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                13th WICaNeM conference 2018 on Chain and Network Management
<br>
<br>Ancona, Italy | July 2 - 4, 2018
<br>
<br>Special Track on Responsible Innovation in Chains and Networks
<br>
<br>Deadline for Abstracts 15-01-18
<br>
<br>Track Coordinators:
<br>Vincent Blok (Wageningen University, The Netherlands)
<br>Edurne A. Inigo (Wageningen University, The Netherlands)
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>Responsible Innovation is an emerging concept to balance economic,
<br>socio-cultural and environmental aspects in innovation processes (European
<br>Commission 2011). Because technological innovations can contribute
<br>significantly to the solution of societal challenges like climate change or
<br>the aging of people, but can also have negative societal consequences, it is
<br>assumed that social and ethical aspects should be considered during the
<br>innovation process. By involving multiple stakeholders in innovation processes
<br>at an early stage, "societal actors and innovators become mutually responsive
<br>to each other with a view to the (ethical) acceptability, sustainability and
<br>societal desirability of the innovation process and its marketable products"
<br>(von Schomberg 2013: 63). The consideration of ethical and social aspects
<br>during innovation processes will lead not only to technological innovations
<br>which are socially acceptable but also socially desirable (cf. Matter 2011).
<br>The concept of responsible innovation expresses the ambition to address
<br>societal needs, next to the more traditional objectives of innovation like
<br>economic growth, profit maximization, competitive advantage etc.
<br>Because the concept of responsible innovation is relatively new and still
<br>evolving in different directions (cf. Owen et al. 2013; van den Hoven et al.
<br>2013), there are several under-researched areas in general, and with regard to
<br>chains and networks in particular. Till now, responsible innovation in the
<br>private sector is still under-researched (Blok & Lemmens, 2015; Lubberink et
<br>al. 2017; Timmermans, 2017). To what extend it the concept of RI applicable in
<br>the business context? What are the drivers and barriers of industrial
<br>responsible innovation practices? (Blok, Hoffmans and Wubben 2015; Garst et
<br>al. 2017)?  In the context of the WICaNeM conference on chain and network
<br>management, the following research areas are of special interest:
<br>
<br>1.      Till now, most research is done from a policy or socio-ethical
<br>perspective and focusing on academic R&D environments, while most innovations
<br>take place in commercial or industrial settings (cf. Flipse 2012). It is
<br>precisely corporate innovation, which is underrepresented in current research
<br>on responsible innovation (cf. Blok and Lemmens, 2015; Blok, Hoffmans and
<br>Wubben, 2015; Lubberink et al. 2017).
<br>
<br>2.      Nowadays, it is widely acknowledged that only a few firms have all
<br>resources and networks available to innovate in isolation. Most firms innovate
<br>in networks and/or together with their supply chain partners. This raises the
<br>question how collaborating firms share the responsibility for the innovation
<br>they work on. It is precisely innovation in chains and networks, which is
<br>underrepresented in current research on responsible innovation.
<br>
<br>3.       The system in which innovation processes are embedded affects their
<br>development. There are structural, market, regulatory or financial factors
<br>that are external to the responsible innovation process and yet hinder or
<br>enhance it (Long et al., 2016). This raises the question on how these system
<br>factors influence responsible innovation practices, and more particularly, how
<br>these can be shaped to overcome existing barriers in chains and networks.
<br>
<br>4.      Although all industries and sectors can be involved in responsible
<br>innovation, sector specific differences are not taken into account in current
<br>research and some sectors are underrepresented. It is precisely the agri-food
<br>sector, which is underrepresented in current research on responsible
<br>innovation. Nanotechnology and ICT for instance are fields of research which
<br>are often mentioned in the responsible innovation literature, but in
<br>biotechnology, medical technology and food technology we observe similar
<br>issues concerning health and/or privacy. Insights from several industries and
<br>sectors can help to develop a better conceptualization of responsible
<br>innovation and to distinguish sector-specific characteristics of its
<br>application.
<br>
<br>5.      Through the concept of responsible innovation, the focus of innovation
<br>processes shifts towards societal challenges. These are converted into
<br>business opportunities to create new concepts, business models and ways of
<br>operating, as well as more efficient approaches to resource exploitation and
<br>energy consumption. These opportunities require a different approach to
<br>problem solving which diverts significantly from the way we think about
<br>solutions, technologies and applications today. The question is to what extent
<br>SMEs and start-ups can benefit from these opportunities for responsible
<br>innovation, assuming that they are not constrained by a dominant logic,
<br>existing heuristics and current practices to problem solving (Scholten and vd
<br>Duin, 2015).
