Dear colleagues,
It is my pleasure to announce the first seminar of this year's Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) Virtual Seminar Series. On Friday, September 5, we will host Heli Wang (Singapore Management University), who will present her research-in-progress "Managing ESG Mandate Complexity Through Standardized Convergence: Supplier Responses in Global Supply Chains" The format will include a 20-minute presentation, followed by 10 mins of Q&A and an additional 30 mins of informal discussion with the speaker-a valuable opportunity for PhD students and junior faculty to connect and engage.
Here is a brief summary of Heli's talk: Organizations increasingly face diverse ESG demands across national contexts, where variations in regulations and expectations complicate response strategies. While prior research on institutional complexity emphasizes conflicting demands across institutional spheres, we focus on the challenges posed by nuanced differences within a shared ESG domain. This study examines how buyer-country ESG disclosure mandates influence Chinese suppliers' strategic responses-specifically, whether they pursue direct ESG improvements or adopt standardized certifications. We argue that regulatory diversity heightens the appeal of standardized responses, which offer broadly recognized legitimacy, over direct, resource-intensive ESG improvements. Using panel data linking 1,388 Chinese suppliers to ESG policies across 86 buyer countries, we find that suppliers significantly increase standardized certification adoption in response to stronger ESG mandates. The preference for standardized responses intensifies with greater regulatory diversity among buyers. Our findings extend institutional research by identifying a distinct form of complexity within a common domain and offering new insight into ESG governance in global supply chains.
Here is the list of speakers and dates for this year (11am-12pm EST):
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Luca Berchicci (Rotterdam) – Oct 3
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Lisa Keding (awardee, RWTH Aachen) – Nov 7
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Aline Gatignon (HEC Paris) – Dec 5
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Natalia Lyly (awardee, LUT University) – Jan 9
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Shaz Ansari (Cambridge) – Feb 6
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Fabrizio Ferraro (IESE) – Mar 6
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Joao Albino-Pimentel (USC) – April 3
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Ben Lewis (BYU) - May 1
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Please register for the seminar on the ARCS website or directly here.
Here is to another year of fascinating speakers and topics!
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Best regards,
Olga Hawn, PhD
Associate Professor, Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Sustainability Distinguished Fellow
Faculty Director, Ackerman Center for Excellence in Sustainability
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
Associate Editor, Strategic Management Journal
Associate Editor, Management Science
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