Monash co-hosts the PRME World Tour ASEAN Workshop 2022
Some participants took a group photo during the recent PRME World Tour ASEAN Workshop 2022.
In its most authentic form, the purpose of publishing original research is to promulgate the results of experiments to inform the audience of a new concept or advances in technology or scientific field. Academic publishing shows expertise in a particular field and an ability to conduct scientifically grounded research. It further reflects the academic stature of the institution hosting the publication.
However, the experience of publishing a paper in a top-rated peer-reviewed journal can be daunting and a frustrating experience for many academics. There are many challenges, including choosing a suitable journal, use of academic language and house style of respective journals. Publishing is competitive and often time-consuming, both in the amount of work required from the author and the amount of time it takes from submission to final publication. This is especially so for postgraduate students and early career researchers who are new to the game.
An innovative way to support the publishing journey is through paper development workshops. These workshops may be designed to provide authors with guidance and expertise in developing their manuscripts for potential submission to a journal.
One such initiative is the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) World Tour Research Paper Development program 2022-2024. PRME, a United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) initiative, is governed, alongside the UNGC, by a board of experts in academia and business. PRME works with UNGC participants to help advance the SDGs and responsible management education in academia, and connects responsible businesses with business schools to help recruit talent with sustainability mindsets, skills and capabilities.
The PRME World Tour Research Paper Development Program is made possible by a generous partnership between PRME and two of the world’s leading international journals in the responsible management and business-in-society field, Business & Society and Journal of Business Ethics. The program offers PRME Regional Chapters one research paper development workshop during 2022-2024 invited by the PRME Secretariat and co-organised with the PRME Regional Chapters and the PRME World Tour Organizing Committee, which consists of senior scholars and is chaired by former co-editor for Business & Society and Professor at University of Bath, Andrew Crane.
The basic idea of the program is to support postgraduate students, early-career and mid-career scholars in bringing research to publication, as part of the field’s commitment to relevant and timely research insights that advance responsible management and sustainable development around the world.
On 27th July 2022, the PRME World Tour Research Paper Development Program was hosted by the PRME Regional Chapter ASEAN+ and the School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, a signatory of PRME. The ASEAN+ organising committee is composed of Enrico Fontana, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, Loganathan Krishnan, Monash University Malaysia, Emilina Sarreal, De La Salle University, Philippines and Priya Sharma, Monash University Malaysia. The ASEAN+ regional chapter was led by Andrew Crane and Premila DÇruz, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India and Section Editor, Labour Relations and Business Ethics, Journal of Business Ethics,
The workshop, which was attended by 94 participants, was divided into two sessions. The first session featured a keynote lecture and an editor’s panel. The keynote speaker was Jochen Reb, Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources; Director, Mindfulness Initiatives at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University. Professor Reb spoke on the role and importance of mindfulness in research and publishing and the impact of rigorous research on responsible management as a practice.
The keynote session was followed by the Editors’ panel discussion, which centred around how to publish responsible management and sustainable business research in international, peer-reviewed management journals. The panel featured editors and associate editors from general management journals as well as specialised responsible management journals, namely, Academy of Management Learning & Education, Business & Society, Business Ethics, the Environment and Responsibility, and Journal of Business Ethics. The Keynote and Editor’s panel sessions were open to the public.
The second session was a closed session and opened to authors who submitted a paper, a grant proposal, or concept note/project idea that was accepted by the organising committee. The session, which saw the submission of 30 research papers and project ideas, consisted of small group discussions where authors received direct feedback on their work in progress from invited mentors who are all experienced scholars as they are editors, associate editors, board members, authors, and reviewers for leading management journals. A unique feature of this session was for the authors to also provide feedback on each other’s research papers, thus providing an opportunity to evaluate a manuscript through the lens of a reviewer.
The PRME World Tour Research Paper Development Program is an important initiative that contributes significantly and in a meaningful way. It offers a unique opportunity to engage in an in-depth discussion with the editors of highly ranked journals, and to receive detailed feedback about manuscripts aimed at advancing an academic’s work toward journal submission.
The feedback obtained from participants is a testament to its impact. One participant said, “I gained lots of insight into journal authoring," while another quipped, “The interaction was amazing!" The mentoring culture evidently helps academics navigate challenges they face in their publishing journey. As one author noted, “This workshop helped me develop a plan to approach the discussion section with more structure. This was very helpful indeed,” and another remarked, “The experts really helped us in giving the right direction with our ongoing research work through their constructive criticism as well as appreciations about our work.”
The ultimate aim of this program is to achieve a more general ambition of supporting the professionalisation of the scholarly field of sustainable development and responsible management research. In turn, this inspires academics and students to make genuinely useful contributions in knowledge and application to the field of study, thereby adding value to modern business and society.
Written by,
Priya Sharma
Director of PRME/Chair PRME Chapter ASEAN+
School of Business
Monash University Malaysia