Work by a Lancaster University researcher has been shortlisted for an FT Academic research award: ‘smart ideas with real-world impact.’

The research, led by Lancaster Pentland Centre’s Professor Jan Bebbington - formerly of the University of Birmingham - was shortlisted in the FT’s Responsible Business Education Awards which show that a positive social impact can be made by business school academics, through their research.

Professor Bebbington’s co-authored ‘Accounting and accountability in the Anthropocene | Emerald Insight paper is the first in the accounting field to seek to establish connections between accounting, accountability and the Anthropocene. The paper draws out conceptual threads but, critically for FT awards recognition, integrates insights from a science-business collaboration between the authors and the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship initiative.

The paper was also highly commended by the journal through a vote of its editorial board.

Professor Bebbington said: “Being shortlisted by the Financial Times is a great thrill and testament to the author team who have collectively worked tirelessly to both create impact in the seafood industry as well as to communicate this work in the framework of the Anthropocene biosphere.

“Accounting can sometimes be seen to be a long way from ecology and the state of the planet – in this paper we draw out the threads of the connections that bind these two areas tightly together.”

Prof Bebbington joined Lancaster University Management School in 2021 to lead the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business. In addition to her focus on sustainability, Professor Bebbington has been recognised for making a substantial contribution to UK academic accounting and finance life by the British Accounting and Finance Association, who awarded her their Distinguished Academic Award in 2013 and in 2018 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.