Seminar at the IUC Dubrovnik (April 11-15th, 2016) & Special Issue of Management Revue

Working life is undergoing a radical change in which new digital technologies are changing the nature of labour and its organizational forms in a pervasive manner, regardless of whether it concerns qualified professionals or labourers. The framework, which previously regulated the content of work, as well as when, where and how it would be conducted is being reconsidered. A process that presents both challenges and possibilities.

One fundamental aspect of ICT is that it can make employees more accessible to others and allow work to become more available to the employee. Easy access to ICT functions (e.g., email, text and voice messages), for example, enable employees to continue working after leaving the office for the day. This ease of access may have both positive and negative effects. Although much of the research focus to date has concentrated on how ICT may act as demands, stressors or certain characteristics of ICT can enhance work-life balance, employee satisfaction, well-being and productivity.

Another aspect of new digital technologies concerns the manner in which the work process is monitored and controlled. Surveillance in the workplace is not a novelty. Nor is it unreasonable to expect that employers have both rights and reasons to do so. To a certain extent, of course. However, increasing availability of relatively inexpensive and easy to use technology, for example software monitoring programs, enables employers to expand the range and scope of their control over their employees’ activities. The increase in potential methods to track and monitor employee behaviour poses questions that concern where the borders for personal integrity are drawn. Who has the right to personal details, and at what point? In what way does this monitoring affect the social relations between employer and employee in terms of control, autonomy and trust?

Digital technology, in computers, phones or in the “Internet of things” also provides tools that enable the standardization of work on a completely different level than previously. For some workers, we see a degradation and depletion of work, and also that the control of work is increasing; a development that is usually described using the concept of “Digital Taylorism.” How does this development affect the working man or the working class?

In the special issue and the corresponding seminar (IUC Dubrovnik, http://www.iuc.hr, 11.-15.April 2016), we would like to discuss our topic in an appropriately broad and interdisciplinary manner. We are particularly interested in questions such as:

• Virtual work and stress
• Digital technologies and work-family boundaries
• Virtual teams and E-leadership
• Digital Taylorism
• Virtual work and trust
• Digital surveillance

This is not an exhaustive list.

Deadline
Potential contributors to the seminar at the IUC Dubrovnik are encouraged to submit an abstract of 1-2 pages before January 31st, 2016 electronically via Management Revue’s online submission system at http://www.management-revue.org/submission/ using ‘IUC Dubrovnik’ as article section.

All contributors to the seminar are invited to submit their paper for the special issue of Management Revue. Full papers must be submitted by July 31st, 2016. All contributions will be subject to a double-blind review. Papers invited to a ‘revise and resubmit’ are due October 31st, 2016. Please submit your papers electronically via the online submission system at http://www.management-revue.org/submission/ using ‘SI Digital Working Life’ as article section.

Hoping to hear from you!

Mikael Ottosson
Calle Rosengren
Doris Holtmann
Wenzel Matiaske

Seminar at the IUC Dubrovnik (April 11-15th, 2016) & Special Issue of Management Revue

Working life is undergoing a radical change in which new digital technologies are changing the nature of labour and its organizational forms in a pervasive manner, regardless of whether it concerns qualified professionals or labourers. The framework, which previously regulated the content of work, as well as when, where and how it would be conducted is being reconsidered. A process that presents both challenges and possibilities.

One fundamental aspect of ICT is that it can make employees more accessible to others and allow work to become more available to the employee. Easy access to ICT functions (e.g., email, text and voice messages), for example, enable employees to continue working after leaving the office for the day. This ease of access may have both positive and negative effects. Although much of the research focus to date has concentrated on how ICT may act as demands, stressors or certain characteristics of ICT can enhance work-life balance, employee satisfaction, well-being and productivity.

Another aspect of new digital technologies concerns the manner in which the work process is monitored and controlled. Surveillance in the workplace is not a novelty. Nor is it unreasonable to expect that employers have both rights and reasons to do so. To a certain extent, of course. However, increasing availability of relatively inexpensive and easy to use technology, for example software monitoring programs, enables employers to expand the range and scope of their control over their employees’ activities. The increase in potential methods to track and monitor employee behaviour poses questions that concern where the borders for personal integrity are drawn. Who has the right to personal details, and at what point? In what way does this monitoring affect the social relations between employer and employee in terms of control, autonomy and trust?

