An international group is organizing a conference to be held at the University of Frankfurt am Main, November 17-18, 2017, on “The 'Nationality' of the Company': Historical Approaches to a Possible Paradox.” The organizers are Boris Gehlen (University of Bonn), Christian Marx (University of Trier), Werner Plumpe (University of Frankfurt/M.), and Alfred Reckendrees (Copenhagen Business School). According to the call for papers:
Scholars and Ph.D. students of any relevant (sub-) discipline are invited to submit paper proposals relating to the wide range of topics that come under to the “nationality of the company.” Abstracts of 500 to 1,000 words (PDF format) presenting the subject, the conceptual framework and the analytical approach along with a brief (one-page) CV should be sent to Boris Gehlen [b.gehlen@uni-bonn.de], Christian Marx [marxchr@uni-trier.de], or Alfred Reckendrees [are.mpp@cbs.dk] by September 30, 2016.
Please consult the full call for papers for a more complete discussion of the conference's agenda.
The question of companies and their nationality opens the discussion about how companies relate to society and the nation state, and vice versa. What nationality (if it has one) does a company have and how can it be conceived? In this call for papers we present some topics and examples indicating that nationality might matter in specific ways and that discussing a company’s nationality and studying how it is produced and/or how it changed over time might be a promising enterprise. The topics are not conclusive; all proposals discussing the issue of nationality in regard to (private) companies are welcome.
Please consult the full call for papers for a more complete discussion of the conference's agenda.