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CALL FOR PAPERS

2013 Industry Studies Conference

http://www.industrystudies.pitt.edu/kansascity13/

May 28-May 31, 2013

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Kansas City, Missouri

We cordially invite submissions of individual papers and panels of papers for the 2013 Industry Studies Conference, to be held on May 28-May 31, hosted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri. The field of industry studies includes research on industries and non-profit activities as well as cross-industry analysis. It may also focus on the particular technologies, occupations, or subgroups within an industry or across industries. It draws on a wide range of academic disciplines and fields, including economics and other social sciences, management, operations research, engineering, labor markets and employment relations, and other related research and policy areas.

Industry studies research is grounded in observation of firms and workplaces and in a deep understanding of the markets, institutions, and technologies that shape the competitive environment. We welcome research of all disciplines that incorporates this approach. The Program Committee seeks papers and panels that would not typically be found in methodology-focused or single-discipline conferences, and is especially interested in attracting papers that are unique in their emphasis on observation and insight into a particular industry, or that consider how knowledge gained in studying one industry can provide insights into other industries.

The conference program will include competitively selected panels and individual papers. The program also will feature a pre-conference workshop for junior faculty, plenary sessions, and an awards luncheon.

2013 Special Theme: Industry Flexibility and Agility in the Global Economy

While the 2013 Industry Studies Conference is open to all papers and panels relevant to industry studies (see below), we are particularly encouraging panels and presentations this year that look at creating flexibility and agility in the global economy. Industries continue to evolve as they confront an aging and more diverse labor market, as they encounter new technologies that shape the work process, and as they struggle in the face of intense global competition. We encourage contributions about how firms and industries remain agile, flexible, and innovative in the face of global competition. Examples of flexibility and agility may include the adoption of new technologies, product and process innovation, the development of products for new markets, the use of working time, specific job arrangements, the organization of work, organizational structure, or the structure of the value/supply chain.

Topics of interest relevant to this special theme include, but are not limited to:

• What determines the extent to which firms are flexible or agile? How do types of flexible and agile strategies or practices vary across industries?
• What are the implications of flexible and agile strategies or practices for employees (wages, well-being, etc.)?
• How do flexible or agile strategies or practices affect firm performance and innovation? How does this vary across industries?
• How does technology affect flexibility and agility across different industries?
• What are governments or associations doing to promote flexibility and agility?

The Submission Process

Researchers may submit abstracts (of up to 250 words) for single papers. Accepted papers will be assigned to sessions by the Program Committee. We also encourage researchers to propose panels comprising multiple papers on a common theme (e.g., using one methodology across multiple industries, or multiple diverse approaches to a common problem in a single industry), particularly if it ties into the special theme for this year. We particularly encourage panels that include or are entirely composed of practitioners to bolster the relevance of the conference to industry. The deadline for abstract and panel submissions will be December 10, 2012. Please visit the conference web site at http://www.industrystudies.pitt.edu/kansascity13/ to make your submission. Decisions for papers and panels will be made by mid-February.

A number of research streams are listed below relevant to industry studies. However, these streams are not meant to be exhaustive, and the committee also welcomes submissions in the "General Industry Studies" category. This would include industry specific as well as cross-industry paper and panels. The program committee may shift papers and panels from the general industry studies stream to other more specific streams where appropriate.

Research streams:

• General Industry Studies (Coordinators: Peter Berg & Ekundayo Shittu)
• Energy, Power, & Sustainability (Coordinator: Zoe Szajnfarber)
• Globalization: Management & Policy Implications (Coordinator: Carey Treado)
• Innovation, Entrepreneurship, & Technology Management (Coordinator: Carmen Weigelt)
• Labor Markets, Organizations, & Employment Relations (Coordinator: Adam Seth Litwin)
• Supply Networks, Operations, & Engineering Management (Coordinator: Jane Davies)
• Research Methods: (Coordinators: Edward Anderson & Ekundayo Shittu)

The conference is open to all researchers. A discounted conference registration fee will be charged to members of the Industry Studies Association (to become a member, please visit www.industrystudies.org).

The conference web site will be updated regularly as more information about the conference becomes available. Please feel free to contact the Conference Program Leadership below with related questions.

2013 Industry Studies Conference Program Committee:

• Peter Berg, Michigan State University (program chair), bergp@msu.edu
• Edward Anderson, University of Texas at Austin (program co-chair), Edward.Anderson@mccombs.utexas.edu
• Ekundayo Shittu, Tulane University (program co-chair), eshittu@tulane.edu
• Zoe Szajnfarber, George Washington University, zszajnfa@gwu.edu
• Carey Treado, University of Pittsburgh, ctreado@pitt.edu
• Carmen Weigelt, Tulane University, cweigelt@tulane.edu
• Adam Seth Litwin, Johns Hopkins University, aslitwin@jhu.edu
• Jane Davies, Cambridge University, j.davies@jbs.cam.ac.uk
• Alicia Robb, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, arobb@consultant.kauffman.org
• Gail Pesyna, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, pesyna@sloan.org