March 10, 2025: Submission deadline for both the conference and the doctoral workshop.

April 12, 2025: Notification of paper acceptance or rejection.

June 12, 2025: Registration deadline for presenters of accepted papers.

June 12, 2025: Strategy Science Doctoral Workshop starts.

June 13, 2025: Strategy Science Conference 2025 starts.

All interested researchers are invited to submit their papers for presentation at the Strategy Science Conference by March 10, 2025, via the online submission platform.

Paper submissions should:

• Not exceed 35 pages all-inclusive.
• Use double spacing, 11-point font, and 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Be submitted as a PDF.
• Exclude author names to preserve anonymity.

If you have any questions about the Conference, please feel free to contact us at SSC2025@iese.edu.

Applicants for the Doctoral Workshop should submit a single PDF file containing the following documents:

• A brief statement of their research interests (3 to 4 pages).
• Their CV.
• One letter of recommendation from a faculty member.

Applications to the Doctoral Workshop must be submitted via the online submission platform by March 10, 2025.

If you have any questions about the Doctoral Workshop, please contact Martin Ganco at ganco@wisc.edu.

Agenda

Friday, June 13

08:00: Registration

09:00 – 09:30 a.m.: Welcome Addresses and Introduction

• Bruno Cassiman, IESE Business School & KU Leuven
• David Wehrheim, IESE Business School
• Todd Zenger, David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah and Editor-in-Chief Strategy Science

09:30 – 11:00 a.m.: Parallel Sessions

• Session 1a (Q-101): Search & Experimentation
  Chair: Dan Levinthal
  The Where of Search
  • Daniel Schliesmann
  A Theory of Experimentation in Early-Stage
  • Andrea Contigiani, Lien Denoo, Marton Hablicsek
  Business Experiments As Persuasion
  • Orie Shelef, Robert Wuebker, Rebecca Karp
  Tales: Unveiling the Interplay of Organizational Role Tenure, Hierarchical Supervision and Search Behavior
  • Luca Berchicci, Johanna Glauber

• Session 1b (Q-102): IP & Market for Technology
  Chair: Maria Roche
  Transferability MATTRs: Towards Understanding Antecedents of Strategic Licensing
  • Dafna Bearson, Maria Roche
  Markets for trade secrets
  • Aldona Kapacinskaite, Rohin Nandakumar Vrajesh, Colleen Cunningham
  Navigating Patent Sales: Trademarks as Lighthouses for Technology Markets
  • Marco Giarratana, Martina Pasquini, Markus Simeth
  From Early to Late-stage Technologies: Out-Licensing and Performance Outcomes in Technology Startups
  • Marco Ceccagnoli, Thomas Klueter, Solon Moreira

• Session 1c (Q-103): Top Management and Firm Performance
  Chair: Denisa Mindruta
  Managerial Prosocial Preferences and Automation Investment
  • Daniel Keum
  Rotation and Succession
  • Megan Lawrence, Victor Bennett
  Same Paycheck, Different Yardsticks: Gender Differences In The Structure Of Ceo Performance Evaluations
  • Cedric Gutierrez
  Rebalancing the Boards: Strategic Matching and the Competition for Women Directors
  • Denisa Mindruta, Vlad Mares, Lena Lizunova

• Session 1d (Q-502): Resource Reallocation
  Chair: Javier Gimeno
  Hysteresis and Constrained Redeployment: Evidence from a Natural Experiment
  • Ricardo Laverde-Cubillos, Jaideep Anand
  Firm Centralization and Redeployment via Internal Labor Markets
  • Jasmina Chauvin, Timothy Folta, Christopher Poliquin
  Strategic Responses to Rival Advancements: R&D Project Decisions and Resource Reallocation
  • Christine Chio, Sohyun Park, Min Jung Kim
  Should I Stay or Should I Go: Startup Repositioning Following Rival Acquisitions
  • John McKeon

11:00 – 11:30 a.m.: Coffee Break

11:30 – 12:30 p.m.: Plenary Session I “AI and Strategy” (Aula Magna)

