International Association for Business & Society
35th Annual Conference
The Graduate Hotel Annapolis, Maryland, USA
June 13 - 16, 2024
Preconference activities
June 10-13
Donna J. Wood Writing Camp:
June 10-13, 2024
Doctoral Consortium:
June 12-13, 2024
Main
Conference
June 13-16
Submissions Open:
November 1, 2023
Submission Deadline:
December 20, 2023
Acceptance of Proposals:
February 10, 2024
CONFERENCE THEME
The Interplay Among Business, Society, and the Government
Amidst persisting global challenges such as climate change, deforestation, human rights violations, and discrimination based on factors like caste, gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation, as well as income inequality, worker exploitation, and corruption, business and society scholars must ponder the need for newer and more effective approaches to design and implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Corporate Sustainability (CS), and Business Ethics initiatives. These approaches should give special attention to how they intersect with public policies. Ultimately, the effectiveness of CSR, CS and business ethics programs hinge on achieving concrete outcomes, which demand not just authentic corporate efforts but also an enabling public policy framework.
In this context, it is noteworthy that, on one hand, governments are exerting greater influence on CSR and CS practices, as evidenced by examples such as India's mandatory CSR regulations, the US Securities and Exchange Commission's proposal for mandatory climate disclosures, and the EU's supply-chain disclosure rules and anti-greenwashing regulation. On the other hand, there is a growing opposition among the public and politicians towards progressive social and environmental policies and investment frameworks. Similarly, corporations are seemingly becoming more involved in political activities as evidenced through progressive lobbying, vocal stance on social issues, and divestment from hostile states. However, this political activism carries a heightened risk of drawing public criticism in today’s polarized society.
To contemplate the evolving Interplay among Business, Society, and Government – and a broader array of topics of interest to business and society scholars – there could hardly be a more fitting location than Annapolis. This historic city, now the capital of the US state of Maryland, and once the capital of the United States during the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which marked the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, not only holds historical significance but also boasts natural beauty on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The town is conveniently close to the nation's capital, Washington, DC.
Proposals are invited for the following session types:
All proposals must be single-spaced and have numbered pages. They will undergo a peer-review process although symposia and workshop proposals will not be subject to blind reviews.
-
This format offers authors the opportunity to receive early-stage feedback on their research ideas related to theoretical framing, methods, and potential publication outlets. No audio-visual (A/V) support is available for these sessions. Authors should bring 10 copies of a one-page description of their research idea for distribution among the audience and receive feedback during a roundtable discussion.
Submission requirements:
⦁ Submit a one-page, single-spaced abstract of a research idea in the early to middle stages of development but not yet paper-ready.
⦁ Abstracts longer than one page will be returned.
⦁ Do not include author names or affiliations on the abstract; abstracts containing author information will be returned.
-
This is a standard presentation format with three or four presentations per session, with A/V support available. It is suitable for research projects that are closer to a completed paper than are discussion sessions.
Submission requirements:
⦁ Submit a 3 to 5 page, single-spaced abstract of your research briefly describing the topic, research questions, methods, and results. The page limit is not inclusive of references, figures, and tables.
⦁ Include page numbers.
⦁ Abstracts exceeding the page limit will be returned. Note that we do not accept full papers.
⦁ Do not include author names or affiliations; abstracts with author information will be returned.
-
A symposium can focus on a particular area of business and society research or a specific teaching-related topic. Symposia submissions are suitable when there are several papers with a common theme that could be presented as part of a cohesive session or when a group of presenters would discuss a broad topic, such as the future of business & society research or teaching CSR.
Submission requirements:
⦁ Submit a 3 to 5 page, single-spaced abstract describing the symposium’s focus.
⦁ Include presenter names, proposed session duration (usually 90 minutes), information on each participant's presentation, and an outline of how organizers will use the time.
⦁ Indicate whether A/V is needed for the session.
-
Workshops are working meetings that address specific research or teaching challenges. Workshop submissions are suitable when participants will be doing something during the workshop, such as discussing each other’s ongoing research projects (e.g., the annual Business and Human Rights workshop, during which participants get feedback on research in progress) or developing teaching tools.
Submission guidelines:
⦁ Submit a 3 to 5 page single-spaced abstract describing the workshop's content.
⦁ Include participant names, proposed session duration (usually 90 minutes), and an outline of how organizers will use the time.
-
These sessions feature activities/experiential exercises that facilitate creative reflection on the relationship between business and society, applicable to both research and teaching. Innovative sessions might take advantage of the location of the annual meeting to hear from speakers who otherwise would not be available to conference participants. Innovative sessions might also place-based or include an experiential exercise.
Submission requirements:
⦁ Submit a 3 to 5 page single-spaced abstract describing the session's content.
⦁ Please include the names of the participants, the amount of time you are proposing for the session (traditionally, innovative sessions have 90 minutes allocated), and a plan for how the organizers will use the time for the session.
June 10, 11, 12, and 13
Contact person: Brad Agle, bradagle(AT)byu.edu
Join us for the 7th Annual Donna J. Wood Writing Camp on June 10th through 13th, featuring four days of intensive writing sessions. Each day, participants gather for breakfast and lunch as a group, fostering discussions about their research, providing mutual encouragement, and ensuring accountability for writing progress. Whether you're aiming to complete a draft, finalize an outline, address a revise and resubmit (R&R) request, or simply start a new project, this camp is designed to support you in achieving your writing goals. While the majority of the time will be dedicated to writing, we are excited to offer a special three-hour theory-building seminar led by Professor Paul Godfrey.
Co-organized by Brad Agle (Brigham Young Uni) and Justin Ames from the Uni of Michigan-Dearborn, this event promises a dynamic and collaborative environment for advancing your writing projects. The registration fee for participation in the writing camp is $150, which includes breakfast and lunch for the duration of the event.
June 12 and 13
Contact person: Abel Diaz Gonzalez, abel.diazgonzalez(AT)maastrichtuniversity.nl
Application deadline: April 15
Join us for the Doctoral Consortium (DC), a cornerstone event of the IABS conference. This unique opportunity allows doctoral students to connect with peers from around the globe and engage with esteemed faculty scholars. The consortium features a series of sessions focusing on key themes such as conducting high-quality research, publishing in leading journals, navigating the job market, and leveraging professional associations. Each participant will be paired with an established scholar for personalized 1:1 mentoring.
Doctoral students registered for the conference can participate in the Doctoral Consortium free of charge. Additionally, a social dinner, scheduled for June 12th and sponsored by IABS, is included as part of the Consortium experience. Breakfast and lunch are also provided during the event.
PRE- CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES
7th Annual Donna J. Wood Writing Camp
Doctoral Consortium
Conference venue and booking
The conference will be held at the Graduate Hotel in Annapolis, MD, located in the Annapolis Arts District and committed to sustainability. We have negotiated a room rate of US$ 209 per night plus tax for conference participants. Although there are alternative accommodation choices in Annapolis, we strongly recommend booking your stay at the Graduate Hotel, where we have a block of rooms reserved. Your stay at the Graduate Hotel will directly contribute to supporting IABS.
Please make your reservations by February 20th, 2024, to help us assess our room block needs.
We eagerly anticipate your participation in IABS 2024. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Conference Chair, Rajat Panwar, from Oregon State University, at rajat.panwar@oregonstate.edu
