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The Bath Business, Organisations and Society Symposium (BBOSS) 2025

A developmental and inspiring research symposium for all scholars with an interest in the business and society relationship.

  • 4 Jun 2025, 8.45am to 5.00pm BST (GMT +01:00)
  • 0.19, 10 East, University of Bath
  • Price from £50.00 to £100.00 (GBP)
Hot air balloons in the sky.
Businesses have a role in protecting our rights and freedoms.

BBOSS 2025 is an in-person research event at the University of Bath School of Management. We have an engaging programme of high profile international speakers from the field of business ethics, and a variety of presentations and panel discussions, aimed at expanding the edges of our field.

The theme of this year’s event invites us to explore the role of business in rights, freedom and democracy.

A key purpose of the symposium is to inspire participants on future directions for business and society research, and to provide a forum to present and discuss work with mentors. We are developing a proposal for a special issue which will reflect the theme of BBOSS 2025 and our aims to establish a research agenda to expand the boundaries of the field.  The target journal is TBC.  We expect to be able to announce details to event participants.

Academics at all career stages are welcome, from PhD students to early- and later-stage academics. The symposium will provide a source of inspiration, expert feedback and networking opportunities.

You can choose to attend for the day only (£50), or to attend for both the day and the evening networking reception (£100).

The evening networking reception includes a cohort of experts on the theme of the symposium and is on Wednesday 4 June 2025, 6pm to 9pm. The venue for the evening networking reception is to be announced shortly.

Programme

The programme includes:

  • A welcome from the Dean of the University of Bath School of Management, Professor Steve Brammer
  • A keynote from Professor Tom Donaldson (Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania) on business ethics in a multipolar world
  • Research presentations from participants and feedback from expert scholars
  • A film screening and Q&A with film-maker, Professor Roy Maconachie (University of Bath)
  • A mentor networking lunch connecting mentors with participants
  • Panel session on the future of research and education with respect to the role of business and rights, freedom and democracy featuring Professor Andrew Crane (University of Bath School of Management); Professor Dirk Matten (Schulich School of Business, York University); Professor Laura Spence (Kings College London); and Professor Sarah Glozer (University of Bath School of Management)
  • Evening social in Bath city centre. This social event is a combined gathering including prominent business ethics scholars from the US and Europe attending the TransAtlantic Business Ethics Conference (TABEC) 2025, a small invite-only conference meeting in Bath on the same themes as the workshop

About the theme

Universal rights, freedom and democracy are highly valorised foundations of a just and flourishing society. Yet evidence suggests global freedoms are declining, universal rights are under threat and improvements in democracy are uneven.

The role of business bears particular scrutiny, given the scale of firms’ influence on states, laws and institutional structures; the global reach of operations; the ongoing issues of human rights violations in supply chains; and the politics of lobbying and activism.

Scholars of business and society or business ethics may therefore be considering questions such as:

  • In which ways have companies opposed or protected universal rights, freedom or democracy, and how should such practices be evaluated?
  • Do companies have responsibilities for addressing universal rights, freedom or democracy, and on what basis should such responsibilities be determined?
  • What impacts do companies have on rights, freedom and democracy, and how are these shaped by different institutional and organisational contexts?
  • How do, or how should, companies conceptualise and communicate issues such as universal rights, freedom and democracy to their stakeholders?
  • How do, or how should companies conceptualise and communicate issues such as universal rights, freedom and democracy to their stakeholders?
  • What normative frameworks are best suited for addressing business responsibilities for universal rights, freedom or democracy?

1,000-word abstracts should be submitted via email to bboss2025@bath.ac.uk by Friday 28 March 2025.

We welcome empirical (both qualitative and quantitative) and conceptual research. In the event that the workshop is over-subscribed, participants will be selected on the basis of the fit with the workshop theme and the quality of the submission, with priority given to early career researchers.

Successful participants will be informed of their inclusion in the workshop by Friday 11 April.

We look forward to receiving your submissions!

Dr Annie Snelson-Powell and Professor Andrew Crane (co-organisers of BBOSS 2025)

Speakers

This event will have six guest speakers

Join us for this workshop


Location

This event will be held at the University of Bath School of Management.


0.19 10 East University of Bath Claverton Down Bath BA2 7AY United Kingdom

Contact us

If you have any queries, please get in touch with the Research Office.