Transitioning towards sustainability concerns all organisations, private and public, large and small. For businesses, climate change represents a cost. The growing pressure on natural resources is likely to exacerbate supply difficulties, as is the case with the issue of access to water, which is threatening farming activities in the Mediterranean region, particularly in Morocco. The aim of this symposium is to launch a global debate on how to better understand sustainable transition, based on a participatory approach involving a range of stakeholders : businesses, local authorities, governments, institutions, associations, scientists and experts, right down to ordinary citizens. It is also an opportunity to look more closely at the challenges and prospects of sustainable transition in different sectors (transport, tourism, energy, agriculture, etc.).

Arguments

Environmental issues such as pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide (CO2), depletion of natural resources, loss of biodiversity, general warming of the climate resulting in water scarcity and desertification in many parts of the world, or flooding in other regions, the increase in natural disasters, as well as the exacerbation of social inequalities, have brought the concept of sustainability to the forefront.

Many scientists and citizen movements have highlighted the consequences of human activities, their impact on the environment, and their contribution to climate change. Moving towards more sustainable modes of production and consumption has become imperative for the future of future generations.

In this context, the notion of transition has taken an increasingly important place in the reflection and action for a more sustainable society. Whether it is ecological, energy-related, social, solidarity-based, economic, democratic, digital, or managerial, the transition is characterized by a profound transformation of systems.

Grin et al. (2010) define the transition to sustainability as a "radical transformation towards a sustainable society, in response to a number of persistent problems facing contemporary modern societies." It is a multidimensional and long-term transformation process through which established socio-technical systems transition to more sustainable modes of production and consumption (Markard et al., 2012).

Research on sustainable transitions has been developed to address major environmental problems caused by existing large-scale and integrated supply systems such as energy, water, food, and mobility (Elzen et al., 2004; Grin et al., 2010).

Qualified by researchers as a multi-actor process where actors take on different positions and roles (Avelino et Wittmayer, 2016; Smith et al., 2005), sustainable transition concerns all organizations, both private and public, large and small. For companies, climate change represents a cost. Increasing pressure on natural resources risks exacerbating supply difficulties, as is the case with access to water, which threatens agricultural activities in the Mediterranean region, notably in Morocco.

The concept of sustainability also calls on public authorities, territories, and public organizations to transform themselves to adapt to the ecological crisis and to consider measures to combat climate change, restore biodiversity, make rational use of resources, and reduce environmental health risks.

Moreover, some authors, such as Bögel et al. (2019) and Kohler et al. (2019), argue that it would be beneficial to further orient research on sustainable transition at the micro level in organizations and, more particularly, individuals. According to Moilanen and Alasoini (2023), employees play a role in achieving a shift toward sustainability through changes that take place in their daily work.

Similarly, the role of public or citizen engagement in sustainable transition is less clear or neglected in research on sustainable transition (Wittmayer et al., 2014; Demski et al., 2015; Sauermann et al., 2020), and it is necessary to study the role and function that citizen engagement could have or to discuss the different citizen-led initiatives that could accelerate a sustainable transition.

This symposium aims to engage in a global reflection to better understand sustainable transition through a participatory approach that involves different actors: businesses, territorial collectivities, governments, institutions, associations, scientists, and experts, down to the simple citizen. This event is also an opportunity to question the challenges and prospects of sustainable transition in different sectors (transport, tourism, energy, agriculture, etc.).

As an indication, the expected contributions should be original. They may mobilize various disciplines (management sciences, economics, information and communication sciences, legal sciences, political sciences, psychological sciences, sociology, etc.) and may address diverse thematic areas.

Symposium axes :

• Governance and sustainability
• Sustainable development, territory, citizen engagement
• Sustainability and innovation
• Sustainable entrepreneurship
• Renewable energies, energy, and ecological transition of organizations
• Sustainable and responsible finance
• Management of socially responsible investments (SRI)
• CSR and financial markets: ethical actions, green bonds, socially responsible investment funds
• CSR and reporting
• Association and cooperative actions and sustainable development
• CSR and public organizations
• Responsible management
• Environmental risk management
• Artificial intelligence and sustainability
• Human resources management and sustainability
• Sustainable development training

Participation modalities

Proposals can be submitted in French, English, or Arabic.