Digital technology, in computers, phones or in the “Internet of things” also provides tools that enable the standardization of work on a completely different level than previously. For some workers, we see a degradation and depletion of work, and also that the control of work is increasing; a development that is usually described using the concept of “Digital Taylorism.” How does this development affect the working man or the working class?

In the special issue and the corresponding seminar (IUC Dubrovnik, http://www.iuc.hr, 11.-15.April 2016), we would like to discuss our topic in an appropriately broad and interdisciplinary manner. We are particularly interested in questions such as:

• Virtual work and stress
• Digital technologies and work-family boundaries
• Virtual teams and E-leadership
• Digital Taylorism
• Virtual work and trust
• Digital surveillance

This is not an exhaustive list.

Deadline
Potential contributors to the seminar at the IUC Dubrovnik are encouraged to submit an abstract of 1-2 pages before January 31st, 2016 electronically via Management Revue’s online submission system at http://www.management-revue.org/submission/ using ‘IUC Dubrovnik’ as article section.

All contributors to the seminar are invited to submit their paper for the special issue of Management Revue. Full papers must be submitted by July 31st, 2016. All contributions will be subject to a double-blind review. Papers invited to a ‘revise and resubmit’ are due October 31st, 2016. Please submit your papers electronically via the online submission system at http://www.management-revue.org/submission/ using ‘SI Digital Working Life’ as article section.

Hoping to hear from you!

Mikael Ottosson
Calle Rosengren
Doris Holtmann
Wenzel Matiaske

Journal of Change Management (JCM)

Author Invite – Special Issue: Managing Change in Industry Clusters: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Smart Specialisation & Regional Development

Special Issue Guest Editors:

Professor Kerry Brown (Curtin University) Kerry.Brown@curtin.edu.au
Professor John Burgess (Curtin University) John.Burgess@curtin.edu.au
A/Professor Susanne Gretzinger (University of Southern Denmark) sug@sam.sdu.dk
Professor Susanne Royer (Europa Universität Flensburg) royer@uni-flensburg.de

The aims and scope of JCM:

JCM is committed to becoming the leading journal in its field by establishing itself as a community for all scholars with an interest in the complex and multidisciplinary field of change and its management. JCM is a multidisciplinary and international forum for critical, mainstream and alternative contributions – focusing as much on motivation, ethics, culture and behavior as on structure and process. JCM is a platform for open and challenging dialogue and a thorough critique of established as well as alternative practices.

About the Special Issue:

Changes in markets, networks and clusters lead to change within companies and this induces the need for (re-)thinking current concepts and/or developing new concepts about the way organisations adapt and change. We are particularly interested in explorations and research in this change context, with specific interest in the field of cluster management directed towards the establishment of entrepreneurial ecosystems, smart specialization strategies and regional development. This special issue aims to link these topics better into the fields of public policies, organisational and sectoral strategies and change management and, to develop new knowledge in the discussion field with focus on a resource-oriented perspective on clusters. The editors would like to encourage scholars from a wide range of disciplinary and/or multidisciplinary approaches to submit papers in the following topic areas related to managing change in clustered organisations and across industry clusters in regions:

• Smart Specialisation Strategies supporting the management of change in clusters
• Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and clustering strategies
• The role of Public Policy in change management for industry clustering
• Firm resources, strategy and change in industry clustering
• Cluster management and change facilitation
• Cluster mapping and evaluation leading to change

Submission Dates and Deadlines:

Paper Submission: 1st October 2015
Decisions from Editors: 1st February2016
Revise and Resubmit Submission: 1st April 2016 (open call opportunity if needed)
Second Round Reviews: 1st June 2016
Final Paper Submissions: 1st August 2016
Special Issue Publication: March 2017

Whilst the special issue is invite-only, all papers will go through a robust review and editorial process and therefore publication cannot be guaranteed. In addition to addressing relevant content for the special issue, submissions should adhere to the Scope and Aims of the Journal of Change Management. Papers should be prepared in line with the JCM Author Guidelines and should adhere to the JCM Style and Submission Guidelines.

