The shock of recent global crises contributed to widening the gap between business and society. The image of companies devoted to the common good as Peter Drucker could introduce them in the early 1950s gradually sank into oblivion for the benefit of much more critical representations.
The most recent years even conducted to consider that business could act against society.
It is high time to favor research and educational programs that analyze under which conditions business can, or actually does, interact positively with its social and natural environment.
Said differently, it is high time to stop juxtaposing Business and Society as matters of fact, in order to start examining Business for Society as a project. Thus, exploring ways and methods, identifying actors and contexts that allow organizations to contribute to sustainable development is essential.
The objective of our SIG is to bring together scholars from various fields of social sciences (management, law, sociology, economics, political science, education, social psychology, history, philosophy, engineering, etc.). We aim to build a community of engaged scholars sharing a strong interest for B4S meaningful issues and fully grasping the ambiguities, contradictions, and potential for innovative and transformative practices of the B4S project.
Business for Society is open to various approaches, among others CSR, Business Ethics, Social issues in management, Stakeholders Management, Alternative Business Models and Sustainable Management among others.
We welcome:
- Theoretical, methodological and/or empirical works.
- Managerial (strategy, finance, marketing, HRM, control, etc.) environmental or more social/political and multidisciplinary orientation.
- Micro, Meso (for instance, sector/global value chain or region) or macro lenses.
- Diachronic (historical) and/or synchronic studies.
- Constructionist and institutionalist approach.
- Philosophical perspectives.
- Critical analysis, including Marxist and/or Gramscian approach.
- Research or pedagogical orientations
2020 Call for Paper
Discover out tracks, and choose the one related to your paper or propose your study to the B4S General track which invites contributions from all areas related to Business for Society that are not explicitly covered by other tracks within the SIG --> https://conferences.euram.academy/2020conference/sig-01-business-for-society-b4s/
SIG Projects and Awards
The book series “Business for Society”
Eds. Jérôme Méric, Francesco Gangi ,Rèmi Jardat, Lucia Michela Daniele - Routledge
This series seeks to restore the original meaning of Business for Society. There are examples of businesses that are making impressive strides in delivering positive impacts for society as well as their bottom line, but as the concept of corporate responsibility has become more mainstream in recent years, many organisations have adopted the term and reduced it to a marketing message. In doing so, not only do they fail to deliver meaningful benefit to society and the environment but, of equal damage, encourage cynicism and undermine the very concept. Business for Society redresses the balance and promotes the original idea of corporate responsibility.
Main themes , supported by additional Editors from SIG community:
Through the first volume, Editors open the debate on some themes and topics, issues that might fall under the umbrella of Business for Society Project. The Euram annual conference and the SIG B4S is a preferential channel to intercept best contributions, new ideas, new methods that are consistent with the theme and topics of the book series.
Next themes and topics
Accounting and Reporting for Sustainability
Finance for Society
New forms of organizations and governance
Responsible global value chains
Business and Massive migration
Business for Democracy
Join our annual symposia related to the Book Series: Business for Society Project, next step: Finance for Society.
Business for Society, the first Book
Francesco Gangi, Jérôme Méric, Rèmi Jardat, Lucia Michela Daniele – Routledge, 2019
This book is about promoting corporate responsibility in its original meaning: businesses should have a positive impact on society, and society should not only be a lever of making a profit. When we treat social responsibility as an external function of the core business, we are exposed to the worst.
Business for Society seeks to redress the balance and promotes the original idea of corporate responsibility. This first book in the series of the same name sets the scene and presents the key theories across the various management disciplines to answer the following questions: ‘How, why and under what conditions can business act for society?’ The book narrows and discusses examples of businesses which are making impressive strides in delivering positive impacts for society as well as their bottom lines; but as the concept of corporate responsibility has become more mainstream in recent years, many organisations have adopted the term and reduced it to a marketing message. Areas covered include a historical perspective on the hijacking of business responsibility towards society, management knowledge and value, the Business for Society project against hijacking, accounting for society, finance for society and governance for society and democracy.
Call for contribution to edited book “Philosophy for Business Ethics”
Edited by Faldetta, G., Ferrero, I, Mollona, E. and M. Pellegrini.
