunts. The aim of this track is to encourage discussions about company’s behavior in a dynamic and complex environment, where stakeholders are the cornerstone. 
The track covers issues related to Corporate Social Responsibility in the business environment, guidelines for companies’ accountability and reporting, social entrepreneurship, regulatory environment and policies, social media and ethical concerns, growing a sustainability-oriented culture, ESG and corporate strategy, greenwashing and other unethical practices in the business environment.

Economics

The world economy continues to suffer in 2022 from a series of destabilizing shocks, including the most recent pandemic, the invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the consequent geopolitical shifts, and the effects they have on inflation, on supply chains, on commodity and energy markets, leading to soaring prices, fears concerning food insecurity and poverty, especially in emerging and developing countries. 
This track aims at encouraging debates on the post-Covid international economics dynamics and policy response, making reference, among other issues, to trade models and policies, foreign direct investments, economic growth, government debt, inflation, stagflation, and long-term global, regional, and local impacts of the recent events.

Family Business

Many companies operating today, offering a significant number of jobs worldwide, and contributing extensively to the GNP, are businesses operated by families. Family businesses have generally been considered to be more conservative, more change averse, and more focused on preserving the emotional wealth of the workers, being marked by a double bind that links the members (family relations and roles and business relations and roles within the company).
The track welcomes original research papers on some of the more complex processes that mark family businesses in a world marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity: succession, leadership, emotions, and adaptability during the pandemic and in the current economic and geopolitical context.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge economy is increasing its contribution to the GDP of most countries in an accelerated rhythm and enlarges rapidly towards emergent economies. In this context, knowledge becomes a strategic resource, and managing knowledge becomes a driving force of achieving a competitive advantage. As the societies, companies, institutions and individuals embrace the technological advancements specific to the Industrial Revolution 4.0, particular challenges and development opportunities emerge. Thus, a focus on the process of digital transformation and its connection to how knowledge is created, stored, used, transferred and enhanced becomes necessary.  

Suggested topics for the authors who would like to join this track include, but are not limited to: knowledge of the strategic resource, knowledge management for sustainability, knowledge strategies, intellectual capital, digital transformation for a sustainable future, preparing for the Metaverse.

Knowledge Networks and Sustainability

Over the past years, researchers and practitioners have acknowledged the fact that the sustainable competitive advantage is system-driven, and that remote capabilities or activities are only two of the pillars supporting it. Consequently, many organizations intensified their efforts towards establishing a culture of sharing knowledge intra- and inter- organizational levels. Various business-oriented networks were strengthened, or created. Progressively, new business models have been expected to emerge, driven by consistent interactions among people, organizations, knowledge, information, expertise, competences, and know-how within complex and dynamic collaborative networks. The impact of knowledge networks on generating sustainable competitive advantage, starting from the individual microcosm to the organizational systems macrocosm, became a relevant area to investigate.

We welcome papers that address inter-organizational collaborations based on substantial and consistent knowledge sharing, which are expected to support the achievement of sustainable competitive advantages for all involved actors (individuals, organizations and networks themselves). Studies pertaining to particularities of the two main types of knowledge networks (formed of for-profit organizations – e.g., small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and higher education institutions (HEIs) – e.g., universities) are also appreciated.

Management and Leadership

Novel business models take momentum in the post-Covid times, and digitalization unfolds at an accelerated pace, leading to deep transformations in many industries and regions. Embracing a more thoughtful approach to doing business, and a focus on sustainability are visible and even enforced via regulation. These changes couple with the shifts regarding the balance of power between employers and employees, and with the new dynamics visible in the work arrangements. The imperative of health management measures, the emergence of hybrid working schedules, and the desire for flexibility that more and more people announce impact workers and the management practice on various levels, including performance measurement. Discussions concerning the evolving management practices and leadership challenges are, consequently, needed and welcome.
Authors are invited to present their original works on topics related to change management, conflict management, combating burnout, hybrid or remote work, future of work, stakeholder engagement, sustainable business models, and changes in the management practice.

Marketing

Since the 1980s a new research stream started to emerge in the field of marketing, focusing on the business’ response to the green consumer movement: the green marketing, the ecological marketing, or the environmental marketing. This subdomain of marketing is widely perceived as a kind of sustainable marketing, or as marketing for sustainability, which makes it a neighbouring research field to social marketing and CSR. The most recent technological developments, such as the ones related to the adoption of digital tools, or to using novel delivery instruments, such as drones, together with the changing consumer expectations and habits, have given momentum to the studies in the field. The post-Covid market dynamics, the increased ecological awareness, coupled with energy prices skyrocketing, with the delivery chain shortages, with prices going up, and with the need to focus on building relevant consumer experience impact the current marketing practices.
The track welcomes papers that tackle the theory and practice of marketing in the current times, with a special interest in novel research concerning green/ ecological/ environmental marketing, economic issues related to green marketing, green marketing as a tool of sustainability, sustainable marketing/ marketing for sustainability, values-led marketing strategies, communicating Sustainability, innovation in marketing, embracing a direct-to-consumer mindset, fast response to market demand, empowering consumers, and customer experience strategies.

Towards Sustainable and Digital Organizations and Communities

Public administration and private organizations are now facing the imperative of becoming (more) sustainable. This translates as an opportunity to innovate, to redesign strategies and structures, to redefine behaviours and actions in order to act ethically and reach targets while thinking about the impact the society and the environment.
This track welcomes papers investigating the development of public organizations, considering public value creation and human resource management, financial, economic and social performances of public and private organizations, sustainability and accountability of organizations, co-production of public service and public value co-creation, public services sustainability, innovation, cities and communities, public sector management reform, sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship, organizational and strategic change within public administration, the role of the public servants, the use of technologies of information and communication, citizens’ involvement and participation in managing res publica, public policies for sustaining growth and economic development, law, ethics and public administration, public policies for the sustainable development of the society.