SMS Special Conference Washington D.C.

• Track Chair: Tim Gubler (BYU)
• Associate Track Chair: Carlos Inoue (UIUC)

This track emphasizes the third UN Sustainable Develop Goal: Good Health and Well-Being. This goal is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing reverberations have underscored the unique challenges to business and economies stemming from the interplay of public and private dynamics, worsening community well-being, and far-reaching global imbalances. The link between societal and business health is more evident than ever, with firms recognizing health as a significant business risk. This paradigm shift has ignited renewed interest in scholarly research and insights regarding the business of health and the collective need for community well-being.  

Moving forward we face a future filled with health-related challenges. Healthcare costs are on the rise, access to quality care remains a global concern, and the healthcare industry faces significant challenges in attracting, motivating, and retaining professionals. Yet there are also unique opportunities as new technologies, vaccines, and management innovations help revolutionize healthcare delivery. In parallel, businesses and managers find themselves in an increasingly influential position, capable of positively impacting the health and well-being of both their employees and the communities they touch. More broadly, there appears to be increasing appetite and opportunities for businesses, governments, and non-government organizations to collaborate and innovate.  

The goal of this track is to serve as a vital platform for illuminating how businesses, managers, governments, and other actors can contribute to reshaping the landscape of individual health and well-being, the performance and success of healthcare delivery, and societal outcomes. We invite papers that seek to inform the above topics, and hope to engage both researchers and practitioners concerned with these issues.   

Key words:  

Employee health, wellness, productivity, healthcare innovation, pharmaceuticals, health disparities, quality of health care, corporate social responsibility, pollution, climate change, worker safety.     

Key areas and guiding questions:  

• How can businesses contribute to positive employee and community health outcomes? 
• What innovative approaches can businesses adopt to contribute to the well-being of their employees, fostering a healthier and more engaged workforce? 
• In what ways can businesses integrate health and well-being considerations into their core strategies and decision-making processes, creating a symbiotic relationship between profit generation and societal welfare? 
• How can businesses, governments, and non-government organizations develop sustainable collaborations to promote the well-being of workers and communities? What examples of successful cross-sector collaboration between scholars and practice executives exist?  
• What innovative business and management strategies can be employed to effectively control and manage rising healthcare costs, to help ensure both financial sustainability and improved patient outcomes?  
• What are the most effective business and management approaches for implementing and integrating new technologies to enhance patient care, while addressing the complexities and potential challenges associated with their adoption in healthcare settings? 
• What role can business managers and healthcare professionals play in enhancing access to quality healthcare, particularly in underserved regions, and how can they collaborate with governments and healthcare organizations to achieve this goal? 
• How do firms strategically leverage corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to mitigate the impact of pollution and climate change on community health? What are the key success factors and barriers in implementing CSR programs that have a meaningful and sustainable impact on the health and well-being of local communities while also addressing broader environmental concerns? 
• How can pharmaceutical companies enhance their innovation processes to accelerate the development and equitable distribution of life-saving drugs, particularly in the context of global health challenges? 

• Track Chair: Jiao Luo (University of Minnesota)
• Associate Track Chair: Wesley Koo (INSEAD)

In this track, we invite submissions that delve into the sustainable management of human capital, with a particular focus on addressing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Modern work is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by factors such as technological advancements, shifting migration patterns, and global events, such as pandemics and global conflicts. These changes have given rise to novel phenomena, challenges, and opportunities in the realm of human capital management, necessitating an urgent re-evaluation of conventional models.

In the context of technological progress, including the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, certain occupations and professions are facing displacement or upheaval, while the cultivation of new skills are required to navigate evolving work environments. Post-pandemic, many employees are increasingly seeking more flexible work arrangements, presenting employers with a complex decision matrix that needs to accommodate both employees’ desire for flexibility and the need for organizational cohesion. In the developing world, persistent skills/opportunity gaps continue to impede sustainable economic development, compelling executives and policymakers to explore innovative approaches to overcome these barriers. Importantly, the society’s push for workplaces to become more equitable, inclusive, and diverse cannot be neglected as the future of work rapidly unfolds.

Our aim is to foster exploration into how business leaders can recalibrate their approaches to new work arrangements, promote employee well-being, and fulfil their societal commitments. This track offers a platform for engagement and exchange among academic researchers, consulting organizations, think tanks, and members of professional and trade organizations. Together, we aim to collaboratively examine, debate, and establish new paradigms for work that align with sustainability goals and address the dynamic challenges of our times.