Authors are invited to first submit an abstract of their proposals. Once accepted, they must send the full text. 

The proposal's abstract must include:

• The Title of the communication;
• The Author's contact information;
• Abstract (a maximum of 15 lines); Keywords.

The full text of the communication must include: 

• The research question;
• Theoretical Background;
• Methodology used;
• Results and the research's contribution to scientific knowledge.

Abstracts and full texts must  be sent to the following email address:  

colloque.transition.durable@gmail.com

Proposals will be double-blind peer-reviewed by members of the scientific committee. 

This event will be presented in a hybrid format: Oral presentations can be held during the symposium, either in-person or remotely via Google Meet or Zoom.

Accepted abstracts will be published in the Conference Proceedings.

Calendar

• September 20, 2023: Abstract submission deadline 
• September 30, 2023: Acceptance Notification 
• October 30, 2023: Full text reception 
• November 20, 2023: Response from the scientific committee 
• December 6-7, 2023: Date of the event 

Registration fees

80 euros (800 MAD: Researchers

150 euros (1500 MAD): Professionals 

50 euros (500 MAD): PhD students 

Contact

Coordinator: Pr. LAGDIM SOUSSI Lalla Hind (ENCG Agadir)

colloque.transition.durable@gmail.com

Organizing committee

• Pr. HAMRI Hicham (ENCG Agadir)
• Pr. RADI Bouchra (ENCG Agadir)
• Pr. BARI Imane (EST Agadir)
• Pr. TANI Wafaa (FSJES, Agadir)
• Pr. CHAKIR Ahmed (ENCG Agadir)
• Pr. FADILI Moulay Hachem (ENCG Agadir)
• LAABOUSSE Soukaina
• KAOUTAR Noura
• BELGHACHI Doha
• HARABIDA Mouncif
• AZIKI Abdellatif
• MABROUKI Hassan
• OUBENYAHYA Mounir

Scientific Committee

• AAJRAM Malika, FSJES, Agadir, Morocco
• AAZZAB Abdelkrim, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• AIT HIDA abdellatif, ENCG , Agadir, Morocco
• AIT BIHI Abdelhamid, ENCG , Agadir, Morocco
• AOURZAG Aicha, FSJES, Guelmim, Morocco
• BARAKAT Wafaa, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• BARI Imane, EST, Agadir, Morocco
• BENBIHI Lahcen, EST, Agadir, Morocco
• BOUABDI Oumama, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• CADET Isabelle, IAE, Paris, France
• CHAKIR Ahmed, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• EDDAHIBI Mustapha, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• ELAGY MAJDA, FSJES, Marrakech, Morocco
• EL AMRANI EL HASANI Afafe, FSJES, Ait Melloul, Morocco
• EL BADRAOUI Khalid, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• ELMESKINE Lahcen, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• FALI Hanane, FSJES, Guelmim, Morocco
• FIKRI Majda, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• GUEYIE Jean-Pierre, School of Management, University of Quebec, Montréal, Canada
• HAMRI Mohamed Hicham, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• HMAITANE Abdelmajid, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• HNAKA Zainab, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• IGAMANE Saadeddine, Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Fès, Morocco
• JEBLI Ali, EST, Agadir, Morocco
• LAGDIM SOUSSI Lalla Hind, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• LAKHLILI Ibtissame, Faculté polydisciplinaire, Khouribga, Morocco
• MADI Lahcen, FSJES, Agadir, Morocco
• MEKKAOUI Soumia, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• MOHCINE Khadija, FSJES, Agadir, Morocco
• NASSIKI Mohamed, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• OUBDI Lahsen, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• RADI Bouchra, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• RHIF Ahmed, ICID, Sousse, Tunisia
• SAHRAOUI Hind, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• SGUENFEL Mohamed, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• SKOURI Hassan, ENCG, Agadir, Morocco
• TANI Wafaa, FSJES, Agadir, Morocco
• TOUIMER Abdessamad, EST Guelmim, Morocco
• ZEROUALI Ouafae, ENCG , Agadir, Morocco
• ZOUBIR Faical, EST, Agadir, Morocco