The Sustainability of Business in Society (SBS) Chair and the IESEG Center for Organizational Responsibility (ICOR) at IESEG School of Management, in collaboration with multiple European academic institutions, is proud to host the 2024 edition of the Business & Society Research Seminar. This event is designed for PhD students and emerging scholars in various research fields related to Business and Society. While the specific theme of interest for this year is “Business, Peace and Sustainability: Navigating Systemic Challenges”, all works addressing Business and Society questions and challenges can be submitted to the Research Seminar.
THEME OF THE 2024 EDITION: “BUSINESS, PEACE AND SUSTAINABILITY: NAVIGATING SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES”
The complex interplay between business, peace, and sustainability forms a multifaceted system. This involves the interconnection of economic activities, ecological care, intergroup cohesion, and social stability. Comprehending and effectively navigating these interrelated components is crucial for promoting enduring well-being and prosperity at local, regional and global level.
In violence-affected areas and post-conflict zones, companies and entrepreneurs can contribute to foster economic growth and societal development, contributing to community upliftment and peace, while also addressing sustainability challenges, including the provision of support to vulnerable populations like refugees and the maintenance of local ecosystems. However, under the guise of economic development, there is also a risk of negative impacts associated with business practices in conflict-affected areas, such as misusing resources, exacerbating inequality, deepening social divides, and fuelling conflict through exploitative practices or 'peacewashing' initiatives, where businesses claim positive contributions despite evidence to the contrary.
For scholars in management and organization studies, these dynamics offer an important ground for investigation. In this context, emerging research is increasingly directed towards how businesses can navigate these complex environments, adopting strategies and practices that are not only economically sound but also ethically, socially, and environmentally responsible. This includes a focus on business practices that can generate sustainable value and empower or support refugees and other marginalized stakeholders, ensuring that business operations contribute constructively to the regions and social and environmental ecosystems they operate in. Such research is vital for improving our understanding of the systemic challenges at the crossroads of business, peace and sustainability and for developing frameworks and guidelines that help businesses make responsible decisions, contributing positively to both economic welfare and societal wellbeing in violence-affected regions and in other areas directly or indirectly impacted by conflicts.