Event Details

A seminar on inter- and trans-disciplinary processes and accounting/finance/management research, using the emergence of the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship as a case study, presented by Prof. Jan Bebbington, Professor of Accounting and Sustainable Development, University of Birmingham Business School

This seminar will present how the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) have emerged over the last 5-6 years and use this case as the basis for reflecting on inter- and trans-disciplinary processes and the role of accounting/finance/management research in that context.

SeaBOS is a peer to peer co-designed learning initiative made up of the CEOs of the ten largest seafood companies in the world who are seeking to be ‘ocean stewards’. These firms have been characterised as ‘keystone actors’ – they are globally large companies who have a disproportionate impact on the ocean. Specifically, they are economically very large (as measured by turnover), as well as being ecologically significant. The working hypothesis behind the initiative is that by working together keystone actors can transform their own impacts and (due to their size and global reach) will also transform seafood business across the globe. Aligned to this partnership, there is an ongoing programme of research to address critical issues related to seafood production, involving both natural scientists alongside accounting and finance scholars. This work will be presented and discussed in the seminar as well as how the research team has come together.

All welcome - to book a place please email d.mackenzie@lancaster.ac.uk

Prof. Jan Bebbington works at the University of Birmingham and focuses on issues that emerge at the intersections between sustainable development concerns and accounting scholarship. Jan has published on topics such the Sustainable Development Goals; sustainability science; motivations and rationales for standalone reporting; carbon accounting; sustainability assessment and accounting education. Jan is also involved in a long-term collaboration between ecologists and sustainability scientists at the Stockholm Resilience Centre that aims to provide knowledge to a practice based cohort of seafood companies who are seeking to actively contribute to ocean stewardship (focusing on SDG 14 – Life Below the Water).

Alongside her academic work, Jan has also made substantive contributions to the practice and policy communities in a variety of roles including Vice Chair (Scotland) of the Sustainable Development Commission from 2006 to 2011. The role of the Commission (a part of the UK Government) was to promote sustainable development across the UK and all sectors of society, particularly within Government. A more recent practice engagement is her membership (since 2013) of Scottish and Southern Energy’s Sustainable Development Fund panel, which supports community projects across regions in Scotland where SSE has renewable generation assets. In 2018 the Royal Scottish Geographical Society awarded Jan an Honorary Fellowship.