EMS 2021 Call for Papers and Important Dates

The 11th Annual Conference on Engaged Management Scholarship (EMS 2021) is organized by the Executive DBA Council (EDBAC) and the DBA Program at Florida International University (FIU). The EMS 2021 conference offers a global venue for management practitioner scholars and a growing worldwide group of practitioner-oriented DBA programs to meet, report research findings that are problem driven and practice oriented, and engage in debates around management education for practitioner scholars. EMS2021, which celebrates the 11th anniversary of the Engaged Management Scholarship conference, will be hosted both in person and via online delivery by Florida International University in Miami, Florida USA on September 9-11, 2021.

The theme of the 2021 11th International Conference on Engaged Management Scholarship (EMS) will be focused on “The Really Big Problems” facing the global community today, and a call to action for the practitioner-scholar community in both identifying them and crafting their solutions. Submissions, to the extent possible, should tailor their message to bring to light answers to the examples above and other related questions that will provide an understanding of the big problems of today and beyond.

We look forward to receiving your submissions for both complete and short research papers, doctoral and alumni consortium proposals, panels, and workshops. The submission process will open on May 1, 2021 and the deadline for all submissions is Monday, June 21, 2021.

Please note that all submissions involve a commitment to register and present or participate in the conference, as appropriate for the type of submission, either virtually or in person. Paper submissions for which no authors are registered for the conference by the deadlines below will be removed from the program and proceedings.

Submission Types:

Authors/Participants can submit in five different ways:

  1. Complete Paper Submissions

    These submissions represent completed papers or research projects. These papers will be peer-reviewed and, if accepted, presented either in person or virtually at the conference, and will appear in the conference proceedings. Regular submissions representing completed research projects are where the primary research question(s) have been at least partially addressed and answered. These submissions can theoretically and methodologically take any form: quantitative studies, qualitative studies, new theoretical positions and so forth.

    Papers need to provide unique insights into important business problems offering solutions that are practical and evidence-based consistent with the mission, aim and scope of engaged scholarship.

    We will accept regular submissions of empirical papers in a traditional format (Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Method & Design, Results, Discussion (including implications for practice and theory), References and Appendices (as necessary). The length of the manuscript cannot exceed 8,000 words including references.

    For citation and reference style, use the Academy of Management Journal style found at: http://aom.org/publications/amj/styleguide

    The deadline for submission of a manuscript is June 21, 2021. Notification for accepted manuscripts will be on or before Monday, July 26, 2021. The final revised manuscript (in camera-ready format) is due Monday August 16, 2021. By this time, one or more of the authors must be registered for the conference. All accepted and presented submissions will be included in the conference proceedings.

  2. Short Paper Submissions

    These are expected to be in-progress research projects that will be reviewed and approved by a select editorial board chosen by the Program Chairs. Since Short Paper Submissions may not have any collected data or results at the time of the submission, they will be judged on the merit of the research idea, study plan, and potential implications for research and practice. The same template and formatting guidelines as for Complete Paper Submissions above should be followed, but the length for Short Paper Submissions is limited to 3,000 words, including references.

    The deadline for submission of a manuscript is Monday, June 21, 2021. Notification for accepted manuscripts will be on or before Monday, July 26, 2021. The final revised manuscript (in camera-ready format) is due Monday August 16, 2021. By this time, one or more of the authors must be registered for the conference. All accepted and presented submissions will be included in the conference proceedings.

  3. Doctoral Consortium Submissions

    An opportunity for executive doctoral students working on their dissertation research to share and develop their research ideas further with expert review and feedback from faculty members who have been chosen across EDBAC institutions by the Doctoral Consortium Chairs.

    Please note: All applicants must be nominated by their executive doctorate programs and, if accepted, are expected to attend all Consortium meetings and activities on Thursday, September 9, 2021 (the day prior to the start of the main conference). Participation can be either in person or virtually. Submissions to the Doctoral Consortium will consist of a three-page extended abstract of the ongoing dissertation work. Upon acceptance to and participation in the Doctoral Consortium, these abstracts will be included in the conference proceedings.

    The deadline for applications to the Doctoral Consortium is Monday, June 21, 2021. Program directors (or equivalent) should submit, directly to the Doctoral Consortium Chairs, a nomination letter for all students nominated by their program for participation in the Doctoral Consortium. Nominated students should be ranked by order of recommendation.