Keywords:  

Future of Work, Artificial Intelligence and Workforce Planning, Corporate Social Responsibility in Human Capital Management, New Skill Development, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Workplace flexibility, Inclusive Work Environment, Creative Collaboration in the Workplace

Key areas and guiding questions: 

• How can strategic human capital management practices be designed to support safe and decent work conditions and employee well-being? 
• How can organizations balance the desire for flexible work arrangements with the need for effective team collaboration, and what best practices exist for achieving this balance sustainably? 
• How are emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and digital communication tools shaping the future of work, and what are the implications for sustainable human capital management? 
• What are the ethical considerations and potential pitfalls in the use of emerging technologies, such as AI and machine learning, in the context of human capital management, and how can these technologies be harnessed for sustainable outcomes? 
• What role can corporate social responsibility (CSR) play in advancing sustainable human capital management practices, and how can businesses leverage CSR to promote decent work and economic growth? 
• How can businesses and governments collaborate to create policy frameworks that encourage the adoption of sustainable human capital management practices, particularly in regions facing economic challenges? 
• How do the unique challenges posed by global events, such as pandemics and conflicts, impact the development and implementation of sustainable human capital management strategies? 
• What are the benefits and challenges of creating organizational workplaces that are more equitable to and inclusive of historically marginalized populations?  
• How can we ensure the well-being and fair treatment of vulnerable worker populations, such as migrant workers, formerly incarcerated individuals, homeless persons, persons with disabilities etc., in the evolving work environment? 

• Track Chair: Chris Rider, University of Michigan Ross School of Business
• Track Chair: Colleen Stuart, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School 

In this track, we explore the role that educational institutions play in sustainable human development. In particular, we consider how opportunities to obtain a quality education (UN SDG #4 Quality Education) influence subsequent business opportunities in ways that may or may not be considered equitable and, therefore, influence the attainment of other UN SDGs (e.g., #5 Gender Equality, #10 Reduced Inequalities). 

Our goal is to foster discussion of the role of educational institutions and businesses in fostering “equitable opportunities” – situations where access to education and its subsequent benefits are governed neither by differential treatment (i.e., unequal treatment à unequal outcome) nor disparate impact (i.e., equal treatment à unequal outcome). We encourage submissions that engage with diverse notions of equity (e.g., fairness and justice) 

Given the signaling value of an education, educational institutions govern access to employment opportunities (e.g., credentialing, hiring, promotion, retention). But, strategic management research also considers how prior educational experiences influences individual and firm access to capital, entrepreneurial opportunities, inter-firm relationships, and other business outcomes. We, therefore, welcome submissions that consider how access to education – and variation in the quality of education – governs a wide range of business-related phenomena. 

A few important observations motivate our call for submissions. First, educational access, quality, and outcomes vary significantly worldwide, with pronounced disparities and challenges exacerbated by both global and regional events. Second, the UN reports that COVID-19 has reversed 20 years of education gains in terms of basic elementary school proficiency. Third, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on affirmative action policies has disrupted policies that have long governed access to higher education in the U.S. Many observers are reasonably concerned about equitable opportunities to obtain higher education. Fourth, many expect those that challenged university and college admission policies to also challenge organizational practices designed to promote equity in employment opportunities. 

We encourage researchers from all fields who are studying issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in access to education, employment, and other business opportunities to submit their research to this track. In addition to mainstream strategy researchers, we are especially receptive to submissions from researchers who do not typically identify as such. Our hope is to foster multi-disciplinary dialogue and inter-disciplinary collaborations focused on equitable opportunities in higher education institutions, the private sector, and public policy. 

We recognize that faculty, administration, and leadership of business schools can play a significant role in raising awareness and generating new thinking around education. We consequently intend to examine our assumptions, pedagogy, and curriculum to explore practices, research, and ideas for teaching topics situated at the intersection of strategic management and equitable opportunity. We believe that this educational focus will be of interest to teachers/scholars – as well as business, government, and nonprofit leaders – as we reflect on our roles in sustainable human development practices and research. 

We invite submissions from academics, researchers, educators, policymakers, business leaders, and professionals interested in the transformation of educational institutions and their contribution to global equity. This track encourages multidisciplinary perspectives and welcomes both theoretical and empirical contributions. 

Key words:  

Education; Investment in Human Capital; Opportunity; Equity; Affirmative Action 

Key areas and guiding questions: 

• Access and Equity: Examining disparities in educational access and opportunities, and practices to promote equitable access at all levels of education. 
  • How can institutions navigate legal and regulatory environments to ensure equitable access to education? 
  • How can educational institutions bridge the gap in access to quality education, particularly in underserved communities and regions? 
  • What are the most salient economic, geographic, political, or social barriers to accessing high quality education that govern business opportunities?
•  Education Quality and Equity: Exploring innovations and best practices to provide quality education for all. 

• • What innovative approaches and technologies can be employed to enhance the quality of education and improve learning outcomes? 
  • What are the implications of COVID-19 for future educational strategies, and recovery efforts? 
  •  What are the best policies and practices to address the evolving needs of learners in a rapidly changing world? 
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Addressing issues of diversity and inclusion in educational institutions and their role in fostering equitable learning environments. 
  • How can educational institutions create inclusive environments that foster diversity and equity in learning? 
  • What can employers learn from the DEI practices and policies of higher education institutions?  
• Employer Practices: Considering how employer reliance on educational credentials, campus recruiting, alumni networks, etc. shapes business opportunities and socioeconomic mobility. 
  • What common employer practices related to education present opportunities for some but constraints for others?      
  • What performance-enhancing policies and practices contribute to societal inequality in ways that many perceive as inequitable (e.g., unpaid internships, trial employment)?