Academy13

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Addressing ecological sustainability: A matter of stakeholder management and competitiveness

June 2nd – 7th, 2013, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich (Switzerland)

Addressing ecological sustainability is at the core of organizational strategy. Not only is it the responsibility of companies to contribute to ecological challenges such as climate change but many stakeholders expect management to play an active role in stabilizing the world’s ecosystems. This brings sustainability to a cornerstone a competitive strategy. This PhD-Academy focuses on the interfaces of environmental challenges, stakeholder management, and corporate financial performance.

The aim of the annual ETH PhD-Academy is to promote excellent PhD-research in the area of sustainability and technology, and to develop responsible leaders for tomorrow. While the 2013 Academy focuses on stakeholder management and ecological sustainability in general, we would especially like to encourage applications from PhD-students working on organizational strategies and climate change. The five day Academy concentrates on improving the research design and methodology of participants’ PhDprojects. We invite PhD-students with a background in strategic management, stakeholder management or sustainable finance to participate in the Academy. Besides content-related discussions, students will get valuable feedback from their peers and three professors with extensive organizational research
experience:

• Dr. R. Edward Freeman
  Professor at Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, US

• Dr. Sandra Waddock
  Professor at Carroll School of Management, Boston College, US

• Dr. Volker Hoffmann
  Professor for Sustainability and Technology, ETH Zurich

Papers should focus on – but are not limited to – the following topics:

• Organizational strategy & sustainability
• Stakeholder management
• Corporate social & financial performance
• Ecological competitive strategies
• Business strategies towards system change

To guarantee an intensive learning process, attendance is limited to 15 PhD-students. The tuition fee of EUR 300 per person covers accommodation, meals, and excursions. Most of the program will take place in a hotel in the Swiss Alps. Applications should include (i) a cover letter explaining your motivation for applying, (ii) a proposal abstract of max. 2 pages, and (iii) a short CV. The deadline for submission is November 1st, 2012. Notification of acceptance will be given by December 15th, 2012. Deadline for full paper (10-15 p): April 1st, 2013.

For additional information, please see the previous academies’ programs (starting in 2007): http://www.sustec.ethz.ch/education/PhD_Academy

We welcome your application via email to Dr. Timo Busch: tobusch@ethz.ch.

Supported by

ABB

Mercator Foundation Switzerland

oikos Foundation

Syngenta