Accelerating Researcher-Practitioner Collaborations in Sustainability Research

As a new initiative to mark its 10th anniversary, ARCS is now accepting proposals for focused workshops designed to advance progress on key sustainability issues.

The goal of the Focused Workshop Program is to expand and diversify the portfolio of ARCS activities to include smaller events designed to address specific research questions.  There are no restrictions on the workshop format or topic, and we encourage creative proposals. 

ARCS is now accepting proposals for focused workshops designed to advance progress on key sustainability issues. All proposals must be research-oriented and identify specific intended outcomes but are encouraged to involve practitioners as well as academic researchers.

The Focused Workshop Program is modeled on a pilot project entitled “The Role of the Corporation in Sustainability Transitions” that was funded by the Borchard Foundation and held at the Chateau de la Bretesche in Normandy in June 2016. That event brought together a small group of researchers representing 10 ARCS member schools for 3 days of focused reflection. Outcomes of the workshop include the 2019 Best Paper in California Management Review, entitled “CSR Needs CPR: Corporate Sustainability and Politics” and a special issue of Organization and Environment on “The Role of the Corporation in Sustainability Transitions.” The success of the small workshop format encouraged ARCS to create an ongoing program.

The inaugural workshop, Accelerating Researcher-Practitioner Collaborations in Sustainability Research was hosted by the HEC-Paris Society and Organizations (S&O) Center. This workshop brought together high-level scholars and practitioners with the goal of fostering new connections and inspiring joint collaborations.  Topics discussed included employee’s motivation and sustainability, the sharing economy, the circular economy, financing sustainability and governance for sustainability, with a special focus on PPPs and inclusive economy, B-Corps, experimental research with firms, RCT within firms, and qualitative comparative analysis within firms.

Workshop proposers must be individual members of ARCS, and preference will be given to active participants in recent ARCS events. Click here to become a member.

The workshop will be an annual event, with at most one award to be granted each year. The event should be held by August 30, 2019.

Please click here to access the call including examples of potential workshops.

ARCS members contributing to Corporate Sustainability 2.0: Leading Systemic Change.

 

Proposal Requirements

Application Deadline: November 15, 2019
Please send your proposals to arcs.information@gmail.com

Maximum Award: $15,000 

Decision Deadline: January 17, 2020

The proposal should include the following and be no more than 10 pages, double-spaced:

  • A clear layout of the rationale for the workshop
  • The approach to be taken
  • The types of participants that will be sought and how many.
  • The workshop budget
  • Any deliverables that will result
  • Strategy for disseminating the workshop’s outcomes

 


HEC Paris Society and Organizations (S&O) Center and the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) will be hosting the first annual Focused Workshop Program with the theme of Accelerating Researcher-Practitioner Collaborations in Sustainability Research. This workshop will take place on October 11-12, 2019 in the center of Paris. Topics will include employees motivation and sustainability, the sharing economy, the circular economy, financing sustainability and governance for sustainability, with a special focus on PPPs and inclusive economy, B-Corps, experimental research with firms, RCT within firms, and qualitative comparative analysis within firms.

Participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging. Some participants will be staying at the Hotel Saint Christophe at 17 Rue Lacepede, but participants are welcome to stay where they please.

Program 

Friday, October 11, 2019 

12:00 – 12:30 pm Workshop Registration
12:30 – 1:30 pm Workshop Welcome and Networking Lunch

Rodolphe Durand (HEC Paris) & Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot (HEC Paris)

1:30 – 02:00 pm “Troubleshooting”: Collection of Open Questions
2:00 – 03:00 pm

Academic Session

 

“Insights from Academia”

1) Financing Sustainability

“Beyond “One Size Fits All” Collaborative Shareholder Engagement on Sustainability Issues: Insights from a Configurational Analysis” by Jean-Pascal Gond (Cass Business School), Rieneke Slager (University of Groningen), Santi Furnari (Cass Business School) & Kevin Chuah (London Business School)

2) Governance for Sustainability & Organizational Design for Sustainability

“Cross-Sector Collaboration as a Vehicle for Corporate Sustainability: Evidence from Climate Change Projects” by Jonathan Doh (Villanova Business School), Mirko Benischke (Rotterdam School of Management) & Peter Tashman (University of Massachusetts Lowell)

3) Communication of Sustainability

Communication of Sustainability” by Magali Delmas (UCLA) & Yvonne Yock (UCLA)

4) Sustainability and Employee Motivation

“The Relationship between Participation in a Company-Led Volunteer Program and Employee Outcomes” by Salma Nassar (University of Chicago Booth School of Business), Christina Hachikian (University of Chicago Booth School of Business) & Ally Batty (University of Chicago Booth School of Business)

5) Circular Economy

“The Circular Economy: Bringing the Human into the System for a More Effective Model” by  Emma Barnosky (UCLA), Magali Delmas (UCLA) & Marieke Huysentruyt (HEC Paris)

3:00 – 4:00 pm Roundtable Discussions on the Five Topics and Debrief
4:00 – 4:30 pm Coffee Break
4:30 – 05:00 pm

Best Practice and

Case Study Session

“Insights from Practice”

1) Best Practices: Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships

“Mapping forms of Researcher–Practitioner Partnerships in Circular Economy” by Emmanuel Raufflet (HEC Montréal) & Manon Boiteux (HEC Montréal)

2) Collaborations in Practice: B Corps in the Context of Barcelona

“Governance Models for Sustainability: B Corps and Cross-Sector Partnerships” by

Eduardo Ordonez-Ponce (Althabasca University) & Veronica Devenin (Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez Business School)

5:00 – 6:00 pm Roundtable Discussions on Best Practices and Debrief
6:00 – 07:00 pm Cocktail Event
7:00 – 09:00 pm Dinner

 

Saturday, October 12, 2019

8:30 – 09:00 am Welcome Coffee
9:00 – 09:15 am Workshop Summary and Interim Results
9:15 am – 9:45 am

Methods Session

“Research Methods Exposed”: Tools to study Sustainability Issues in Companies

1) Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

Jean-Pascal Gond (Cass Business School), Rieneke Slager (University of Groningen), Santi Furnari (Cass Business School) & Kevin Chuah (London Business School)

2) Experimental Research (Natural Experiments)

Salma Nassar (University of Chicago Booth School of Business), Christina Hachikian (University of Chicago Booth School of Business) & Ally Batty (University of Chicago Booth School of Business)

3) Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)

Emma Barnosky (UCLA), Magali Delmas (UCLA) & Marieke Huysentruyt (HEC Paris)

9:45 – 10:45 am Roundtable Discussions and Debrief
10:45 – 11:00 am Coffee Break
11:00 – 11:45 am General Discussion and Future Outlook
11:45 – 12:00 pm Workshop Conclusion