South African Journal of Business Management Special Collection 2024: We invite you to submit

We call on authors to participate in the Special Collection to be published in the South African Journal of Business Management (SAJBM) in 2024, an open-access scholarly journal published by AOSIS.

Special Collection title: Corporate Governance and Sustainable Business Practices in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Timelines

• Open for submission: 1 February 2024
• Deadline for submissions extended: 31 May 2024
• Expected Publication Date: 25 November 2024

Inquiries relating to your research and its fit for the Special Collection should be sent to the Guest Editors:

• Nicolene Wesson, Stellenbosch University, South Africa (nwesson@sun.ac.za)
• George Nel, Stellenbosch University, South Africa (gfn@sun.ac.za)

Introduction

The world – for both business and society – has changed fundamentally over the past decade. Global realities such as climate change, escalating levels of inequality and globalised trade and the rapid advancement in technology and science present new challenges and opportunities to organisations (Institute of Directors South Africa [IoDSA], 2016). Most of these changes has been brought about by the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are in the middle of the next industrial revolution in which new technologies or novel ways of perceiving the world trigger changes in economic and social structures. Industrial revolutions are not only about the technology driving the change, the social and economic changes and its impacts are just as important, as they have a significant impact on the way society do things and perceive the world (Schwab, 2017).

4IR is not only going to impact technology, products, and services, it is also having an impact on our value and belief systems and will require that some existing ideas, theories, and beliefs be revised. We have seen this with the urgency for organisations to apply sustainable business practices to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of securing a healthy, thriving planet for everyone by 2030 (Ararat et al., 2021; United Nations, 2023).

The 21st century has also seen a shift from a shareholder-centric form of corporate governance towards a stakeholder-centric approach. It is now accepted that organisations operate in the triple context of the economy, society, and the environment (IoDSA, 2016). All the capitals (financial, manufactured, intellectual, human, social and relationship, and natural) that an organisation uses and affects – and not only the financial capital – should therefore be incorporated within its business model (International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation, 2021). Consequently, reporting frameworks such as the integrated reporting framework and sustainability reporting standards have gained wide acceptance as it provides evidence of an organisation’s accountability towards sustainability through good governance practices (International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation, 2021). There has also been renewed interest in the relevance of assurance models. Risk assessment, risk management, assurance and governance historically have had their own domain and arguably limited scope. Governing bodies can no longer only consider a restricted risk and response definition (Rudman, 2021). New definitions of risks, risk exposures and spheres of risks need to be understood and governed. These spheres extend beyond the confines of the business parameters and requires a better understanding of the impact of society. Within organisations, governing bodies have the challenge of steering their organisations amid the uncertainties posed by realities within a changed world (IoDSA, 2016).  Empirical evidence shows mixed results on the effectiveness of corporate governance practices in addressing pressing global issues in a sustainable manner (Ararat et al., 2021, Velte, 2022). It is recognised that a concerted effort from all role players within business and society (including regulators, governing bodies, assurers, and investors) is required to ensure an equitable future for the planet and its people (United Nations, 2023).

Objectives

This special issue aims to obtain insights on how organisations address the realities within a changing world in a sustainable manner through good corporate governance practices.  Considering the focus and audience of the South African Journal of Business Management, we call for a wide range of studies contributing to management theory and management practice relating to assurance, corporate governance and sustainable business practices as it relates to the organisational and/or societal changes in the fourth industrial revolution.

Recommended topics

We invite submissions on the following themes (but not limited to):

• Corporate citizenship and ethical leadership.
• Board of directors’ responsibilities relating to risk, audit, remuneration and IT.
• Integrated reporting, sustainability reporting and integrated thinking.
• The assurance of financial and non-financial performance.
• Stakeholder management and relations.
• Corporate governance and climate change.
• Technology and Information governance.

Submission procedure

To submit your article to the special collection, go to https://sajbm.org. When you submit the article, select “Original Research:  Special Collection – Corporate Governance” as the article type. Click here for more details on the submission procedure and please consult the journal’s guidelines for the manuscript guidelines. All submissions will undergo anonymous review to guarantee high scientific quality and relevance to the subject. The final decision regarding acceptance/revision/rejection will be based on the reviews received from the reviewers and at the sole discretion of the Guest Editor and/or Editor-in-Chief, Mias de Klerk.

For any assistance during the submission and application process, kindly email submissions@sajbm.org

Journal accreditation

The journal is DHET accredited because it is listed on the following approved indexing services:

• Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Core Collection Social Sciences Citation Index, SSCI (previously known as ISI)
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) – DHET Approved Index from 2021
• SCOPUS

Reference list

• Ararat, M., Claessens, S., & Yurtoglu, B.B. (2021). Corporate governance in emerging markets: A selective review and an agenda for future research, Emerging Markets Review, 48, 100767. doi: 10.1016/j.ememar.2020.100767.
• Institute of Directors South Africa. (2016). King IV report on corporate governance for South Africa. Available at: https://www.iodsa.co.za/page/king-iv
• International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation. (2021). International <IR> Framework. Available at: https://www.integratedreporting.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/InternationalIntegratedReportingFramework.pdf
• United Nations. (2023). Progress towards the Sustainability Development Goals: Towards a rescue plan for people and the planet. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/SDG_Progress_Report_Special_Edition_2023_ADVANCE_UNEDITED_VERSION.pdf
• Rudman, R.J. (2021). A changing world… with subtle, yet powerful implications, Accountancy SA, November 2021, 24-25.
• Schwab, K. (2017). The Fourth Industrial Revolution. New York: Crown Publishing Group.
• Velte, P. (2022). Meta analyses on corporate social responsibility (CSR): A literature review, Management Review Quarterly, 72, 627–675. Doi: 10.1007/s11301-021-00211-2.