Author: Steph

I am a professor at the University of Birmingham Business School specializing in organizational history and international strategy.

17th Accounting History Symposium

Steph
Accounting History Special Interest Group (AFAANZ) logo

Dear Accounting History community members, 

The Accounting History Special Interest Group of AFAANZ is pleased to announce that the 17th Accounting History Symposium will be held fully online on July 2, 2022 in the morning (AEST).

The event will be free of charge for the AH-SIG members.

A fee of AUD$15 will be charged for non-members (including non-AFAANZ members).

As per our tradition, part of the event will be dedicated to research proposal presentations by accounting history scholars.

You are welcome to submit your research proposal according to the attached call for research proposals for the 17th Accounting History Symposium.

Feel also free to pass on this call to other interested colleagues and PhD students.

Further information on the event and our SIG can be found at https://www.afaanz.org/interest-group/accounting-history-special-interest-group

Registrations to the event are already open at https://www.afaanzconference.com/sigs

Thank you and best wishes

Giulia Leoni, Accounting History SIG Convenor

Maryam Safari, Accounting History SIG Deputy Convenor

Evaluation of business history by UK REF panel

Steph

This month saw the release of the results of the UK’s Research Excellence Framework assessment. As part of the exercise, the panel responsible for social sciences and humanities released an overview report summarising the state of research. Business history forms part of the Business and Management panel, and was included in the report of how the wider field is developing. The overall assessment of the progress of the field was very positive, noting an increasing in both quantity and quality. Below the excerpt of the expert reviewers’ report.

From the overview report by Main Panel C

Business History 

120. The upward trajectory of the Business History discipline related to Business and Management since REF 2014 is reflected in the increase in both the number and quality of submitted outputs. 

121. The majority of the submitted outputs were deemed to be world-leading or internationally excellent, in terms of originality, rigour and significance. Outputs displayed strength from both empirical and theoretical perspectives. In addition, a pleasing number of outputs addressed methodological advancements within the domain. While the vast majority of submitted outputs were journal articles, authored books were also a feature, with the majority of submitted books judged to be of world-leading quality. 

122. Several key issues were characteristic of the discipline’s development since REF 2014 and worthy of note. Firstly, the growing importance of the role of Business History in advancing theory; secondly, the increasing interdisciplinarity of the area, evident, for example, in the emergence of historical organisation studies. Methodologically, the discipline embraced diverse approaches. However, archival research dominated those outputs judged to be world-leading. A striking feature of the discipline was the very high level of rigour evident across the returned outputs. 

123. Business History clearly reaches across the range of B&M disciplines, making contributions, for example, to Entrepreneurship, International Business, Marketing, Retailing, Strategy, Accounting, Political Economy, Finance and Economics. 

CfP: Building Ecosystems/Selling Natures

Steph

Proposals are invited for the conference

Building Ecosystems/Selling Natures: At the Edge of Environments and Economies

Friday, October 28, 2022

Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society

Hagley Library, Wilmington, Delaware

In everyday life we are embedded in ecosystems and economic systems that interact with one another, and indeed, are mutually constitutive. For a conference, “Building Ecosystems/Selling Natures,” we invite proposals that interrogate the interaction of various dualities: commerce and nature, firms and the earth’s resources, productive activity and the built environment. Our notion of ecosystems is expansive. It includes the many interactions among water, minerals, and geophysical features; biological systems within and between animals, plants, and microorganisms; and human-made settings such as buildings, cities, and transportation networks. We welcome papers that seek to blur the binary dualism between the many forms of nature and the institutions and social relations generated by economic activity.

We hope for proposals from a range of disciplinary perspectives, inspired as we are by scholars researching agriculture, mining, energy, water, enviro-tech, the built environment, evolution, and the biosphere (to name a few). Their scholarship explores the shared spaces that we hope to interrogate through this conference. In particular, we hope to create panels that bring together scholars working in different subjects, themes, and disciplines to see how they can cross-fertilize each other’s work, including researchers engaged with concepts like “Anthropocene” and “Capitalocene” and their efficacy. 

We are interested in original, unpublished, empirical papers that are conceptually informed and historically framed addressing the above and related topics. We hope to consider proposals that may benefit from engagement with collections and experts from Hagley, an institution that has a wealth of resources from the mid-1800s to the recent past. However, we also welcome papers that span earlier time periods, use collections from other institutions,  and encompass international cases. We particularly encourage proposals that consider the following questions:

  • How have economies and technologies generated new capacity to alter and exploit the environment?
  • How are features of nature turned into capital?
  • How is nature marketed and sold?
  • How do human creations, such as buildings, become ecosystems?
  • How has the materiality and/or human understanding of nature framed economic behavior?

Please submit proposals of no more than 500 words and a one-page C.V. to Carol Lockman at clockman@Hagley.org by June 15, 2022. Conference presenters will be asked to submit complete versions of their conference papers by Oct. 7, 2021. The conference is planned as an in-person event but will adopt a virtual format if necessary. Presenters will receive lodging in the conference hotel and compensation for their travel costs. The conference organizers are planning an edited volume based on a selection of revised conference papers. The program committee is comprised of Tim LeCain, Nicole Welk-Joerger, Greg Hargreaves, and Roger Horowitz.

Oral history project support available

Steph

The Oral History Office of the Hagley Library invites applications for oral history project support. The interviews generated by these projects will become part of the collection of the Hagley Library, which guarantees the permanent preservation of and access to oral histories associated with any funded project. Graduate students conducting research for their thesis or dissertation, and more advanced scholars for books or other scholarly projects may apply for this grant. Our objective is to expand our oral history collections on business and its relationship to society by supporting serious research that uses oral history as a principal source, and to encourage use of oral interviews more generally. To achieve that goal Hagley seeks to collaborate with oral history practitioners and build a robust archive for the preservation of current projects and as a foundation for future projects and the larger business history community.

Project grant funds may be used to reimburse costs associated with travel to interviewees, including for mileage, trains, air fare, food, and lodging. Funds may also be for equipment purchases but not stipends. Reimbursement of costs will take place promptly after submission of the interview sound file, metadata, release forms, and receipts. Archiving and indexing oral history interviews is a free service provided by Hagley to grant recipients. 

Interviews must be conducted in English and in accordance with the standards of the Oral History Association (https://www.oralhistory.org/archives-principles-and-best-practices-overv…) and the Hagley Library’s own technical requirements (available upon request). Oral history projects must fit within Hagley’s collecting scope; broadly the interconnected histories of American business, technology, and society. We especially seek oral histories representing the roles of women, African Americans and other ethnic minorities, and the roles that these groups have played in American business and technology. The Library seeks to document accounts of innovation as well as maintenance; change as well as continuity; success as well as failure; and institutional as well as personal experiences.

Grant recipients must use Hagley’s release form and ensure that any restrictions will permit public access to the interviews within a reasonable timeframe, specific terms to be negotiated. In consultation with the interviewer, Hagley will index interviews using the OHMS system and make indexed interviews available to the interviewer and as part of our public archive.

Deadlines: June 1 and December 1

To apply, go to https://www.hagley.org/research/grants-fellowships/oral-history-project-grant-application to upload the following application information:

1.     Project title

2.      Project abstract (maximum length: 150 words)

3.     Curriculum Vitae or resume

4.     Project description indicating the scope of your research and the existing scholarship with which you engage (maximum length: 1000 words).

5.     Potential interviewees, including an explanation why they are relevant to the project

6.     Timetable for project

7.      Budget (specify equipment, if purchasing)

For questions, and to make sure their projects fall within Hagley’s collecting scope, applicants are encouraged to reach out to Hagley Oral History Program Manager Ben Spohn, bspohn@hagley.org before applying.

Historical Organisation Studies: where next?

Steph

Hybrid conference

  • Thursday, 2nd June 2022; 9.30am – 4.30pm (in-person + on-line)
  • University of Edinburgh Business School, 29 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JS, Scotland.

MAIN VENUE: Conference Room – 4th Floor, Business School.

Registration 09.30 to 10.30 am — Registration and coffee 
 Opening 10.30 to 10.45 am — Welcome by Head of the School, Wendy Loretto (tbc) 
 Track 1: Identities and Identity Work             10.45 to 11.15 am — Keynote Speaker 1: ·         SESSION CHAIR: Robert Dawson Scott·         SPEAKER: Andrew Brown, Professor of Organisation Studies; University of Bath. 11.15 to 12.15 pm — Track1: Participants 1, 2 and 3 (20 minutes each) ·         PARTICIPANT 1: Martin McCluskey·         PARTICIPANT 2: Laura Fey·         PARTICIPANT 3: Stella Kyratzi
 Lunch 12.15 to 13.30 pm — Lunch Break 
Track 2: History; more than just context? Rhetorical History & Collective Memory  13.30 to 14.00 pm — Keynote Speaker 2: ·         SESSION CHAIR: Martin McCluskey·         SPEAKER: Michael Rowlinson, Professor of Management and Organisational History; University of Exeter. 14.00 to 15.00 pm — Track 2: Participants 4, 5 and 6 (20 minutes each) ·         PARTICIPANT 4: Robert Dawson Scott·         PARTICIPANT 5: Andrew Burns·         PARTICIPANT 6: tbc 
Break 15.00 to 15.30 pm — Coffee Break 
Panel 15.30 to 16.30 pm — Panel discussion with our keynote speakers/mentors: ·         SESSION MODERATOR: Laura Fey ·         … Michael Rowlinson, Chris Carter & Ron Kerr. 
Networking Event 16.30 pm onwards (6pm CLOSE) … Wine & Nibbles etc. VENUE: within the ‘Business School Concourse-area‘. 

