The Is and Ought of Business Ethics 2025

The conference will take place from October 8, 2025 until October 10, 2025. It will be held in person in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany (40 minutes train ride from Berlin).

Based on the positive feedback and our great experiences in 2017, 2019, and 2023, we are glad to invite you all to return back to Wittenberg, to come together and discuss research relating to ethics in business - both from a normative and an empirical perspective. To achieve this, we are looking forward to welcoming you – business ethics scholars, economists, psychologists, philosophers and any other related discipline specialists from all of Europe and overseas to present and discuss your ideas in Wittenberg.

The Submission Deadline is April 15th.

SUBMIT HERE

• KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

  Keynote 1:       Bart Wilson, Chapman, Smith Institute

  Keynote 2:       Nien-he Hsieh, Harvard Business School

  Keynote 3:       Dorothea Kübler, Technische Universität Berlin

• SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

  Jana Friedrichsen, Uni Kiel

  Cassandra Grützner, MLU Halle-Wittenberg

  Bernd Irlenbusch, University of Cologne

  Margarita Leib, Tilburg University

  Rebecca Ruehle, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

  Markus Scholz, TU Dresden

  Philipp Schreck, MLU Halle-Wittenberg

  Amy Sepinwall, Wharton School, UPenn

  Laura Spence, King’s College

• CONFERENCE VENUE

  Stiftung Leucorea

  Collegienstraße 62

  06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg

  Germany

• THEMATIC FOCUS OF THE CONFERENCE

  Research on morality and business has flourished, offering fascinating insights into how individuals and organizations behave and strong arguments for how they should behave. Despite these advances, a significant gap remains: empirical research often focuses on what is, while normative scholarship addresses what ought to be, with limited dialogue between the two.

  To tackle pressing ethical challenges in business, we need better integration of empirical insights and normative arguments. Positive research cannot offer complete guidance without normative grounding, just as normative theories must account for practical constraints. Bridging these perspectives is essential for impactful business ethics research.

  This conference, The Is and Ought of Business Ethics: Empirical Evidence and Normative Arguments Brought into Dialogue, provides a platform to unite scholars from both empirical and normative traditions. We invite submissions from diverse disciplines (e.g., management, philosophy, behavioral economics, psychology) and methodologies (e.g., experiments, surveys, theory-building). Papers should explore the boundaries of their methods, facilitate empirical-normative exchange, and/or propose collaborative research paths.

• SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR SUBMISSION

  Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following overarching themes:
  
  1. From Is to Ought
  Empirical research can influence and challenge normative frameworks. Possible topics may include:

  • How empirical findings reshape existing ethical theories or frameworks.
  • Insights from behavioral experiments or surveys that reveal practical barriers to ethical action.
  • Studies that expand normative discussions.

  2. From Ought to Is
  Normative insights can provide guidance for empirical and practical applications. Relevant topics may include:

  • Practical implications of ethical frameworks for policy-making or corporate governance.
  • How normative theories inform experimental designs or data collection priorities.
  • Philosophical reflections on the practical application of normative business ethics.
  • Case studies on implementing ethic-oriented theories in practice.

  3. Bridging the Gap Methodologically
  Methodological innovation is crucial for connecting empirical and normative work. Suggested topics include:

  • Best practices for integrating qualitative and quantitative methods into normative research.
  • Philosophical and methodological critiques of interdisciplinary approaches.
  • Examples where empirical findings significantly influenced normative theories or vice versa.
  • Applications of normative theories to new empirical research areas, such as AI ethics or environmental sustainability.
  • Interdisciplinary projects bridging the gap.

  We encourage submissions from all disciplines and methodological perspectives, provided they foster dialogue between empirical and normative research. Interdisciplinary contributions are especially welcome, such as:

  • Behavioral experiments exploring ethical dilemmas.
  • Theoretical papers proposing frameworks to interpret empirical findings.
  • Mixed-method studies that demonstrate practical applications of ethical theories.
  • Philosophical investigations into the limits of empirical research.
  • Collaborative projects bridging empirical and normative perspectives.

  As long as submissions align with the conference’s goal of advancing the dialogue between the empirical and normative dimensions of business ethics, we warmly welcome them.

• DEDICATED EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS CATEGORY

  We strongly encourage submissions from doctoral students and early career researchers, and are additionally offering a dedicated category for early career work. Accepted presentations will be integrated into the main conference program, providing an excellent opportunity to share their work and engage with peers and senior academics. For instance, some sections may be initiated by early-career researchers, followed by presentations from senior scholars, fostering collaboration and dialogue across career stages.

  Participants will receive feedback from at least two senior scholars on their presentation. Additionally, they may elect to receive additional feedback on their manuscripts, if desired. To receive feedback on written work, a manuscript will need to be handed in by September 1st. 

  Of course, early career researchers are also welcome to apply for a regular presentation slot.

• SUBMISSION DEADLINES FOR THE CONFERENCE

  Section Talks (Presentation + Q&A)
  Submission of Abstracts (~600 words):                       April 15th, 2025
  Notification:                                                             May 1st, 2025

  Manuscripts for Early Career Researchers:                 September 1st, 2025*
  (*voluntary)

  ALL SUBMISSIONS VIA THIS LINK

• CONFERENCE FEES

  The conference fee covers lunch, the conference dinner and the social program.
  
   Regular:                                                                    220€
   (Doctoral) Students:                                                  100€

  If the conference fee is prohibitive to your participation, please reach out to us!

• ACCOMMODATION

  A limited number of rooms is available at the conference venue, (Leucorea, the old Wittenberg University,) at 40€ for a single room and 56€ for a double room per night.
  There is a very limited contingent for family rooms – please inquire about them as early as possible.

  Additionally, we have some rooms reserved at the Best Western Hotel in WIttenberg, about 5 minutes by foot from the venue. The conference rate is 92€ for a single room and 125€ for a double room per night, including breakfast.

• CONTACT

  If you have any questions regarding the conference, please feel free to contact us: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.