STRATEGY

CBS LAW STRATEGY

1 MISSION AND VISION

CBS LAW is a leading institution for providing excellence in legal scholarship and one of the most dynamic scholarly environments within law in Northern Europe.
CBS LAW’s main mission is to challenge and develop existing legal structures. In that sense, our research focuses on these structures, their setup, how they function, how they influence the society and what processes, in turn, influence their change. CBS LAW also aims to exercise influence on regulation, through providing high quality legal and multidisciplinary research, participating in policy initiatives, and laying the groundwork for future changes.
CBS LAW is a constituent part of the Department for Management, Politics and Philosophy (MPP). In that sense, our strategic aim is to create synergies as described in Section 3.
These points, in particular, are in the focus of our future vision:

• CBS LAW aims to provide high quality research relevant for the Danish society at large, and is informed by the societal challenges
• CBS LAW aims to provide high quality research relevant for the Danish business community in response to the specific needs of that community
• CBS LAW operates within the European and Danish context, while also taking account of the wider Scandinavian and global context
• CBS LAW focuses on law in the business & society context
• CBS LAW creates, develops and delivers high quality research-based teaching

The CBS LAW vision is aligned with CBS’ goals and is part of CBS’ Business in Society strategy which aims to produce knowledge based on context-driven, problem-focused and multidisciplinary research. In that sense, CBS LAW commits to taking part in relevant CBS initiatives, as appropriate.
CBS LAW conducts research in traditional legal disciplines. We aim to maintain our professional core and we identify ourselves as legal scholars. At the same time, we would like to be known for our “out of the box” approach to law in business and society. CBS LAW is therefore committed to multidisciplinary research within the resources at our disposal. We aim to contribute with law as our core discipline in other multidisciplinary projects. We also aim to include other disciplines in our research and funding efforts. In that sense, our special relationship with MPP will in particular be taken as an opportunity for multidisciplinary efforts and cooperation.
The aims in our strategy are based on the resources at our disposal. While we aim to create new research environments and teaching through, among others, external funding, our efforts are limited by the need to prioritize current teaching obligations. These aims will be revisited as the situation changes.



2 RESEARCH
2.1 RESEARCH EXCELLENCE & DISSEMINATION

CBS LAW aims to produce relevant research meeting international standards and of universal value. Two points are particularly important in this respect:

• In line with our mission of providing regionally and globally relevant research, CBS LAW commits to publishing a significant part of its output in the English language, according to the guidelines set in the Appendix 1.
• CBS LAW, being a Danish institution, also prioritizes research in Danish. It is noted that serious presence in Danish business and societal life is not possible without relevant output in Danish. It is further noted that a number of disciplines require publication in Danish. It is both appropriate and expected of scholars in such disciplines to be present in such journals. Nevertheless, in light of our vision, researchers need to commit to publishing some of the relevant work in English. CBS LAW, in turn, commits to providing the necessary resources and the environment ensuring that researchers will be able to reach their full potential in this respect.

CBS LAW has a strong record of publication both in peer-reviewed publications in general and in publications represented on official lists (in particular the BFI list, which is the most representative official list of legal disciplines).
Nevertheless, to avoid undue rigidity and dependence on metrics (alone), and to emphasize our commitment to multi-channel outlets, we aim to use different sets of measuring tools. It should be possible for CBS LAW to document, in its effort to challenge and develop existing legal structures, that it has broader societal impact, and that it brings new knowledge and new thinking to businesses, organisations and public sector.
In terms of peer-review publications,  our measuring uses three tools: (a) the BFI list which applies to both journal articles and books (monographs and anthologies), (b) a list of excellent, general journals representing the best of legal scholarship (currently presented as a mix of European and Nordic journals) and (c) a list of specific journals representing excellence within individual subjects. See also Annex 1.
In addition to peer-reviewed outlets, CBS LAW research excellence is also measured through a number of other parameters, including: influence on policymaking, quotations by courts and other authorities, participation in conferences including organisation, editorship of journals, paper/keynote presentation, research cooperation with other universities and research bodies, participation in advisory bodies, cooperation with the industry, and others.
While no individual per-VIP requirement is placed, it is expected that VIPs make a reasonable effort in all groups. Such effort is measured at CBS LAW-level according to the difficulty that each channel demands.
CBS LAW showcases relevant research through a curated SSRN research paper series which aims to demonstrate our best and latest research. CBS LAW commits to availing itself of this series as much as possible and appropriate so that forthcoming publications are published as working or accepted paper series in English, and Danish papers are published as English abstracts with appropriate links. CBS LAW aims to set up a seminar series linked with the SSRN effort.
CBS LAW takes its partnership with business and society seriously. We aim to create research and teaching focal points which derive from these partnerships and involve inspiration for research projects, articles, PhD students and case-based teaching examples. In terms of research, we will focus our funding efforts on problems arising of or having relevance for the businesses and all society.

