Responsible Business Research Conference

15th Annual Responsible Business Research Conference

What does corporate responsibility mean in today’s society? How do responsible and ethical aspects appear in different business models and business environments? How can we conduct research about these aspects and develop them further?

The Responsible Business Research Conference is organised in order to increase the visibility and to promote research on business responsibility, sustainability and ethics in Finland. In 2027, the conference is organised for the 15th time. Languages of the conference are Finnish and English.

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Keynote speakers 10.3.2027

Prof. Jan Bebbington

“Can the notion of Corporate Biosphere Stewardship guide sustainability in business aspirations?”

Jan Bebbington is the Director of the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University and has published on topics such the governance for sustainability outcomes, the functionality of reporting and corporate sustainability assessment. Jan is involved in long-term collaborations with ecologists that aim to identify when and how corporate actors might contribute to sustainability transitions, especially in the ocean.

Prof. Judith Walls

“Biodiversity – the Next Business Research Frontier.”

Judith Walls is Full Professor & Chair of Sustainability Management and Director at the Institute of Responsible Innovation, Sustainability and Energy (RISE-HSG), the Delegate (Associate Dean) for Responsibility and Sustainability at the University of St.Gallen, as well as Academic Director of the bachelor’s certificate programme (minor) in Integrative Sustainability Management (SuM-HSG).

Judith’s research sits at the nexus of corporate governance and corporate sustainability. Her work on micro-foundations of sustainability strategy seeks to understand socio-psychological underpinnings of board directors and CEOs—e.g., personality traits, characteristics, backgrounds, experience—for outcomes like environmental and social performance. She also looks at contested industries and dynamics of greenwashing. In 2025, she launched the Business and Biodiversity Lab at the University of St.Gallen, where her ongoing work looks at how biodiversity can be measured, managed, and governed at companies, with an eye on regenerative practices. She serves as an editor at Strategic Organization and two special issues on the topic of business and biodiversity. Judith regularly conducts keynote speeches, podcasts, interviews and talks on corporate sustainability for academia, business practice, and the general public. She serves on several corporate and non-profit advisory boards.

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The Research Conference encourages the networking of researchers and aims at advancing responsible business to become an important research field in Finland. The conference offers an opportunity for researchers in the field to present their research projects and results as well as to share ideas and experiences of doing research.

We invite presentations from all fields of business responsibility, sustainability and ethics. Potential topics are listed below. Please find further information and submit your presentation in the Call for Papers tab.

Business-nature-society relations
Biodiversity, climate change and other environmental issues in business
Circular economy
Responsibility and sustainability in business and management
Social accounting and CSR reporting
Stakeholder interaction and engagement
Value creation and sustainable business models
Workplace wellbeing and other social issues in business
EBEN track: Ethics in organizations and ethical leadership
EBEN doctoral student tutorial

Important dates:

5.2.2027             Deadline for abstracts (200 words)
19.2.2027           Notification of accepted abstracts, conference program published
26.2.2027           Deadline for registration (participation at the university)
8.3.2027             Deadline for registration (online participation)
10.–11.3.2027   Responsible Business Research Conference

The conference is free of charge and open for all.

Warm welcome!

RESPMAN Research Group

RESPMAN Research Group conducts research on the relationships between business, society and the nature from different perspectives, including responsible management, firm-stakeholder interaction, corporate responsibility and sustainable development. The group was established at 2006 and currently we operate at the Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University. For more information, visit our website here.

Financial support of the Foundation for Economic Education is gratefully acknowledged!