Call for Contributions to Edited Book
Responsible Research for Better Business
Palgrave Studies in Sustainable Business
Editors:
Laszlo Zsolnai
Corvinus University of Budapest and European SPES Institute, Leuven
Mike Thompson
GoodBrand London, University of Victoria, and CEIBS Shanghai
Based on the vision and activities of the community of Responsible Research in Business and Management this edited volume for the Palgrave Studies in Sustainable Business collects original, empirical and/or conceptual papers which address the complex problematic of doing responsible research in the business and management professions.
The core vision of RRBM is that “business can be a means for a better world if it is informed by responsible research. (…) Research is the foundation of business education and practice, yet business research has failed to live up to its promise in promoting better policies and best practices. If nothing is done, business research will lose its legitimacy at best; at worst, it will waste money, talent, and opportunity”.
The main principles suggested by RRBM for transforming business and management research are as follows:
Service to Society: Development of knowledge that benefits business and the broader society, locally and globally, for the ultimate purpose of creating a better world.
Stakeholder Involvement: Research that engages different stakeholders in the research process, without compromising the independence of inquiry.
Impact on Stakeholders: Research that has an impact on diverse stakeholders, especially research that contributes to better business and a better world.
Valuing Both Basic and Applied Contributions: Contributions in both the theoretical domain to create fundamental knowledge and in applied domains to address pressing and current issues.
Valuing Plurality and Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Diversity in research themes, methods, forms of scholarship, types of inquiry, and interdisciplinary collaboration to reflect the plurality and complexity of business and societal problems.
Sound Methodology: Research that implements sound scientific methods and processes in both quantitative and qualitative or both theoretical and empirical domains.
Broad Dissemination: Diverse forms of knowledge dissemination that collectively advance basic knowledge and practice.
The themes and topics of book “Responsible Research for Better Business” include:
What kind of ontology, epistemology, and axiology can help business and management scholars to practice responsible research?
Which methodologies are appropriate and which are not to develop responsible business and management research?
How can responsible research be pursued in different disciplinary fields like finance, accounting, marketing, supply chain management, business ethics, leadership, strategy, organizational behavior, etc.?
What role spirituality or religion can play in developing sensitivity for ethical, social and environmental issues in business and management research?
How can academic journals, accreditation agencies, ranking institutions, and funding bodies pay greater attentions and give higher priority for responsible research in business and management?
To what extent are the current paradigms of social science research, particularly, epistemological frameworks, limiting scholarship and knowledge creation in business and management research? How are alternative research approaches such as phronesiology, ethnomethodology and discourse analysis being utilized?
What needs to change in business management research and to enable a better dissemination of business and management knowledge creation to create excellent practice and to the ends of human flourishing.
Which are the structural barriers to introduce the “responsibility” discourse and to reward responsible research in business schools?
What is the broader ideological context of responsible business and management research and practices in society?
How can critical thinking and reflection be encouraged in the academy of management circles and business schools?
Other issues and themes related to the vision of RRBM might also be considered for inclusion in the volume.
The book “Responsible Research for Better Business” is expected to be published by the end of 2019.
Interested scholars and practitioners should send an abstract of 500 words and their short bio (250 words) to the editors by May 31, 2018. Invitation to contribute will be made by July 31, 2018. The deadline for the submission of the final manuscript will be January 31, 2019.