2.2 STAFF AND RECRUITMENT

CBS LAW is committed to creating an inspiring, pleasant, safe and positive environment which serves as an inspiration for research and teaching, which is geared towards retaining the current staff and attracting new legal scholars, also from other milieus.
CBS LAW aims to recruit in the areas with the most acute teaching need. At the same time, the aim is to open up the possibility for establishing new points of research focus. CBS LAW will aim to adjust its recruitment to the teaching needs in the programs which are in our primary focus (cand.merc.(jur) and cand.merc.(aud)).
CBS LAW maintains and promotes an exciting and diverse pool of PhD students from disciplines that present biggest and most stimulating research challenges. CBS LAW will aim, in as much as this is possible, to retain PhD candidates who successfully obtain the degree and demonstrate a desire and capacity to continue their academic work. 

2.3 EXTERNAL FUNDING

Our external funding strategy consists in the three key elements which CBS LAW will aim to fulfil in as much as academic resources allow.

• Short-term commitment to create idea-generating environments, where groups of interested researchers will seek to develop ideas within a 1 to 2-year timeframe. The aim is to develop research ideas which will converge into bigger and more ambitious projects for which funding will eventually be sought. Support will be given at CBS LAW for that purpose from the Strategy Fund. This is aimed at creating long-term research milieus capable for effectively seeking funding in the competitive and increasingly interdisciplinary world.
• A long-term commitment to seek funding through Danish sources for the projects falling within our research competence, as well as to participating in funding projects coordinated from other institutions.
• A commitment to actively seek funding for PhD students, through projects, industrial PhD arrangements and generally building good relations with business partners.

3 STRATEGY FOR COLLABORATION WITH MPP

The overall aim of the collaboration between CBS LAW and MPP is twofold. On the one hand, the aim is to strengthen the interdisciplinary research within areas of shared analysis. On the other hand, the aim is to enhance future interdisciplinary education responding to societal changes and demands, while maintaining strong focus on individual academic areas.
The purpose of improving joint PhD research is to add an interdisciplinary element to primary research, which in general can take part in challenging and developing existing legal structures and societal frameworks.
With regards to senior research collaboration, our objective is to reinforce CBS LAW and MPP research within the respective individual academic areas while promoting interdisciplinary research.
An Action Plan is attached to this document as Appendix II. Its aim is to specify in a more concrete manner, plans for joint research, education and other forms of cooperation.

3.1 RESEARCH COLLABORATION

The CBS LAW research strategy is to challenge and develop existing legal structures, which can be facilitated through both single and interdisciplinary legal research where law is combined with other academic areas. Interdisciplinary collaboration with the MPP academic areas will provide an opportunity for CBS LAW to conduct unique contemporary and transforming interdisciplinary research together with the researchers from MPP. This particular type of collaboration has to be a bottom-up process while being supported academically as well as financially by both CBS LAW and MPP through joint seminars, conferences, research applications, PhD collaboration and seminars, and development of new courses.   