The book addresses the philosophical foundations of management and business, both in theory and in practice. We welcome any kind of study that successfully applies and adopts philosophical paradigms and theories belonging to the field of philosophy to explain, interpret, and hopefully impact ethical behaviours in management and business. We are looking for novel or established approaches that can create more synergies between philosophical studies and managerial disciplines. We encourage scholars to identify and discuss both conflicts and agreement about philosophical foundations of managerial and business actions and behaviours. Both in terms of theoretical paradigms and methods of analysis employed we are open to a broad range of sub-topic, such as:
- Consequential vs. Non-consequential Ethics;
- Virtue Ethics
- Realism and Pragmatism
- Social and Political Philosophy in Management
- Corporate misconduct and corporate political activity
- The concept of corporate responsibility in the dialogue with the law
- Negative and deviant behaviors in the workplace
- Ancient Philosophies and Management
- Continental Philosophy and Management
- Business and Human Rights
- Philosophies of Diversity
- Philosophy of Innovation
- Organizational Aesthetics
- Non-Western tradition (Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduist and Buddhism spiritualism)
- Artificial Intelligence and business ethics: philosophical issues
This book will be considered for publication by Palgrave Macmillan. If you have any queries regarding the publication process, please feel free to contact Jess Harrison at Jessica.harrison@palgrave.com
AWARDS
EURAM-SIMA AWARD
In the aim of promoting quality research among scholars interested in business for society project, in collaboration with the Italian Academy of Management (SIMA – Società Italiana di Management), the SIG each year assign a Best EURAM-SIMA SIG Paper Award, for papers submitted to the Business for Society SIG. The jury will review the selected papers and assign the award. Winners will be announced during the SIG Plenary Session.
OPEN IMPACT- AWARD
In the aim of promoting original research among scholars interested in business for society project, with a specific focus on social innovation and social impact research, this year the SIG, in collaboration with Open Impact (www.openimpact.it ), will introduce a Best OI-EURAM SIG Paper Award, for papers submitted to the Business for Society SIG. The jury will review the selected papers and assign the award. Winners will be announced during the SIG award ceremony (plenary session) and will receive a grant of 1.000€.
puntOorg- AWARD
With the aim of supporting scholars who are engaged in seeking different sources for organizational and managerial knowledge, and specifically within Arts and Humanities. puntOorg International Research Network will assign a prize to the best paper submitted to Business for society SIG, in the realm of Arts organizations and Arts and business for society. The paper will be awarded with a € 500 prize. The winner will be announced during the SIG award ceremony.
ADEIMF AWARD
In the aim of promoting original research among scholars interested in sustainable finance, this year the Italian Association of Scholars in Banking and Finance (Associazione dei Docenti di Economia degli Intermediari e dei Mercati Finanziari e finanza d’impresa - ADEIMF) will assign a prize to the best paper submitted to Business for society SIG. The covered topics should be related to SRI, green bonds, social bonds, social impact bonds, ESG criteria, and the corresponding role of supra-national control bodies. Winners will receive a grant of 1.000€.
SIG Officers
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@unicampania.it)
Anna Pistoni (University of Insubria), PROGRAMME CHAIR (anna.pistoni@uninsubria.it)
Ilaria Tutore (Parthenope University of Naples), COMMUNICATION OFFICER (ilaria.tutore@uniparthenope.it)
Maria Coscia (Parthenope University of Naples), CO-COMMUNICATION OFFICER (maria.coscia001@studenti.uniparthenope.it)
The actual SIG Governance will be in charge until .
PAST CONFERENCES
Euram 2019
Dear B4S members, EURAM 2019 in Lisbon was another amazing Conference!
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to each of you for our last meeting in Lisbon. Thank you to all our authors, reviewers, session chairs, discussants and track chairs. Our community continues its growth: over 142 presenting authors, involved in 54 session and 10 symposia.
The vibrant energy of our community is converging toward new projects and community activities.
In the aim of promoting best research in the B4S field, starting from this year, in collaboration with the Italian Academy of Management (SIMA – Società Italiana di Management), the SIG will award assign a Best EURAM-SIMA SIG Paper Award, for papers submitted to the Business for Society SIG.
The first book of the Business for Society Book Series is forthcoming, opening a new path to collaborate, discuss, manage, recreate and rethink the Business for Society relationship.
Congratulations to our Track Chair, Dr. Davide Bizjak, for the EURAM GRANT 2019 with the project titled: Non-binary view in organization: inquiring gender identity and discrimination in the workplace.
Hopefully you enjoyed both the scientific and the social programs, and that you used the opportunity to extend your network with fruitful connections. I would like to give special thanks to our Speaker, Oliver Gajda, for his speech on sustainable finance, during the Kick-Off at the opening of our Conference.
Finally, this year our SIG renovate his own governance. I would express all my gratitude to colleagues, friends and Euram members who made these years as SIG Chair a very special experience.
Francesco Gangi
ENJOY THE B4S COMMUNITY!