Call for Papers and Proposals
7th Annual ICGS conference
‘Corporate Governance in Times of
Disruption’
The 7th annual conference of the International Corporate Governance Society
will take place from Friday to Sunday 8-10
October 2021 at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). The conference
is intended to provide a forum for international academics and policy-makers
to showcase and discuss the latest corporate governance research issues and
practices.
Introduction
Recent corporate governance debates have shown that companies face several disruptions. The Corona crisis has severe consequences
for firms. Environmental factors, such as climate change, pollution, resource management, and energy consumption, have become
critical to corporate decisions. The digital transformation generates opportunities for firms to monetize new technologies, but also
threats, for stakeholders, including employees, customers, and society at large, such as unemployment and the misuse of personal data.
Climate goals that have not been reached and recent bankruptcies due to missed digital transformations indicate that not all corporate
governance (CG) actors, such as board members, investors, and managers, are prepared to cope with these environmental and digital
disruptions.
These disruptions put new pressure on corporate governance actors in terms of formulating pro-active strategies to remain competitive.
Increased demands for corporate sustainability also increases the risks of corporate fraud, as we have seen in the case of Volkswagen’s
attempt to mask the emissions of their cars. Therefore, corporate governance mechanisms and practices must evolve to respond
to these challenges. Against this background, the theme of this year’s conference is “Corporate Governance in Times of Disruption.”
Therefore, we specifically welcome submissions related to the role of corporate governance in the fast-changing landscape of pandemic,
environmental, and digital risks, that is, we would encourage submitting on one of the following themes:
Do we need new types of board members and executives to tackle these days’ disruption?
Do we need different compensation models to align executives’ and stakeholders’ interests in times of disruption?
Which types of owners are best prepared to maneuver their investments through times of disruption?
Are there optimal governance bundles to best deal with disruption?
Abstracts
Since the overarching mission of the ICGS is to bring together international governance scholars from multiple disciplines, original
research on all areas of corporate governance are very much appreciated. Submissions must build upon previously unpublished and
not-yet presented original research. You may submit either a full paper or a research proposal for the conference. In both cases, we are
looking for research that will advance the field of corporate governance.
A full paper should not be longer than 40 double-spaced pages (including abstract, references, tables, and figures). A proposal
submission should include the following sections:
(1) Abstract: 200 to 300 words description that summarizes the overall study;
(2) Proposal: Narrative description of the conceptual or empirical study;
(3) Supporting material: Tables, figures, and references that support the proposal.
Overall, a proposal should not exceed 10 single-spaced pages in length or 3,000 words.
Papers or proposals can be submitted(
https://www.conftool.net/icgs2021/) starting on February 1, 2021 and must be submitted by 12 midnight (EST) on April 1,
2021 in order to be considered for conference presentation. All submissions must be done through our online conference management
system, which is accessed through the ‘Conferences’ tab of the ICGS website (
www.icgsociety.org).
Decisions on submissions regarding their inclusion in the conference program will be communicated to the authors by June 30, 2021.
The very best papers and proposals will be considered for the best conference paper award. The author(s) who win(s) this award will be
recognized at the conference.
Conference tracks
On the title page, the author(s) should indicate which of the following tracks best fits the submission. The Track Chairs may shift
proposals if it is evaluated to better fit another track:
TRACK A:
Corporate Governance in Times of Disruption. Environmental and digital disruptions have posed new challenges for corporate
governance and sustainability. This track explores the rapidly evolving changes in firms’ environment and the role of corporate
governance to cope with this disruption. Chair: Dimitrios Georgakakis (University of St Gallen), Swarnodeep Homroy (University of
Groningen).
TRACK B:
Board Dynamics and Strategic Leadership. In this track, we explore the roles of boards of directors concentrating in particular on
diversity and group dynamics in boards. Studies that examine the role of women and internationals on board are particularly welcome.
The track will also feature behavioral studies about board members and their interfaces to CEOs and the executive team. Chair: Floor
Rink and Dennis Veltrop (University of Groningen).
TRACK C:
Ownership. This track explores the antecedents and outcomes of different types of owners. The track also encourages papers on nontraditional means of raising capital that give rise to ownership changes, such as equity crowdfunding and other forms of alternative
investment, and their implications for corporate governance. Chair: Nikos Kavadis (Copenhagen Business School), Patrick Verwijmeren
(Erasmus University Rotterdam), Maria Goranova (University of Wisconsin Milwaukee).
TRACK D:
External Corporate Governance Mechanisms. This track seeks to understand how firms’ strategic objectives and outcomes are influenced
by external governance mechanisms, including (but not limited to) the role of external auditors, cultural norms, and media. It also
welcomes studies that investigate how these external factors are related to the firms’ nexus of contracts and incentive structures. Chair:
Aleksandra Gregoric (Copenhagen Business School), Trond Randøy (Universitetet i Agder).
TRACK E:
Self Governance and Internal Corporate Governance Mechanisms. This track focuses on company goals and the alignment of these
goals with managers. Topics can include (but are not restricted to) goals and executive compensation arrangements, particular goals
structures or family firms and their consequences for corporate governance, socially-responsible behavior and executives’ internal moral
compass that translates into ethically-sound decisions and actions. Chair: Miriam Flickinger (Free University of Berlin), Marc Deloof
(University of Antwerp).
TRACK F:
Comparative Corporate Governance. This track explores corporate governance in a (de)globalizing economy. We want to discuss how
transnational non-governmental institutions shape corporate governance across nations. Furthermore, it is interesting and useful
to compare governance practices across national economies. Multi-level governance interactions between multiple governance
environments are also considered. Chair: Kees van Veen and Esha Mendiratta (University of Groningen).
Conference program co-chairs
Sara Russell Riggs
Executive Director
International Corporate Governance Society