3.2 TEACHING COLLABORATION

Due to more than thirty years of collaboration at CMJ and at CMA, CBS LAW is strong in interdisciplinary legal and economic teaching tradition. Interdisciplinary course development with a focus on the interplay between law and other academic areas can provide an opportunity for the researchers to experiment with the relationship between the respective disciplines in their teaching. Through teaching and testing of interdisciplinary areas in e.g. dissertations, a solid academic foundation will be constructed which leads to more binding research collaborations. Subsequently it can lead to CBS LAW and MPP being able to develop new research areas with a focus on shared units of analysis.
Educational collaboration between CBS LAW and MPP should happen in partnership with relevant study boards at both undergraduate and graduate level at CBS in respect of individual researchers’ existing teaching obligations.

3.3 PHD COLLABORATION

PhD collaboration between CBS LAW and MPP can be implemented through a number of channels - not only through positions that are being allocated centrally at CBS but also through joint research applications. Both of these channels take their point of departure in shared analysis and are driven in co-operation between CBS LAW and MPP. PhD collaboration should focus on CBS LAW’s efforts to challenge and develop existing legal structures in interplay with other research traditions. Primary research has to be supported by senior researchers as well as financially to cover teaching, papers, PhD- and other seminars.

4 TEACHING STRATEGY

CBS LAW is recognized internationally for its teaching in business law and law & economics with a focus on challenging and developing existing legal structures.
CBS LAW is a place where it is intriguing and stimulating to teach. The aim is to develop and improve existing methods and invent new ways of creating growth and value through legal and interdisciplinary research-based teaching in a Danish as well as international context.
CBS LAW provides and engages in legal, law & economics, and interdisciplinary teaching within the relevant research areas for CBS LAW, at all relevant educations at CBS. CBS LAW ensures that CMJ, CMA, CMIT, Master in Tax etc. have a strong legal basis with a multidisciplinary element in economics, innovation, strategy, compliance and behavioural science, and which is internationally and regionally of the highest quality.
CBS LAW is also internationally recognized for the legal and integrated teaching which is to be compared with the highest standard of international universities. The aim is to constantly develop new teaching and research in collaboration with industrial and societal stakeholders.
CBS LAW provides teaching in Danish in line with the core areas of commercial law and law & economics, provided that unit of analysis is in Danish – as it currently is due to the focus on Danish and EU law. Furthermore, CBS LAW provides teaching in English where the unit of analysis is international law, or for an English-taught programme demanding research-based education within the broad field of international law.
The main objective to ensure the interplay between research and teaching. CBS LAW will continue to widely provide excellent legal teaching at CBS, provided there is sufficient research embeddedness. Consequently, we work determinedly to ensure that researchers who can both manage the existing teaching responsibility and secure the necessary course development will be recruited.
Individual researchers collaborate with relevant study boards to develop, provide, adjust, and run courses demanded within the respective education in interplay with the core competencies of the researchers.

5 PHD STRATEGY

CBS LAW should be a place where it is desirable to become a PhD Fellow. It is a place where one is creating international primary research that challenges and develops existing legal structures by means of monographic and article-based works. CBS LAW attracts legal scholars at an international level because it is a place that accommodates great ideas of interdisciplinary research in a strong legal research environment with collaboration across disciplines, seniority, and tradition.
CBS LAW attracts new researchers through externally-financed projects. Researchers are being included in the academic environment by research and PhD meetings through CBS Jurforsk. CBS LAW employs PhD students via joint calls with MPP, and through legal calls and interdisciplinary calls – all with the desire to create new research within law and business and to change and develop existing legal structures from a business perspective.
CBS LAW has a strong research and PhD environment which seeks to create PhD potential already at the graduate level means of special teaching, electives, and the 4+4 arrangement.  
Finally, CBS LAW is an attractive place for visiting scholars who are welcome to participate in creating international research results. CBS LAW ensures optimal conditions for international research stays for our own PhD students, with the aim of obtaining new insights, knowledge, and research competencies from other research environments. 
AS/CDT/PB