Scope
The overall objectives of the conference are to advance the theory and practice of Business Sustainability, implementation and promotion of practices in companies towards sustainability across multiple dimensions on all organisational levels, from strategic management to operational levels, in every type of business and for every company’s function.
To bridge the gaps between theory and practice, between academia and companies, between abstract and real worlds, and to bring people in the centre, as a critical success factor towards business sustainability.
Topics
9th International Conference on
BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY 2020
Management, Technology and Learning for Individuals, Organisations and Society in Turbulent Environments
02 - 04 December 2020
Portugal
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Due to COVID-19 restictions, Hotel has informed us that they will close from 1st December.
New Venue: University of Minho - Guimarães
Innovative Conference Sessions
The Conference Organizing Committee is committed to the goal of providing an innovative conference organisation.
The new organisation is intended to provide an innovative environment for the Conference participants through the new type of conference sessions for participants PROACTIVE GENERATIVE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, which is the main Conference meta-objective, and its innovative offer.
We have decided that the conference sessions organisation model will follow the ECCON (European Chaos and Complexity Management in Organizations Network) sessions model as an innovative model, and adapt it to the Business Sustainability Conference environment.
We use this opportunity to thank to ECCON community for their contribution.
The innovative organisation will provide:
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2 types of paper presentation sessions
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Open sessions
2 TYPES OF PAPER DISCUSSION / PRESENTATION SESSIONS:
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The “dialogue” sessions
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The “author’s formal presentation” sessions
The Conference organisation strongly encourages authors to submit the papers to the “dialogue” type of session and to provide a new experience for themselves and the community too.
However, for the authors who prefer the “traditional” formal presentation model, the Conference organisation also provides the “author’s formal presentation” sessions. Please see below.
THE "DIALOGUE" SESSIONS
This session-type is conceived in order to provide an innovative environment for the Conference participants’ “PROACTIVE GENERATIVE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING”, which is the main Conference meta-objective, and its innovative offer.
This type of session is “focused to enable the dialogue among participants”.
(No formal presentations)
Within these sessions, “there will be no formal paper presentations by the authors. Instead, there will be pre-organised, concise commentaries by one or two reviewers, followed by questions and answers, or discussions.
The participants will be asked to play the role(s) of reviewer and/or dialogue/discussion leader for one of the papers.
The role of reviewer consists of reading the paper, writing a concise critical commentary (one or two A4 pages) prior to the conference meeting, and presenting it in the plenary or allocated session.
The role of dialogue/discussion leader consists of urging questions and stimulating discussions following the review, the time-keeping, and creating a constructive atmosphere for dialogue.”
In other words, there will be “face-to-face” dialogue among author(s) and reviewer(s), and other participants (instead of “traditional” previous “blind” review of the papers before submitting the final version of the paper).
Evaluation of the papers submitted to the “dialogue” sessions
The papers submitted to the “dialogue” sessions will be previously evaluated by one reviewer from the “point of view” if the paper is acceptable by its overall quality for the Conference and the “dialogue” sessions. After acceptance, the paper will be reviewed usually by one reviewer who will present his review at the “dialogue” session during the Conference, and discussing it with the author(s) and other session participants.
The author(s) will be notified firstly, on the acceptance of the paper for the “dialogue session” and secondly, about the reviewer(s) allocated for presenting the paper and the review(s) during the conference session.
THE "AUTHOR'S FORMAL PRESENTATION" SESSIONS
This type of the session is the well-known model: “traditional” formal presentations of the papers by the author(s).
This type of sessions consists of two parts:
1) The formal presentation of the paper by the author during 15-20 min; and
2) Questions by the session participants and the author’s answers, during, typically, 5-15 min.
The group of formal presentations within one time slot is usually chaired by a Session Chairperson.
Evaluation of the papers submitted to the “formal presentation” sessions
The papers submitted to the “formal presentation” (traditional) sessions will be evaluated through the “double blind” review process by two reviewers, in order to decide on the paper acceptance, and in the (acceptance) positive case, to recommend improvements for the paper before submitting the final version.
Therefore, the authors will receive the reviews in due time in order to prepare and submit the final, improved version of the paper – please see the “IMPORTANT DATES”.
The evaluation of the papers will be based on the following criteria:
1. relevance to the conference theme and topics
2. originality of the research
3. practice quality
4. appropriateness of the methodology
5. contribution to the state of knowledge / scientific contribution
6. paper structure and clarity.
OPEN SESSIONS
This is another session type that is “focused to enable the dialogue among participants”. The “open sessions” further enhance the participant interactions. For the “open sessions” there will be 'empty' slots reserved in the conference program.
During the “open sessions”, two types of interactions are encouraged: Informal Group Dialogues and Formal Group Deliberations.
• Informal Group Dialogues
For the informal group dialogues, in the reserved conference program - 'empty' slots, the participants can have informal dialogues in informal sub-groups during walks on the beach, surrounding of the conference hotel or in the conference rooms.
• Formal Group Deliberations
This mode of group interactions implies deliberations by the previously formed formal groups on selected themes (proposed by the participants). These sessions are to be organized and run by the previously formed formal groups while the Conference organisation will provide the necessary logistics.
These sessions also include the opportunity to present informally your ideas through videos, software, simulations, artwork, as well as their experimental and prototype versions.
Non-standard (video, simulations, artworks, etc.) presentations are highly encouraged.
NOTE: For any necessary logistic, please contact the organization in advance.