Today I presented the latest version of our research on woman-owned businesses and sustainability certifications at the 2017 Global B Corp Academic Community Roundtable. The paper is co-authored with Matthew G. Grimes (Indiana University) and Ke Cao (University of Alberta) and has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Business Venturing as part of a special issue on “Enterprise Before and Beyond Benefit: A Transdisciplinary Research Agenda for Prosocial Organizing.” The special issue is being edited by Oana Branzei (Ivey Business School), Ed Gamble (Montana State University), Peter Moroz (University of Regina), and Simon Parker (Ivey Business School).
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Q&A on the ONE Emerging Scholar Award
In August, at the 2017 annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, I received the ONE Emerging Scholar Award from the Organizations and the Natural Environment Divison of the Academy of Management. Today, in its Fall Newsletter, the ONE Division Published a nice Q&A with me, which I have excerpted below.
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CBC Reports on Hinton’s Geothermal Energy Project
Today, CBC featured a story about the work being done in Hinton related to geothermal energy. The story quotes Jonathan Banks, who leads the University of Alberta’s Future Energy Systems Geothermal Energy research team. As part of the research, Lianne Lefsrud, John Parkins and I are working on “Socio-Economic Roadmaps to Commercial Geothermal Energy Production in Western Canada.”
Organization Studies Editorial Board
Today, I was invited to join the Organization Studies Editorial Review Board. The current Editors-in-Chief are Trish Reay (University of Alberta) and Daniel Hjorth (Copenhagen Business School). I have been reviewing for the journal since June 2010. Organization Studies is the official journal of the European Group for Organization Studies. According to Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate Analytics, 2017) Organization Studies had a 2016 Impact Factor of 3.107, ranking it #39 out of 194 journals in management. A list of my other editorial positions is available here.
2017-2018 CPA Alberta Board of Directors
Today, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta held its Annual General Meeting. Afterwards, the newly elected members of the board of directors joined us for the first time. The board is comprised of 12 directors: 9 elected by CPA Alberta members and 3 public members appointed by the Government of Alberta. This marks the start of my third year on this board, after being appointed as a public member on July 1, 2015. I previously served on the board of the ICAA from 2014 to 2015.
New Public-Private Research Partnership Press Release
This morning, we issued a joint press release related to our 7-year, $2.5 million Innovating for Sustainability research project. The press release describes one phase of our work, a collaborative public-private partnership involving researchers at the Ivey Business School, University of Alberta, and the University of Quebec at Montreal, as well as six industry partners led by Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), three COSIA member companies (Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Suncor, and Cenovus), Alberta Innovates and Natural Resources Canada.
Thoughts on the City of Edmonton’s Sustainable Procurement
On Wednesday, I received an email from David Staples, a columnist at the Edmonton Journal.
Professor Gehman:
I need your advice on something. I’m looking for an expert in sustainability issues and contracts… The city is buying 250 bike racks, and in the procurement contract it strikes me there is a ton of red tape for such a small purpose. I also wonder if the policy will work to cut down greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainability, or if there might not be better ways of doing it, more elegant ways, as opposed to this way, which strikes me as a make-work project and one that is difficult if not impossible to verify.
Serendipity Arrangements Article In Press
Today, my latest article — “Serendipity Arrangements for Exapting Science-Based Innovations” — was published online. Co-authored with Raghu Garud and Antonio Giuliani, the article is forthcoming in the Academy of Management Perspectives, as part of a special issue on “The Commercialization of Science: An Integrative Research Agenda on Managing the Science-Business Interfaces” guested edited by Mike Wright (Imperial College London), Riccardo Fini (University of Bologna), Einar Rasmussen (Nord University), Donald Siegel (State University of New York at Albany), and Johan Wiklund (Syracuse University).
Northgate Industries Case Study Published
This morning I received an email from The Case Centre notifying me that our case study — “Northgate Industries Ltd.: Sustainability Challenges Involving Public Policy” — was published. Co-authored with Mana Heydari, Ashley Theberge, and Sid Tetz (all former MBA students), the case study investigates Edmonton-based Northgate Industries Ltd., a provider of modular lodging structures for the oil and gas industry. One of its large manufacturing facilities is located near the Edmonton City Centre Airport area and Northgate has been utilizing the airport for multiple business purposes. At the time of the case, the City of Edmonton is considering closing down the airport. After numerous city meetings, input from the public, and a benefit cost analysis, the city eventually decided to close down the city center airport and to proceed with plans to redevelop the area into a sustainable residential community. The case asks students to decide how Northgate should respond to the potential loss of the business and whether to restructure its business model so that it would match the city’s vision for a new sustainable community. This is the eighth business school case study I’ve published.
There are two parts to the case study and a companion teaching note:
- Northgate Industries Ltd.: Sustainability Challenges Involving Public Policy (Part A). Reference #317-0307-1.
- Northgate Industries Ltd.: Sustainability Challenges Involving Public Policy (Part B). Reference #317-0307-1B.
- Northgate Industries Ltd.: Sustainability Challenges Involving Public Policy. Teaching Note Reference #317-0307-8.
Future Energy Systems Website Launched
Today, the new Future Energy Systems (FES) website was launched. FES was first established on September 7, 2016, when the University of Alberta was awarded $75 million over seven years for energy research through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF). FES currently consists of 12 theme areas; each theme is coordinated by a team of three co-champions: