RC 38 (Politics and Business) Workshop in Konstanz
RC 38 held its mid-congress workshop at the University of Konstanz, Germany on 3-4 June 2011, and the theme of ‘Business and Sustainability’.
Volcker Schneider and Achim Lang were most generous hosts, and secured financial support from the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, which supported especially participation by graduate students. The venue, the Bischofsvilla on the banks of the very beginnings of the Rhine, was superb, especially as attendance for many of us necessitated a pleasant walk through the old city.
Papers were presented on various aspects of business engagement with sustainability: from its theoretical underpinnings to the economic, environmental, social and cultural aspects of sustainability. Presenters included Karsten Ronit (University of Copenhagen), Tony Porter, (McMaster University), Aynsley Kellow and Richard Eccleston (University of Tasmania), Claudius Wagemann (L'Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane), Wyn Grant (Warwick University), Volker Schneider, Achim Lang and Thomas Malang (Konstanz), Harvey Feigenbaum (George Washington), Nicole Helmerich (Freie Universität Berlin), and Rachel Barlow (Robert Gordon University).
The papers stimulated extensive discussion, and it was agreed that more issues had been raised than resolved, and that the RC should therefore continue the theme on to Madrid.
The Workshop concluded with an administrative session, with planning for the Madrid Congress and the future governance of the RC on the agenda. The former was assisted greatly by the presence of Wyn Grant, Program Chair for Madrid 2012.
Aynsley Kellow,
Chair, RC 38.