Participants are welcome to attend in person or virtually, for all or part of the event. Please choose the relevant Eventbrite link below. Participation is free of charge.

The Tracks:

In-person: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/…  

Online: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/…  

The Panel:

In-person: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/…  

Online: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/…

Historical Organisation Studies: where next?

  • Thursday, 2nd June 2022; 9.30am – 4.30pm (in-person + on-line)
  • University of Edinburgh Business School
  • 29 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JS, Scotland.

MAIN VENUE: Conference Room – 4th Floor, Business School.

Registration 09.30 to 10.30 am — Registration and coffee 
 Opening 10.30 to 10.45 am — Welcome by Head of the School, Wendy Loretto (tbc) 
 Track 1: Identities and Identity Work             10.45 to 11.15 am — Keynote Speaker 1: ·        
SESSION CHAIR: Robert Dawson Scott·        
SPEAKER: Andrew Brown, Professor of Organisation Studies; University of Bath. 

11.15 to 12.15 pm — Track1: Participants 1, 2 and 3 (20 minutes each) ·        
PARTICIPANT 1: Martin McCluskey·        
PARTICIPANT 2: Laura Fey·        
PARTICIPANT 3: Stella Kyratzi
 Lunch 12.15 to 13.30 pm — Lunch Break 
Track 2: History; more than just context? Rhetorical History & Collective Memory  13.30 to 14.00 pm — Keynote Speaker 2: ·        
SESSION CHAIR: Martin McCluskey·        
SPEAKER: Michael Rowlinson, Professor of Management and Organisational History; University of Exeter. 

14.00 to 15.00 pm — Track 2: Participants 4, 5 and 6 (20 minutes each) ·        
PARTICIPANT 4: Robert Dawson Scott·         PARTICIPANT 5: Andrew Burns·        
PARTICIPANT 6: tbc 
Break 15.00 to 15.30 pm — Coffee Break 
Panel 15.30 to 16.30 pm — Panel discussion with our keynote speakers/mentors: ·        
SESSION MODERATOR: Laura Fey ·         … Michael Rowlinson, Chris Carter & Ron Kerr. 
Networking Event 16.30 pm onwards (6pm CLOSE) … 
Wine & Nibbles etc. 
VENUE: within the ‘Business School Concourse-area‘. 

Participants are welcome to attend in person or virtually, for all or part of the event. Please choose the relevant Eventbrite link below. Participation is free of charge.

The Tracks:

In-person: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/…  

Online: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/…  

The Panel:

In-person: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/…  

Online: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/…

Fully-funded PhD studentship

Steph

The University of Leeds and Baring Archive are sponsoring a fully-funded PhD to research the role of Barings in the slave economy:

https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/251-the-role-of-slavery-in-the-british-financial-sector-1700-1838

The deadline is 31 May. Please note that applicants should already have a Masters degree.

PHD IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND STRATEGY

Steph

HENLEY BUSINESS SCHOOL (UNIVERSITY OF READING)

International Business and Strategy (IBS) at Henley Business School offers 3 fully-funded PhD scholarships for September 2022 entry. Join high calibre doctoral candidates from more than 25 countries in the world and study at a triple-accredited global business school. Henley Business School is ideally located, set on a beautiful campus, just 25 minutes by train from London. During your studies you will benefit from dedicated supervision, impressive facilities and high-quality support.

For over 50 years we have stood at the forefront of teaching and research in International Business (IB) and we continue to help define the research agenda in the field as well as in Business History and International Human Resource Management (IHRM). As a part of our program, we offer the International Business Masterclasses, which allow to engage in key IB and IHRM topics taught by notable intellectual figures in the field and provide networking opportunities with PhD students from all over the world. Our research is driven through leading centres, such as the John H. Dunning Centre for International Business and the Centre for Economic Institutions and Business History.