    Specific information regarding the Doctoral Consortium can be found on this website under Doctoral Consortium Information.

  4. Alumni Consortium Submissions

    Submit your work or ideas here in the form of a suggested alumni panel of relevant topics for this audience or a presentation of conceptual or research ideas for an opportunity to share experiences and engage with other alumni of executive doctoral programs about research plans and on ways to use your degree to further engaged scholarship. Accepted applicants are expected to attend all Consortium meetings and activities on Thursday, September 9, 2021 (the day prior to the start of the main conference). Participation can be either in person or virtually.

    Please note: The Alumni Consortium is a working session of pre-organized workshops and does not involve traditional paper or poster or panel submissions. Applications for the consortium should be submitted to be reviewed by the Alumni Consortium Chairs who will provide insights and feedback to further the suggested topics. Panels for a more general audience, as well as research papers or workshops, should be submitted elsewhere. Notification for accepted Alumni Consortium activities will be on or before Monday, July 26, 2021.

    Specific information regarding the Doctoral Consortium can be found on this website under Alumni Consortium Information.

  5. Panels and Workshops

    Panel and Workshop submission options are intended to include sessions on relevant topics to engaged scholarship and DBA programs, faculty, students, and alumni. Panels aim to present ideas and engage the audience in discussion. Workshops are usually offered by faculty, staff, or alumni who share knowledge of a given research topic or practice.

    Submissions should include: a) the panel title; b) a brief description of 4-5 sentences; and c) a list of panelists including full name, university affiliation, and panel chair (with email address). The deadline for submission of a panel is Monday June 21, 2021. Notification for accepted panels will be on or before Monday, July 26, 2021.

Submission Instructions

All submissions and applications must be made through the EMS 2021 Easy Chair submission system by clicking the button below. All authors and applicants will be required to create an account in the system to submit their research or applications. Please note that all research submissions must be original and not currently under review by another journal or conference. All submissions will be carefully reviewed, and accepted submissions will be expected to be presented by one or more authors registered for the conference – either in person or virtually.

The submission portal for EMS 2021 will open on May 1, 2021.

Research Paper Submissions

The paper submission deadline is Monday June 21, 2021. Paper submissions must be completed papers or research projects and may not be under review by any other conferences or journals. All paper submissions will undergo a blind peer review. If accepted, your paper must be presented at the EMS 2021 Conference (either virtually or in person) and will be published in the official conference proceedings.

The first page of the paper should present the Title, Authors, and Abstract. This page will be removed before the paper undergoes peer review. Please ensure that no other identifying information appears in the paper. This document template is provided to assist with proper formatting.

Papers must follow the Academy of Management Style Guidelines found here: http://aom.org/publications/amj/styleguide. A full paper, including references, must not exceed 8,000 words, and a short paper is limited to 3,000 words. Papers must be submitted as .pdf files. If your paper is accepted, it will be published through SSRN as part of the official EMS 2021 Conference Proceedings. SSRN has non-exclusive rights to publish and distribute your paper. Please review the information here https://www.ssrn.com/index.cfm/en/ssrn-faq/ before submitting.

Become a Reviewer!

Reviewers are greatly appreciated! Each Reviewer will be asked to review a maximum of three submissions. The review period begins June 22, 2021 for research paper submissions. Reviews must be completed by Friday, July 23, 2021. If you are available during this time, please sign up to be a reviewer.

Sign up to be a Reviewer here, or copy and paste this link into your web browser: https://fiu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3sHvhfb41aay062

The system will present a form, which collects your reviewing interests and areas of expertise. We will make every attempt to align submissions with your areas of expertise.

Important Dates

  • Submission portal opens May 1, 2021
  • Conference registration begins: June 1 (Tuesday)
  • Submission deadline for papers, panels, short papers, consortia, etc.: June 21 (Monday)
  • Acceptance notification: July 26 (Monday)
  • Early bird registration ends: June 30 (Wednesday)
  • Final camera-ready deadline (one author must be registered for the conference by this deadline): August 16 (Monday)
  • Conference: September 9 – 12 (Thursday – Sunday)

We look forward to receiving your EMS 2021 submissions! If you have any questions, please email us at: miaguirr@fiu.edu or grdrz@unam.mx.


Contact Us

For information please contact
Yasemin Shirazi at yshiraz@fiu.edu.


FIU is a proud member of the Executive DBA Council

2021 Engaged Management Scholarship (EMS) Conference | September 9-11, 2021