All manuscripts should be submitted to Professor John Burgess (John.Burgess@curtin.edu.au) and should be marked as being submitted for the Special Issue on “Managing Change in Industry Clusters: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Smart Specialisation & Regional Development.”

For queries related to this special issue, please contact any of the following guest editors: Kerry Brown (Kerry.Brown@curtin.edu.au), John Burgess (John.Burgess@curtin.edu.au), Susanne Gretzinger (sug@sam.sdu.dk), Susanne Royer (royer@uni-flensburg.de).

Date: December 7th-8th, 2015

Location: Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany

Aims and Topics

The IAB Graduate School’s 8 th interdisciplinary Ph.D. workshop “Perspectives on (Un-) Employment” endeavours to bring together young researchers from different disciplines. This international workshop will provide an opportunity for Ph.D. students to present and discuss their research in a constructive atmosphere, incorporating feedback and advice from a number of experienced researchers. The workshop will focus on, but not be limited to, theoretical and empirical research in the following fields:

• International perspectives on the labour market
• Health and labour market outcomes
• Intergenerational mobility
• Macroeconomic analysis of labour markets
• Labour market institutions and policies
• Methodological aspects of labour market research
• Gender differences on the labour market
• Education, qualification and skills
• Regional disparities and social inequality
• Labour mobility and dynamics

Keynote Speakers

• Prof. Tito M. Boeri, Ph.D. (INPS, Bocconi University, Institute for Study of Labour)
• Prof. Dr. Johannes Giesecke (Humboldt University Berlin)

For further information on this call please see this link.

The problem of sustainability has received serious attention since the Club of Rome pointed to the limits of growth in 1972. Addressing ecological, economic and social issues, it is still a major – perhaps the biggest – challenge humanity faces. The problem demands attention by actors from all social levels. On the micro-level, sustainable consumption is often regarded as the major way how individual consumers can contribute to sustainable development. By now a growing number of people are aware that many consumption habits have to be changed because they are in conflict with the goal of sustainable development. Yet, there is a gap between knowledge and action. Much research has been done in the last 30 years on sustainable consumption, exploring the motivations, practices, opportunities, and drivers for sustainable consumption from economic, psychological and sociological perspectives. Despite this multidisciplinary effort and the often interdisciplinary nature of research on sustainable consumption, there is room for broadening the perspectives further. In particular, the link between political participation and sustainable consumption as a political statement as well as the link between various forms and objectives of political consumption deserves more attention. Further, the impact of societal inequality on sustainable consumption has not gained much attention. Especially research on the interaction between inequality, issues of security and precariousness, political participation and consumption behavior is lacking.

In the special issue, we would like to discuss our topic in an adequately broad and interdisciplinary way. We are particularly interested in questions such as:

• Inequality (e.g., precariousness) and sustainable consumption
• Citizenship and consumption
• Sustainable consumption as a political statement
• Quantitative and qualitative empirical studies on these issues

This is not an exhaustive list.

Deadline
Full papers for this special issue of management revue must be submitted by July 31st, 2015. All contributions will be subject to a double-blind review. Papers invited to a ‘revise and resubmit’ are due October 31st, 2015. Please submit your papers electronically via the online submission system at http://www.management-revue.org/submission/ using ‘SI Sustainable Consumption’ as article section.

Hoping to hear from you!

