The inaugural Asia-Pacific Responsible Research in Business and Management (RRBM) Summit was held in Beijing from October 8 to 9, 2024. Hosted by Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM), and supported by the University of Queensland and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the conference discussed how business school research can make a meaningful impact, focusing on both Asia-Pacific perspectives and global implications. The main events at Tsinghua SEM featured a series of keynotes, parallel sessions, integration and reflection from parallel sessions, PhD candidates' poster presentations, among other sessions.

Attendees discussed how the challenge with advancing responsible research is not deciding what it is, or why it is important, but rather how to achieve it. Many individual approaches are pursued by business schools, journals, granting agencies, and accreditation agencies, but attendees agreed that individual approaches are not enough - a holistic approach to responsible research is required, emphasizing the following key points: fostering a vibrant scholarly culture of curiosity and societal service; celebrating strong connections between research and education; ensuring incentives at all levels of the research ecosystem align with responsible research; eliminating cronyism and other forms of bias; deepening collaborations across disciplines and across the university-industry divide; supporting staff who take risks to advance responsible research; recognizing and addressing the costs, benefits, and dilemmas of responsible research; and continuing to improve coordination mechanisms in the research ecosystem (e.g., the role of accreditation agencies in setting common guidelines and sharing knowledge). 

Photo of the summit

XU Xin, the associate dean of Tsinghua SEM chaired the summit. BAI Chong-En, dean of Tsinghua SEM, delivered a welcome remark by introducing RRBM, a virtual organization initially developed by a group of 24 leading scholars at 23 university-based business schools and now joined by a much larger community. He emphasized the vital role responsible research plays for both science and society. "Responsible research refers to scientific work that produces credible knowledge with either direct or indirect usefulness for addressing problems important to both business and society." He cited the definition of responsible research and also introduced the seven principles of RRBM. Additionally, He provided an overview of Tsinghua SEM.

BAI Chong-En delivers a welcome remark.

LIU Zuoyi, deputy director of the Management Science Department of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), delivered a keynote speech titled "Fundings by the Department of Management Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation of China". He introduced the history and goals of the Management Sciences Department, providing the funding profile of free exploration projects, key projects, talent-focused projects and projects tailored to national needs, while also addressing the challenges faced by management research.

LIU Zuoyi delivers a speech.

Wai Cheung Timothy Tong, SBS, JP, chairman of Hong Kong Research Grants Council, delivered a keynote speech titled "Research Opportunities, Challenges and Funding Priorities". He highlighted the excellence of Hong Kong's universities, the evolution of funding programs, cross-border collaborations, and the nurturing of young scholars. Through various research funding schemes, the Hong Kong Research Grants Council aims to drive cutting-edge research, enhance Hong Kong's global competitiveness, and align with national strategies.

Wai Cheung Timothy Tong delivers a speech.

Christoph H. Loch, a professor of Operations and Technology Management at Cambridge Judge Business School, and also a Professor of Operations, Information and Technology at IESE Business School, University of Navarra addressed three primary dilemmas and challenges in research: "methods have become ends rather than the means to gain insight", "theories often receive much more attention than relevance and impact"; and "should the target of responsible research be business Utility or societal Utility?" In response to these questions, Loch advocated for hiring and educating faculty, working on relevant problems, as well as fostering multidisciplinary collaboration to actually make a difference.

Christoph H. Loch delivers a speech.

Six parallel panel discussions were attended by scholars at renowned business schools in the Asia-Pacific region, editors of business journals and professionals from international companies. The panels explored responsible research concerning various aspects including education practice, industry practice, policymaking and assessment, doctoral training, deans and senior faculty, and journal editors. During the integration and reflection sessions, each panel eventually reached a consensus and offered their suggestions for the implementation of responsible research.

Photos of the integration and reflection session

At the conclusion of the summit, Jikyeong Kang, president and dean of Asian Institute of Management, and Brent Ritchie, dean and head of Business School at the University of Queensland, delivered closing remarks and reiterated the initiatives proposed during the meeting.

Jikyeong Kang delivers a closing remark.

Brent Ritchie delivers a closing remark.

During the summit, 14 PhD candidate representatives from seven departments of Tsinghua SEM presented academic posters centering on their research directions and the conference theme. They engaged in exchanges and discussions with participating scholars, gaining valuable academic insights.

The poster presentation session

RRBM is dedicated to inspiring, encouraging, and supporting credible and useful research in the business and management disciplines with the support from many partners, including AACSB, EFMD, PRME, Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program, GRLI, and many business schools worldwide. The RRBM Summit, featuring deans of business schools from the Asia-Pacific region, editors-in-chief and board members of domestic and international academic journals, scholars, and industry experts, attracted over 100 attendees. It advanced discussions on responsible research from an Asian perspective, with global implications.