CALL FOR PAPERS – Deadline:12 January 2026 Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) 18th Annual Research Conference

12 Nov 2025 - 12 Jan 2026 Industry/Academic Partners, Public

 Nanyang Business School (NBS) is excited to host and celebrate the eighteenth annual research conference of the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS), a consortium of universities and individuals that serves as a professional society of scholars studying the interface between business and sustainability. This milestone event will mark the ARCS community’s first gathering in Asia. Our annual research conference brings together researchers from a variety of disciplinary and methodological perspectives who seek to advance the state of the field. 

The conference welcomes unpublished working papers focused on business and sustainability (both social and environmental) from all disciplines and research areas. Papers drawn from economics, finance, law, accounting, operations, organizational theory, political science, psychology, decision-making, sociology, strategy, and related fields are within the realm of the conference. We are receptive to a wide range of perspectives and methods, including empirical research (quantitative and qualitative), theory development, formal theoretical modeling, and experimental methods. We are particularly interested in papers that have implications for management, organizations, and policy. 

Suitable Topics 

Examples of suitable topics for the ARCS Conference include climate change/risk management, decarbonization challenges and opportunities, technology/AI-driven sustainability solutions, corporate impacts on biodiversity and nature-based business solutions, sustainability reporting and disclosure, sustainable/responsible supply chains, sustainable finance, green marketing, green entrepreneurship, renewable energy investments, cleantech innovation, sustainable natural resource management, business/NGO partnerships, sustainable mobility, social dimensions of sustainability such as inequality, fair wages and working conditions, social and environmental justice, cross-border impacts of geopolitical and regulatory dynamics, and “base of the pyramid” (BoP) development strategies.  

We warmly welcome submissions from scholars at all career stages and from diverse geographic regions, with strong encouragement for contributions from junior scholars and those based in or focusing on the Global South. We also value research that advances the understanding of corporate sustainability challenges and opportunities in underrepresented contexts. Accepted papers are expected to be presented in person at the conference. 

 Conference Program 

The ARCS Conference features several types of sessions, described below. All authors of accepted submissions will be listed in the program. Submitting a paper implies a commitment to review other submissions, if asked by the conference committee. 

Part I – PhD Development Workshop (7 June 2026)  : 

  • The ARCS community has a long tradition of supporting its most junior scholars. The one-day PhD Development Workshop is a highlight of the ARCS Conference and provides PhD students with a unique opportunity to receive constructive feedback on their work from faculty and peers. In addition, junior scholars benefit from career advice and networking opportunities with members of the ARCS Board and Steering Committee. This year’s workshop will take place on a campus of Nanyang Technological University.  

Part II – Main Conference （8-10 June 2026） :

  • Presentation Slots (15-20 minutes): These provide presenters with the opportunity to share their research in depth and receive feedback from a highly engaged audience. Selected papers will receive feedback from invited discussants. 

  • Research Sketches (5 minutes): These lightning-round presentations allow participants to summarize their research questions/approaches/findings and receive valuable feedback, using either no slides or at most three slides.  

Submission Guidelines: DEADLINE 12 January 2026 

The paper submission deadline for both parts of the conference (the PhD Development Workshop and the Main Conference) is Monday, January 12, 2026; the program will be announced in March 2026. Please submit using the paper submission portal. Additional information will be available on the  conference website. 

Submissions must be working papers not yet accepted for publication. Papers should be journal-article length and include an abstract. Supplements can be included. Each author can submit up to two papers in total. Please submit papers without names of authors or other identifying information, as reviews will be double-blind. 

Conference Awards 

Two types of awards will be presented at the Conference: 

ARCS Best Paper Award: The Award Committee will select one paper for the Best Paper Award. This award will be based on the research paper’s potential impact on management practice and rigor of analysis. All submissions will automatically be considered for this award. 

ARCS Emerging Sustainability Scholar Award: The ARCS Emerging Sustainability Scholar Award recognizes a scholar in the area of corporate sustainability, who is likely to make significant contributions to the advancement of corporate sustainability scholarship. The award is granted in recognition of a scholar’s existing body of research and in anticipation of future work. Recipients provide rigorous and salient contributions that cross disciplinary and national boundaries.  

Conference Logistics 

 

Please refer to the full Call for Papers here:  ARCS_2026_Call for Papers

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