Ortrud Leßmann, Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg (Germany)
Wenzel Matiaske, Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg (Germany)
Torsten Masson, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Leipzig (Germany)
Simon Fietze, University of Southern Denmark

Oldenburg, 06. and 07. November 2015

Venue: Jade University of Applied Sciences, Oldenburg

Organiser: Science Shop Vechta/Cloppenburg University of Vechta together with the Science Shop (WiLa) kubus of TU Berlin, basis.wissen.schafft e.V. Berlin, WiLa Potsdam e.V., WiLa Bonn e.V., WiLa Wien, Wissensdialog, Technologie und Training e.V. in Zittau and Dresden as well as the knowledge transfer offices of the Jade University of Applied Sciences and the University of Applied Sciences Emden/

Contact: Sandra Werb

We would like to address all, who are interested in finding strategies on solving the major social and ecological challenges of our time, to submit contributions. Facing challenges like shortage of resources, urbanization, climatic and demographic change, the involvement of civil society actors and institutions in scientific processes is getting more and more important. Concerning this issue, following questions are rising: How can excellent science look like to put sustainable societal ideas into practice? How do universities open up to objectives from the society and their participation in the overall scientific process? How can transparency, equal opportunities and democracy be transferred into participating citizens and NGOs in research policy? How can concepts from community initiatives apart from the growing economy, from Fab-
Labs to urban gardening, be highlighted?

We would like to encourage a dialogue between actors of communities, universities, science shops and research policy. The conference promotes a platform for discussion and networking, with the aim to report from projects, to develop new project ideas and to strengthen cooperating partner beyond the conference.

We are particularly interested in sharing knowledge and growing together successfully.

Track 1: Citizen Participation in science and innovation: Methodological issues

Track 2: Participation in research policy: Equal opportunities and transparency

Track 3: Do it yourself and common creation

Track 4: What does social and ecological excellence for everybody mean?

Explanation of our tracks on www.wissnet.de/themen

Deadlines and submission:

The conference focuses on lively discussions. Therefore, the „classical“ presentation format will be restricted to the keynote talks in each track. Please assign your contribution to one of the tracks and define a presentation format. We made up a selection of formats on www.wissnet.de/formate. We also appreciate joint contributions and questions of community initiatives and scientists.

Conference contributions are expected to be in German as this will be the conference language. Unfortunately we will not be able to provide translation.

What to submit: Abstract (350 words) as *.odt, *.docx or *.pdf
When to submit: At the latest, 05. July 2015
Notice of acceptance: 05. August 2015
Opportunity to submit accepted revised abstracts until: 15. August 2015
Please submit your contribution to idee@wissnet.de

Contact:
Sandra Werb
Science Shop Vechta/Cloppenburg, University of Vechta
Bahnhofstraße 57
49661 Cloppenburg
04471-948 154

Current information will be found on www.wissnet.de/konferenz

TEACHING ECONOMICS IN THE 21. CENTURY
The State of Research and Teaching and the Way Forward

Conference jointly organized by Arbeitskreis Politische Ökonomie (AK PolÖk), World Economics Association (WEA), Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik (Network Pluralist Economics), European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE), Institute for International Political Economy (IPE), Forschungsstelle für wissenschaftsbasierte gesellschaftliche Weiterentwicklung (FWGW) and Research Network Macroeconomics and Macroeconomic Policy (FMM)

Berlin School of Economics and Law
Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht, Berlin
26.-29. November 2015

Critics contend that economic research and teaching and economic policy advice continue to follow a neoclassical paradigm to the exclusion of competing approaches, despite the sobering experience of the financial crisis. Those who defend the neoclassical mainstream tend to point to cite more complex and advanced models in order to proof that the mainstream-models are not as biased and unrealistic as critics contend. However, the relevance of models is questionable, as long as they do not find their way into undergraduate textbooks and curricula for students of economics. After all, most students who are exposed to economics teaching leave university with undergraduate textbook knowledge and the restricted toolbox and hidden ideological bias contained in these textbooks. Where economics is taught at high school level, it is often a similarly biased and restricted body of knowledge, which is presented as “economics”. Therefore, the abovementioned associations are organizing a joint conference to analyse and to help modernize the prevailing textbook content. We want to start a fruitful dialog between authors and publishers of textbooks and teaching materials, researchers, teachers and students.

The focus will be on the following topics:

Pluralism of Theories
How many theories should a textbook present, and which theories should be chosen? How much focus should there be on the genesis of these theories? How much weight should e.g. be given to history of economic thought, economic history and the philosophy of science? How should a pluralistic textbook be organized?

