Talking sustainability: Bayes experts provide early-career mentoring

A selection of young academics and PhD candidates from around the world gathered at Bayes Business School for a two-day mentoring workshop, designed to inspire confidence in pursuing academia as a career.

With international conference opportunities currently at a premium, Bayes teamed up with the Society for the Advancement of Management Studies (SAMS), the International Critical Management Studies (ICMS), and academics from other UK universities to deliver sessions for 17 peers.

Applicants for the event submitted papers around sustainability topics prior to arrival. Research areas covered preservation of rainforests and indigenous communities, minority UK academic communities, philanthropy in Brazilian environmental politics and decolonising supply chain networks.

Each delegate was assigned to an academic mentor, with Professor André Spicer, Dr Simon Parker and Professor Bobby Banerjee from Bayes joined by fellow academics from Maynooth University (Ireland), The Open University, Cardiff University, Nottingham Trent University and Queen Mary University London.

The event kicked off with a workshop on how to publish an academic paper, exploring processes, best practices and resilience in the face of initial rejection. Professor Banerjee then delivered a session on ‘publishing without perishing’ – looking at alternative methods of promoting academic work beyond publication in traditional journals.

Plenaries were then held to review and consolidate learning.

On the second day, workshops looked at ‘developing the person’, with mentors offering strategic insights into coping with pressures of research.

Dr Simon Parker, Senior Lecturer in Business and Society, organised the event and said the sessions showcased Bayes’ commitment to building communities as a leading provider of education and research.

“Conferences and opportunities for academic development are so often held behind doors or paywalls,” he said.

“The aim of this workshop was to find a new way of engaging with those looking to break into research as a career, bringing together critical management thinkers from underrepresented regions.

“The route into academia is a long and winding one, and even successful researchers will have their stories of setbacks and recovery to share.

"Hopefully we have inspired a group of talented and ambitious individuals to take their research forward. There was certainly an impressive range of insights presented.”

Adriana Guedes Arcuri, PhD candidate at São Paulo School of Business Administration, said she inspired by the camaraderie among scholars.

“The workshop was truly incredible, and it was inspiring to be part of a community of scholars engaged in critical studies in management,” she said.

“Sessions were highly productive. Feedback from colleagues significantly deepened my understanding of the publication process – especially in high-impact journals – which will be crucial for advancing my academic career.

“Mentoring, in particular, helped me identify specific areas where my paper needed development, something that wasn’t clear to me before attending. It also made me realise the real potential my piece has for publication.

“I left feeling both encouraged and confident that I can successfully publish my work, something I wasn’t sure of before!”

Bayes Business School has been a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (UNPRME) since 2016. The United Nations-supported initiative aims to raise the profile of sustainability in business and management education through seven guiding principles of Purpose, Values, Teach, Research, Partner, Practice and Share along with 17 Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs).

Dr Parker said the session demonstrated Bayes’ commitment to the charter.

“On a personal level it was very energising to be a mentor, and as a business school it presented us with a great opportunity to build up academic communities doing innovative research in the sustainability space.

“My thanks go to fellow mentors who came from around the UK, and most of all to researchers who joined us from across the world – from France to Finland, to Brazil.”

Find out more about the work City St George’s, University of London and Bayes Business School are doing to support social responsibility initiatives in their outreach.