Architects for a Better World: Business School Responses to the Post 2015 Business Engagement Architecture

在2013年9月举行的联合国全球契约领导人峰会上，推出了一个新的企业可持续发展“全球架构”，并发布了“2015年后商业参与架构”咨询报告。这一倡议确定私营部门在实现可持续发展和建立更公正的社会方面发挥着关键作用。它将可持续发展优先事项与增长、社会公平、环境保护和风险管理方面的长期商业目标联系起来。它还呼吁学术界作为合作伙伴参与这场辩论，并特别邀请商学院与企业合作，在“合作平台上开发课程和研究项目，为当前和未来的商业领袖提供必要的思维方式、技能和知识，以领导企业取得更可持续的成果”（第17页）。该系列研讨会提案是由来自英国和爱尔兰商学院的一组研究人员以及一个主要专业机构的代表对这一呼吁的直接回应。所有共同调查人员都是现有学术、专业和政策网络的一部分，包括：联合国全球契约英国网络；联合国妇女网络；英格兰和威尔士特许会计师协会（ICAEW）；社区商业；英国和爱尔兰负责任管理教育原则区域分会；总理方案性别平等工作组；社会和环境会计研究中心；以及英国管理学会可持续和负责任商业特别兴趣小组。我们共同建立了一个新的研究人员网络。该提案响应了“架构”文件中包含的与商业和政策接触的邀请，其结构方式将促进与商业利益攸关方在文件中确定的减贫、教育、性别平等、卫生、食品、水和能源、社会稳定、基础设施、技术和治理等优先领域的研究。每个研讨会将以“架构”文件中确定的这些领域之一为主题，并与本次投标中至少一个调查人员的兴趣保持一致。从第三次研讨会开始，每个研讨会都将包括一篇论文，该论文将是与UNGC成员公司进行的直接研究的结果，以提高相关性和潜在影响，并展示在这方面共同生产知识的优势。ICAEW已同意为每次研讨会出版一份简报文件，并在每次研讨会之后出版专著和从业者摘要以供分发。预计每个研讨会还将发表学术期刊文章，并计划出版一本书，提供综合贡献和辩论。每次研讨会的主题将在交付日期之前尽早分发给尽可能广泛的利益攸关方，但也包括与本提案中的调查人员有关的网络。至少两篇学术研究论文将提前准备，并从商业/实践中寻求回应。随后将进行一场辩论。下午，被邀请提交论文的博士生的论文将被发表，并得到学术和实践受访者的回复。这是为了进一步在主题领域的新的研究能力，并使博士生和ecr的发展。将进行进一步的论文介绍，并在小组辩论之后，将对研究的相关性和未来方向进行反思性总结。该系列还有一个国际层面，包括在爱尔兰举办的研讨会，利用爱尔兰的网络和企业，以及在法国Kedge商学院举办的研讨会，以现有的“研究主席”为基础，让欧洲的联合国契约公司研究新的商业模式。

At the UN Global Compact Leaders' Summit in September 2013, a new 'global architecture' for corporate sustainability was launched and the 'Post - 2015 Business Engagement Architecture' consultation report published. This initiative identifies the private sector as having a pivotal role in delivering sustainable development and a more just society. It links sustainable development priorities with long-term business goals in terms of growth, social equity, environmental protection and risk management. It also make a call to academia to be involved as partners in this debate, and specifically invites Business Schools to work with businesses in 'collaborative platforms to develop curricula and research programmes that provide current and future business leaders with the necessary mind-sets, skills and knowledge to lead companies to more sustainable outcomes' (p.17). This Seminar Series proposal is a direct response by a group of researchers from UK and Irish business schools, together with a representative from a major professional body, to this call. All of the co-investigators are part of existing academic, professional, and policy networks including: the UN Global Compact UK Network; the UN Women Network; the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW); Business in the Community; the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) Regional Chapter for UK and Ireland; the PRME Working Group on Gender Equality; the Centre of Social and Environmental Accounting Research; and the British Academy of Management Sustainable and Responsible Business Special Interest Group. Together we bring together a new network of researchers.This proposal answers the invitation to engage with business and policy contained in the 'Architecture' document and it is structured in such a way that will stimulate research with business stakeholders in the priority areas identified in the document as falling within poverty reduction, education, gender equality, health, food, water and energy, social stability, infrastructure, technology, and governance. Each seminar will take as its theme one of these areas identified in the 'Architecture' document, and aligned with the interests of at least one of the Investigators in this bid. It is intended that each seminar, from seminar 3 onwards, will also include a paper which will be the result of direct research undertaken with UNGC member companies to enhance relevance and potential impact, and demonstrate the advantages in this respect, of the co-production of knowledge. The ICAEW has agreed to publish for each seminar, a briefing document, and following each seminar, a monograph and a practitioner summary for dissemination. Academic journal articles are also anticipated from each seminar, and a book to offer the combined contributions and debates is also planned.The theme of each seminar will be circulated well in advance of the date of delivery to as wide a range of stakeholders as can be identified but including the networks associated with the investigators in this proposal. At least two academic research papers will be prepared in advance and a response sought from business/practice. A debate will follow. In the afternoon, selected papers from PhD students who have been invited to submit papers for presentation will be made with replies from respondents, both academic and practitioner. This is designed to further new research capacity in the topic areas and enable the development of PhD students and ECRs. A further paper presentation will be made and following a panel debate a reflective summary will be given on relevance and future directions for research.There is also an international dimension to the series, with the inclusion of a seminar in Ireland, drawing on Irish networks and businesses, and a seminar at Kedge Business School, France, building on an existing 'Research Chair' engaging UN Compact companies in Europe investigating new business models.