Strategies for a Digital & Inclusive Future

Call for Papers

Firms in the first quarter of the twenty first century have primarily relied on using technological disruptions to achieve competitive advantage and sustainable growth. Firms in India have been no exception primarily because of India’s large base of customers and talent that can support large scale automation. The combination of India being home to one sixth of the world's population and the fast development of the digital ecosystems has worked very well for growth seeking firms – small and large. Having said that, demands of equitable and sustainable development have also challenged firms in India to pursue growth strategies.

The foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have increased 20-fold  in the last 20 years. In the post-Covid era, India has emerged as a top preferred investment destination for multinational corporations. The FDI equity inflows in manufacturing rose by over 75% in FY 2021-22 as compared to the previous year. Major technology giants such as Google and Microsoft, and manufacturing firms such as Apple and Hyundai are looking at India as a future growth driver.

India has made massive strides in the digital technology adoption across the sectors. There has been an increase in front-end digitisation by way of empowering citizens to store their documents digitally, transact using a unified payment interface (UPI), and availing majority of the citizen services using online portals. At the back-end, the spectrum allocation for 4G and 5G has increased the capabilities of the citizens and organizations to rapidly communicate with each other at affordable prices. 

India has also witnessed a surge in institutional development in the form of banking sector and capital market reforms, media and telecom revolution, upgradation of corporate taxation and bankruptcy norms, introduction of production linked incentive schemes and various other forms of initiatives to boost domestic manufacturing and service sectors within the country. In addition, there have been many inclusive technology and business model innovations in fintech, edtech and climate-tech sectors.  

India’s start-up ecosystem is also growing rapidly. India’s ecosystem is now the third largest in the world with large unicorns coming out of the country. In the past two decades, the ecosystem in cities such as Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Hyderabad have seen a unique confluence of academic institutions, R&D labs, hubs, accelerators, venture capitalists, uniquely skilled and talented workforce and government regulators coming together to shape this vibrant ecosystem. 

We hope through the inaugural India Strategy Conference, we will be able to bring together senior academicians and young scholars from the global strategy community, and leading practitioners to share a common platform for discussing the above strategic opportunities.

In line with this, we invite proposals associated (but not limited to) with the following opportunities and challenges:

• How are firms in India utilising the digital technologies and coping with the widespread adoption of Aadhar (Unique Identification Number), UPI (Unified Payment Interface) and the emergent technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) and Blockchain?

• How is digital technology enabling innovation in India, and how does it affect the geographical clustering of such ecosystems?
• How do firms in India organise themselves to create and deliver value for the large Indian market that is looking for affordable products at low prices?

• How are firms managing the challenges associated with diversity, inclusion, and socio-economic mobility?

• What are the environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges faced by firms in India, and how are firms  developing ecosystems to overcome these grand challenges?

• How is the start-up ecosystem evolving in India, in light of the digital disruption and emerging ESG requirements in India? How are they different from traditional business forms (SMEs, MNEs, business group affiliated firms) that have historically dominated the Indian economy?

Scholars are invited to submit original manuscript proposals that focus on theoretical, conceptual, empirical, or managerial contributions that either address the conference theme or fall into one of the following tracks at the conference. Submitters who are uncertain of the appropriate track for their submissions should contact the conference committee. 

• Theme Track 1) Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation
• Theme Track 2) Environment, Society and Governance (ESG) and Non-Market Strategy
• Track 3) Business and Corporate Strategy 
• Track 4) Internationalization and Global Strategy
• Track 5) Family Business and Entrepreneurship
• Track 6) Leadership and Human Capital

Original proposals should not exceed a total of 7 pages, inclusive of figures, tables, references and all other material. The proposals should use single spacing and should use 12-point font. References are required and must be included in the proposal document using APA style. Proposals should include a title and abstract (not exceeding 150 words). Proposals should not include author names to maintain confidentiality in the review process.

The proposals should be submitted directly to the 2023 India Strategy Conference portal. All submissions will be peer-reviewed. You are welcome to volunteer to participate as session chairs and reviewers by contacting the track chairs directly. 

The proposals should be submitted directly to the 2023 India Strategy Conference portal. click here for more details.

Conference Special Sessions

The conference will also host a variety of special sessions in addition to the regular paper and poster presentations sessions during December 14th to 17th (the conference duration). 

The conference special sessions will be designed for multiple audiences as indicated below:

• Faculty Colloquium: The focus here would be on 20 to 25 early-stage faculty colleagues with the aim of building and enhancing their research careers and developing at least one of their research papers.
• Doctoral Colloquium:  The focus here would be on 20 to 25 doctoral scholars who are at an advanced stage of thesis work.

• Research Methods Workshop: The workshop will deep dive into two or three research methods in smaller groups. It will be primarily for early-stage researchers (doctoral students and faculty). 
• Practitioner Colloquium (by invitation only): This workshop is geared towards top executives who handle strategic issues and thereby can share unique experiences to build interfaces with academia/academic research.

• Director’s Panel (by invitation only): This panel aims to bring together academic leaders from various business schools to share their rich and varied experiences and to explore some of the critical aspects of advancing scholarship in India.
• Career/placement: The conference will also aim to serve as a meeting ground for potential recruiters. Information related to this will be communicated via the conference portal or email closer to the conference date. 

Important deadlines

Proposal submissions August 31, 2023 

Notification of acceptance October 14, 2023

Pre-conference workshops December 14-15, 2023

Conference Dates December 14-17, 2023

Accommodation details will be provided by 23th October, 2023

Conference Registration Click here

Registration fees for the conference will be as follows:

• Full-time Academics (from outside India) : US$ 350
• Full-time Academics (from India) : INR 20,000
• Full-time Doctoral Students : INR 5,000
• Executives and Entrepreneurs including part-time doctoral students : INR 20,000
• Full-time Doctoral Students who are the presenter of an accepted proposal: waived

There will be a waiver of registration fees for doctoral students, who will be invited to present.

IIM Bangalore will provide limited accommodation to select attendees in its campuses. In addition to the campus accommodation, there will be accommodation available at nearby hotels in the city.

Conference Administration

Co-chairs: Prof. Rejie George, IIM Bangalore

Prof. Prateek Raj, IIM Bangalore

Prof. Chitra Singla, IIM Ahmedabad

Prof. Amit Karna, IIM Ahmedabad

Please mark all communication regarding the 2023 India Strategy Conference to isc2023[at]iimb[dot]ac[dot]in

About the Conference

India Strategy Conference is a joint initiative by Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, and the Indian School of Business. The venue for 2023 conference is IIM Bangalore