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Letter from the Executive Director

Letter from the Executive Director | January 2021

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From the Executive Director:

Happy New Year, SBE!  2021 is off to a fast start, with several big announcements.  You will see more information on each of these in this newsletter, but I want to call your attention to a few items of particular note.

First, SBE has opted to take our 2021 conference online.  Thanks to the success of the 2020 SBE virtual conference, the SBE Board believes that the safety, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness of the virtual format makes it a good option in a year in which the pandemic calls the prudence of an in-person conference into doubt.  Registration is open through Cambridge University Press, at the deeply discounted rates of $90 for SBE members, and $40 for Student / Emeritus / Non-tenure-track members.  Like last year, the conference program will run over five days to minimize Zoom fatigue and concentrate sessions at times that are convenient for attendees in multiple time zones.  The conference will begin on Monday, July 26, and finish on Friday, July 30.  Submissions are due on February 15.  I look forward to seeing you online this July!

Second, I am delighted to announce that the “SBE Best Practical Solutions” will be bestowed for the first time at the SBE 2021 Virtual Conference.  Thanks to a generous gift from longtime SBE member and contributor Denis Collins, this award comes with a $1000 honorarium, and will be bestowed on the paper presented at the annual meeting that provides the most significant practical and immediate impact on the life of employees.  The SBE website includes a page with video clips from Denis and the two judges who will select the award winners each year for the next decade, explaining their motivations and hopes for the award. 

Third, SBE has elected a new Board member, and appointed two new co-Editors in Chief for Business Ethics Quarterly, all of whom will officially take office beginning at the end of this year’s conference.  

  • Tae Wan Kim will serve a five-year term on the SBE Board, including the Presidency of the Society for the year culminating in our 2025 conference in Copenhagen.  Tae Wan is a longtime member and contributor at SBE, and has been both an Emerging Scholar and a mentor to the Emerging Scholars.  You can read his introduction to the Society below.
  • Mollie Painter and Frank den Hond have been selected by the SBE Board for a five-year term as co-Editors in Chief of BEQ.  They each bring extensive senior editorial experience, and complementary expertise in philosophy and social science, respectively.  You can find the announcement of their selection below.

I am grateful to Frank, Mollie, and Tae Wan for their willingness to serve the Society in these crucial roles.  I am also grateful to Cristina Neesham for her strong candidacy for the Board, and to all of the candidates for Editor in Chief who contributed their time to the search.  The depth of talent and achievement among the Society’s members and friends is truly humbling.

Finally, SBE is seeking a Managing Editor (MED) for BEQ!  The estimable and long-serving Elizabeth (Libby) Scott is retiring in 2021, and SBE is accepting applications for a re-scoped MED role until February 15, 2021.  The complete announcement is below.

As 2021 begins, I am encouraged to see so many people doing so much to sustain and extend the discourse on business ethics, in academia and beyond!  Thank you for your involvement in the life of the Society – Jason

Dr. Jason M. Stansbury
Executive Director, Society for Business Ethics
James and Judith Chambery Fellow for the Study of Ethics in Business
Professor of Business
Calvin University