Pluralism of Methods
Should model-based reasoning be presented as the gold standard of economics? Which qualitative methods could help improve our understanding of the (globalized) economy? How can qualitative methods be combined with quantitative ones in a fruitful way to analyze economic issues? Which models could be taught outside the paradigm of economies in equilibrium?

Pluralism of Disciplines
How interdisciplinary can or should a textbook be? How can the academic isolation of economics be overcome that has developed over many decades? Which roles should knowledge from other fields like sociology, law, political science, biology, and philosophy play in teaching economics?

Pluralism of Teaching Methods
Why do textbooks play such a dominant role? Should they? What are their goals and what are their limitations? Does the dominant role of some particular textbooks pose a problem? If it does, what should be done? How should alternative textbooks be structured and written? Which teaching materials are being used at school and in other non-academic contexts? How do these need to change?

The conference will approach these questions in a variety of formats. Participants are invited to present and discuss either contributions addressing specific narrow questions or position papers covering a whole range of issues. Authors of textbooks are invited to report on their experiences and results regarding the inclusion of pluralistic content. We would also like to involve students and teachers in a discussion of strategic perspectives. There will be space to present and discuss alternative curriculums. A wide variety of pluralist and heterodox textbooks will be on display at the venue of the conference.
Formally, submissions can consist of elaborated position papers or abstracts of at most 500 words. Accepted position papers will be circulated in advance to all conference participants. They may also be used as introductions and focal points of panel discussions. There is no requirement to submit a paper in order to participate at the conference.

Please send your submission to akpolök@uni-flensburg.de until 12 October 2015. Please find updates and information at http://tinyurl.com/teachingeconomics.

The conference will be partly held in English and partly in German.

Invited keynote speakers include Robert Skidelsky of Jesus College and Jayati Gosh of the University of Cambridge (tbc). The conference will include a panel discussion with Peter Bofinger (University of Würzburg) on the status quo of teaching and textbooks at German-language universities.

We plan to publish the conference papers in book form. A long-term goal is to initiate the production of collectively written textbooks. We are considering awarding a prize with high public visibility to promote the production and use of alternative textbooks.

The problem of sustainability has received serious attention since the Club of Rome pointed to the limits of growth in 1972. Addressing ecological, economic and social issues, it is still a major – perhaps the biggest – challenge humanity faces. The problem demands attention by actors from all social levels. On the micro-level, sustainable consumption is often regarded as the major way how individual consumers can contribute to sustainable development. By now a growing number of people are aware that many consumption habits have to be changed because they are in conflict with the goal of sustainable development. Yet, there is a gap between knowledge and action. Much research has been done in the last 30 years on sustainable consumption, exploring the motivations, practices, opportunities, and drivers for sustainable consumption from economic, psychological and sociological perspectives. Despite this multidisciplinary effort and the often interdisciplinary nature of research on sustainable consumption, there is room for broadening the perspectives further. In particular, the link between political participation and sustainable consumption as a political statement as well as the link between various forms and objectives of political consumption deserves more attention. Further, the impact of societal inequality on sustainable consumption has not gained much attention. Especially research on the interaction between inequality, issues of security and precariousness, political participation and consumption behavior is lacking.

In the special issue, we would like to discuss our topic in an adequately broad and interdisciplinary way. We are particularly interested in questions such as:

• Inequality (e.g., precariousness) and sustainable consumption
• Citizenship and consumption
• Sustainable consumption as a political statement
• Quantitative and qualitative empirical studies on these issues

This is not an exhaustive list.

Deadline
Full papers for this special issue of management revue must be submitted by July 31st, 2015. All contributions will be subject to a double-blind review. Papers invited to a ‘revise and resubmit’ are due October 31st, 2015. Please submit your papers electronically via the online submission system at http://www.management-revue.org/submission/ using ‘SI Sustainable Consumption’ as article section.

Hoping to hear from you!

Ortrud Leßmann, Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg (Germany)
Wenzel Matiaske, Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg (Germany)
Torsten Masson, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Leipzig (Germany)
Simon Fietze, University of Southern Denmark