Alongside the PhD in International Business and Strategy, we offer a Double PhD with the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (Italy). The Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering at Politecnico di Milano has a strong commitment to the excellence, distinctiveness and relevance of its teaching and research activities. Their PhD is highly international and graduates are held in high esteem – not only in academia – but also in public institutions and companies where their research qualifications are increasingly demanded. This 4-year Double PhD programme allows PhD students enrolled at the Henley Business School to spend a period of normally 12 months at Politecnico di Milano and benefit from joint supervision by one member of faculty from each institution throughout their career. There shall be one oral examination (“Viva”) and one thesis to be submitted by the student for the Double PhD Programme. Prospective candidates for this programme should clearly mention it in their PhD application at Henley Business School.

The PhD in International Business and Strategy and the Double PhD emphasise:

  • Formal research training (PhD/Masters level courses in year 1)
  • Flexibility to meet individual needs
  • Student-staff interaction
  • Timely completion of the degree

As part of your personal development, you will be encouraged to engage in teaching (formal training also provided), research activities, conferences and events within the Business School and around the world.

RESEARCH AREAS

We welcome applicants seeking to conduct postgraduate research in the following fields:

  • Business History,
  • International Business,
  • International Human Resource Management,
  • Strategy.

To help identify your fit with the departmental research agenda, a summary of the research interests of our faculty members and links to their academic profiles are available at http://hly.ac/ibs-phd.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

You should have obtained a Master degree at distinction or merit level in a relevant area from an internationally recognised university. Relevant research and/or industry experience may be considered for those with exceptional strengths.

As part of the application process, you will also be asked to submit a research proposal. Prior to your submission, you may wish to discuss your proposal with an individual faculty member working in the area. Please avoid contacting multiple faculty members.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A PhD

The application process normally consists of three main steps:

1. Formal application (incl. research proposal, CV, transcripts and reference letters)

2. Shortlisting based on the submitted documents

3. Formal interview

For fees (covered if fully funded), please visit the Graduate School website.

PhD FUNDING

The 3 fully funded PhD scholarships are awarded based on the quality of your research proposal, outstanding academic merit and two reference letters (preferably from academics). The closing date for funding applications is 15 June 2022.

CONTACT US

Please visit our website at http://hly.ac/ibs-phd. for full details on our PhD program and tips for a successful application. If you have any further questions, please contact us by email at phd.ibs@reading.ac.uk.

EIBA History track

Steph

The forthcoming EIBA annual conference (European International Business Academy) in Oslo, December 2022, will include a track on “Using History in International Business”? Here is the link to the conference:

http://www.bi.edu/about-bi/events/2022/december/eiba-2022/

Here is the link to the track description:

http://www.bi.edu/about-bi/events/2022/december/eiba-2022/using-history-in-international-business/

Launching the Dotcom-Archive website!

Featured Steph

Our AHRC-funded project, Contextualizing Email Archives has recently finished and we are proud to share with you one of our major outputs: the Dotcom-Archive website!

Our new website tells the history of a Dotcom start-up company through its emails, opening a window into the first digital revolution. Our very own desktop assistant, Mr Gummy, guides you through four vignettes giving background information and directions. The vignettes deal with claims of the end of strategy in the Dotcom-era, burning through investor cash, trying to figure out how to make money from software and platform business models, and how to take a digital venture into international markets. These stories can be read on their own or used for teaching. 

The website is part of our wider AHRC-funded project. We believe emails are a valuable source of historical record, particularly for those wishing to understand the organizations of the digital era. Our project delivers two distinct outputs – the Dotcom-Archive website, and the EMCODIST search prototype that we used to create it.  

Stay tuned for updates, as we’re looking forward to announcing some more exciting plans on here soon. Until then, you can read more about our project in our open access publications: 

AI & Society

IEEE Big Data conference paper  

“Contextualising Email Archives” is a UK/US collaboration funded by UK Research and Innovation and led by the University of Bristol. Other partners are the National Archives (UK), Hagley Museum and Library (US), University of Maryland, and De Montfort University. The Dotcom-Archive website was developed by GreenHat Bristol and realised by ResearchIT Bristol.

JMS Online Workshop | CFP Occupations and Memory in Organization Studies

Steph

Call for Abstracts

OCCUPATIONS AND MEMORY IN ORGANIZATION STUDIES

Abstract submission deadline 23th May 2022 at https://tinyurl.com/yz98e82m

You are invited to submit an extended abstract (maximum 2,000 words) of your working paper to an online development workshop for the JMS special issue on Occupations and Memory in Organization Studies.

The workshop will be held on Zoom on June 15th 2022 (4pm CEST).

In the first half-hour of the workshop, the guest editors will introduce the special issue and talk about their expectations for the submissions. For the remaining hour, authors will be divided into breakout rooms to receive feedback from one of the editors and from other authors.

The full call for papers is available here https://tinyurl.com/mrxmrsxc

Full Paper Submission Deadline: 30 November 2022