I write here to update readers on three matters.
Editorial Team and Board Changes
With this issue three members of our editorial team conclude their tenures as associate editor.
Jerry Goodstein joined our editorial board in 2007 and became an associate editor in 2008, commencing a dozen years of terrific service as AE handling mostly macro-level submissions in management and the social sciences. As a scholar Jerry has contributed several articles to the journal going back to the early 2000s. We wish him all the best as he transitions from his faculty appointment at Washington State University into professional retirement.
Farewell and thanks also go to Kelly Martin, who joined the editorial board in 2011 and became an associate editor in 2016, handling papers on marketing ethics and others at the intersection of psychology and ethics. Kelly’s own award-winning research on data privacy and marketing strategy has appeared in many journals. She leaves our team as she assumes the role of coeditor in chief of the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing.
Tom Donaldson first appeared on the masthead as a member of the BEQ editorial board in the journal’s very first issue in 1991. My predecessor as editor Denis Arnold in 2015 persuaded Tom to do the stint as associate editor from which he now steps down. In addition to having authored several articles in the journal over the years, Tom’s work was the focal basis for a special issue in 2015, “Normative Business Ethics in a Global Economy: New Directions on Donaldsonian Themes.” Introducing that issue, guest editor Alan Strudler observed that Tom “helped change the way we think about business ethics.”Footnote 1 Quite right, and it has been a pleasure to have him on the journal’s editorial team these last several years.
On behalf of the journal and the Society for Business Ethics I extend heartfelt thanks to Jerry, Kelly, and Tom for their outstanding service to BEQ. I am happy to add that all three will return to and remain part of BEQ’s editorial board. I will be announcing new members of the editorial leadership team in the near future.
I also wish to welcome a few new additions to the editorial board this year. These include Michael Barnett (a scholar in management and global business at Rutgers University), Kirsten Martin (an expert in privacy, technology, and corporate responsibility who is moving from George Washington University to Notre Dame this summer), and Joshua Preiss (a social and political philosopher at Minnesota State University).
New Special Issue Call
The journal has launched a new call-for-submissions to an upcoming special issue of BEQ. The call, published in full elsewhere within this (July) issue,Footnote 2 invites papers on the topic Socio-Technological Conditions of Organized Immaturity in the Twenty-First Century. Quoting from the call, the guest editors “seek conceptual, normative, or empirical studies that identify, analyze, and critique current technical and social sources of organized immaturity and develop solutions for resisting new forms of surveillance and control.” They are encouraging prospective authors to “consider the role of (business) organizations and organizing in both control and emancipation of the individual in business and society, and to analyze possible ethical implications.”
The full text of the call expands on the meaning of organized immaturity, defines the scope of the subject, identifies possible topics and contexts for contributions, and provides a number of examples of research questions that papers could address. Manuscripts in response to this call can be submitted during the window opening March 31, 2021, and closing May 31, 2021. The guest editor team will be convening a manuscript development virtual workshop related to the special issue in November 2020.Footnote 3 Consult the full call for details.
We remain open to inquiries regarding the development of proposals for future special issues. Strong proposals are consistent with the journal’s editorial scope and mission, argue convincingly why a gathering of new theoretical work on the proposed special issue theme is warranted, and give specific examples of topics that would be appropriate. A document containing guidelines and expectations for proposing a special issue is available on request from the editor.
Matters Pandemic
As we go to press with this issue of the journal, it is of course the case that the processes and rhythms of our operations have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic these last few months, just as most everyone has. Systems of review and production have taken a bit longer than usual, but all aspects of the journal’s editorial function have been and will continue to be fully engaged and operational. BEQ is up and running as always.
The impact of the pandemic did compel our publisher, Cambridge University Press, to make the difficult decision in early spring to temporarily suspend journal printing. This commenced after our April 2020 issue, which was printed and mailed on time. The suspension did not and does not affect BEQ’s ability to review submissions and publish articles online, and this issue (July 2020) appears online in full and on time. As of this writing the suspension is due to be lifted at the start of July; the printing and mailing of this issue may be delayed a bit but will occur in due course.
I wish to express our great appreciation for the patience of authors when delays have occurred during this challenging time. And most important, we send everyone with a stake in the journal—readers, authors, reviewers, editors, and publishing staff—our wishes that you will stay safe and sane (and of course ethical).