<br>
<br>
<br>Given the importance of the emerging field of responsible innovation in the
<br>chains and networks, this call for papers aims to deepen management scholars'
<br>and practitioners' understanding of how networks and chains can effectively be
<br>involved in responsible innovation processes. Therefore, we encourage
<br>submission of papers that tackle a broad range of questions, including (but
<br>not limited to) the aforementioned areas of special interest. Both empirical
<br>and conceptual papers are welcome and we strongly encourage multi-disciplinary
<br>submissions in areas such as management, finance, accounting, supply chain,
<br>public administration and policy, marketing, organizational behaviour,
<br>communication, education, development, sociology and psychology among others.
<br>To ensure consideration for this WICaNeM track session, please submit your
<br>1000 words abstract to wicanem.mst@wur.nl by
<br>January 15th 2018. Each abstract must contain the following: Cover Page;
<br>Problem Statement; Objectives; Procedures/methodologies/approaches; Results;
<br>Conclusions; References and Authors' preferences for presentation as a paper
<br>or poster. Submissions will undergo a double blind peer review. Conditional to
<br>acceptance, authors will be invited to submit a full paper by March 1st, 2018.
<br>The best scientific papers, associated with paper presentations, will be
<br>invited to participate to the Best Paper Award competition and may be selected
<br>for publication in the International Food and Agribusiness Management Review
<br>(IFAMR). For further questions and remarks, please feel free to contact the
<br>track coordinators Vincent Blok
<br>(vincent.blok@wur.nl) and Edurne Inigo
<br>(edurne.inigo@wur.nl)
<br>
<br>
<br>References
<br>
<br>Blok, V., Lemmens, P. (2015) "The Emerging Concept of Responsible Innovation.
<br>Three Reasons why it is Questionable and Calls for a Radical Transformation of
<br>the Concept of Innovation". In: Koops, van den Hoven, Romijn, Swierstra,
<br>Oosterlaken (ed.), Responsible Innovation 2: Concepts, Approaches, and
<br>Applications (Dordrecht: Springer): 19-35 (DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-17308-5_2).
<br>
<br>Blok, V., Hoffmans, L., Wubben, E. (2015), "Stakeholder Engagement for
<br>Responsible Innovation in the Private Sector: Critical Issues and Management
<br>Practices in the Dutch Food Industry", Journal of Chain and Network Science
<br>(forthcoming).
<br>European Commission (2011) Horizon 2020 - the framework programme for research
<br>and innovation. Brussels
<br>Flipse, S.M. (2012) Enhancing Socially Responsible Innovation in Industry.
<br>Dissertation Delft University
<br>Long, T. B., Blok, V., & Coninx, I. (2016). Barriers to the adoption and
<br>diffusion of technological innovations for climate-smart agriculture in
<br>Europe: evidence from the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Italy. Journal
<br>of Cleaner Production, 112, Part 1, 9-21.
<br>Garst, J., Blok, V., Jansen, L., Omta, O. (2017). Responsibility versus
<br>Profit: the Motives of Food for Healthy Product Innovation. Sustainability
<br>2017.
<br>Lubberink, R., Blok, V., Ophem, J. van, Omta, O. (2017). Lessons for
<br>Responsible Innoation in the Business Context: A systematic Literature Review
<br>of Responsible, Social and Sustainable Innovation Practices. Sustainability
<br>2017.
<br>Matter (2011) A Report on responsible Research & Innovation Brussels
<br>Owen, W., Bessant, J., Heintz, M. (ed.)(2013), Responsible Innovation.
<br>Managing the Responsible Emergence of Science and Innovation in Society
<br>Chichester: Wiley
<br>
<br>Pless N, Maak T, Waldman D. (2012) Different Approaches Toward Doing the Right
<br>Thing: Mapping the Responsibility Orientations of Leaders. Academy of
<br>Management Perspectives. Vol 26, No 4, p. 51-65.
<br>
<br>Scholten, V.E., Duin, P. v.d., 2015 Responsible Innovation among Academic
<br>Spin-offs: How Responsible Practices help developing Absorptive Capacity.
<br>Journal of chain and network sciences (forthcoming).
<br>
<br>Timmermans, J. (2017). Mapping the RRI Landscape: An Overview of
<br>Organisations, Projects, Persons, Areas and Topics. In Responsible Innovation
<br>3 (pp. 21-47). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64834-7_3
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>Dr. Vincent Blok MBA
<br>Associate Professor in Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Business and Innovation
<br>Ethics, Management Studies Group
<br>Associate Professor in Philosophy of Management, Technology and Innovation,
<br>Philosophy Group
<br>
<br>
<br>Wageningen University
<br>Management Studies and Philosophy Group
<br>Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN, Wageningen (Building 201)
<br>De Leeuwenborch, Room 5060
<br>P.O. Box 8130, 6700 EW, Wageningen
<br>T: +31 (0) 317 483623
<br>F: +31 (0) 317 485454
<br>E-mail: vincent.blok@wur.nl
<br>Website: www.vincentblok.nl
<br>Disclaimer: www.wur.nl/UK/disclaimer.htm
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