Best paper prize awarded at British Academy of Management Conference
Juliet Kele, Teaching Fellow in Human Resource Management, was recently awarded the Best Full Paper Prize for the Human Resource Management Track at the British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference.
Held in Warwick this September, the British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference is one of the largest and most prestigious international events for business and management scholars, attracting world class researchers from over 50 countries worldwide.
The paper entitled ‘Face of the Firm: Aesthetic Diversity’ provides a reframing of diversity management practices. Reflecting upon marketing literatures, findings from British small and medium-sized law firms uncover the use of ‘aesthetic diversity’.
This new concept comprises three distinct components:
- Firstly, diversity continues to be viewed in its most observable, instantly-recognisable forms as demographic characteristics.
- Secondly, by portraying this ‘visible’ workforce diversity through marketing strategies, organisations transmit an ‘inclusive’ image; appealing to both prospective clients and applicants.
- Thirdly, the law firms only employ a basic commitment to diversity and equal opportunities policies.
The paper therefore argues that ‘aesthetic diversity’ focuses upon the visual: the ‘aesthetics’ of diversity, and is also utilised by larger companies and in different industries.
On receiving the award Juliet commented: “I was delighted to be awarded the Full Best Paper Prize within the HRM Track at BAM. I know how large the Track is within BAM and the high standard of work that is submitted by HRM scholars! I am thankful that my new concept has been recognised as being of great value to the HRM field. I am eager to complete the paper; in the hope that both scholars and practitioners will find this useful.”
