The 7th annual conference of the International Corporate Governance Society will take place from Friday to Sunday 8-10 October 2021 at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). The conference is intended to provide a forum for international academics and policy-makers to showcase and discuss the latest corporate governance research issues and practices.
Recent corporate governance debates have shown that companies face several disruptions. The Corona crisis has severe consequences for firms. Environmental factors, such as climate change, pollution, resource management, and energy consumption, have become critical to corporate decisions. The digital transformation generates opportunities for firms to monetize new technologies, but also threats, for stakeholders, including employees, customers, and society at large, such as unemployment and the misuse of personal data.
Climate goals that have not been reached and recent bankruptcies due to missed digital transformations indicate that not all corporate governance (CG) actors, such as board members, investors, and managers, are prepared to cope with these environmental and digital disruptions.
These disruptions put new pressure on corporate governance actors in terms of formulating pro-active strategies to remain competitive. Increased demands for corporate sustainability also increases the risks of corporate fraud, as we have seen in the case of Volkswagen’s attempt to mask the emissions of their cars. Therefore, corporate governance mechanisms and practices must evolve to respond to these challenges. Against this background, the theme of this year’s conference is “Corporate Governance in Times of Disruption.”
Therefore, we specifically welcome submissions related to the role of corporate governance in the fast-changing landscape of pandemic, environmental, and digital risks, that is, we would encourage submitting on one of the following themes:
Do we need new types of board members and executives to tackle these days’ disruption?
Do we need different compensation models to align executives’ and stakeholders’ interests in times of disruption?
Which types of owners are best prepared to maneuver their investments through times of disruption?
Are there optimal governance bundles to best deal with disruption?
Since the overarching mission of the ICGS is to bring together international governance scholars from multiple disciplines, original research on all areas of corporate governance are very much appreciated. Submissions must build upon previously unpublished and not-yet presented original research. You may submit either a full paper or a research proposal for the conference. In both cases, we are looking for research that will advance the field of corporate governance.
A full paper should not be longer than 40 double-spaced pages (including abstract, references, tables, and figures). A proposal submission should include the following sections:
(1) Abstract: 200 to 300 words description that summarizes the overall study;
(2) Proposal: Narrative description of the conceptual or empirical study;
(3) Supporting material: Tables, figures, and references that support the proposal.
Overall, a proposal should not exceed 10 single-spaced pages in length or 3,000 words.
Papers or proposals can be submitted starting on February 1, 2021 and must be submitted by 12 midnight (EST) on April 1, 2021 in order to be considered for conference presentation. All submissions must be done through our online conference management system, which is accessed through the ‘Conferences’ tab of the ICGS website (www.icgsociety.org).
Decisions on submissions regarding their inclusion in the conference program will be communicated to the authors by June 30, 2021.
The very best papers and proposals will be considered for the best conference paper award. The author(s) who win(s) this award will be recognized at the conference.