Moderator

• Felipe Csaszar, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Panelists

• Jay Barney, David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah
• Anil Doshi, UCL School of Management
• Gwen Lee, Warrington College of Business, University of Florida
• Kristina McElheran, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
• Bart Vanneste, UCL School of Management
• Todd Zenger, David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah

12:45 – 1:45 p.m.: Lunch

2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Parallel Sessions 

• Session 2a (Q-101): AI and Data Driven Decision Making
  Chair: Felipe Csaszar
  Applying the Hyperrationality of Artificial Intelligence to Strategic Decision Making: A Formal Analysis Using the Metaphor of the Business Landscape
  • David Gaddis Ross, Heng Xu, Nan Zhang
  Artificial Agents and the Evaluation of M&As
  • Emil Mirzayev, Marco Testoni, Bart Vanneste
  Who Wins with Data-Driven Decision-Making? Lessons for Strategic Management from Soccer’s Data Revolution
  • Simone Santamaria, Arthur Hu, Brian Wu
  The Wade Test: Generative AI and CEO Communication
  • Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury, Xi Kang, Bart S Vanneste, Amirhossein (Miros)
  Zohrehvand

• Session 2b (Q-102): Non-Market Strategies
  Chair: Africa Ariño
  Lobbying Meetings and Firm Performance: Evidence from the European Union
  • Nilanjana Dutt, Andrea Fosfuri, Miguel Espinosa, Ruyue Li, Johan Rath, Elie Sung
  Self-regulation and Corruption in Extractive Industries: Integrating Market and Non-Market Strategy to Make Transparency Pay
  • Shirley Tang, Daniel Elfenbein, Tatenda Pasipanodya
  Short-Term Demands and Long-Term Commitments:  A Temporal Model of Stakeholder Governances
  • Romain Boulongne, Trevor Young-Hyman, Pascual Berrone
  Scandal as Strategic Opportunity: An Empirical Investigation of Car Recalls
  • Johanna Glauber, Julien Jourdan, Julien

• Session 2c (Q-103): Strategic Human Capital
  Chair: Russ Coff
  The Impact of Immigration on Firms’ Human Capital Strategy
  • Francisco Morales, Sofia Flechtner, Britta Glennon, Exequiel Hernandez
  Competition for Talent: Large Firms and Startup Growth
  • James Bessen, Felix Poege, Ronja Röttger
  Geographic Expansion and Startup Hiring Strategy
  • J. Daniel Kim, Liinus Hietaniemi
  Mitigating Disruption: Hiring for Social Skills and Post-Acquisition Performance
  • Piyush Gulati

• Session 2d (Q-502): Timing, Commercialization and Adoption of innovation
  Chair: Neus Palomeras
  From Invention to Innovation: The Role of Inventors in Bringing their Technologies to Market
  • Eduardo Melero, Neus Palomeras, Markus Simeth
  Science, Startups, and the Problem of Value Capture
  • Roger Masclans
  Disruptive Timing
  • Leon Yang Chu, Guang Li, Andy Wu, Brian Wu
  Blockbusters, Sequels, and the Nature of Innovation
  • Wesley Cohen, Matt Higgins, William Miles, Yoko Shibuya

3:30 – 4:00 p.m.: Coffee Break

4:00 – 5:30 p.m.: Parallel Sessions 

• Session 3a (Q-101) : Organization and Performance
  Chair: Govert Vroom
  Margin or Mission? Understanding the Relationship between Multilevel Coalitions and Pricing in US Hospitals
  • Daniel Albert, John Eklund
  Disentangling the Effects of Spin-Outs on Parent Firms: The Role of Parent-Employee Relationships
  • Marco Galo, Ha Hoang
  Fuel Prices and Carbon Emissions: The Role of Structured Management Practices
  • Jieun Shin

• Session 3b (Q-102) : AI and Performance
  Chair: Bart Vanneste
  The Rise of Industrial AI in America: Microfoundations of the Productivity J-curve(s)
  • Kristina McElheran, Mu-Jeung Yang, Erik Brynjolfsson, Zachary Kroff
  The Role of ChatBots in Entrepreneurial Growth
  • Michael Impink, Manav Raj
  Strategic Responses to Technological Change: Evidence from ChatGPT and Upwork
  • Shun Yiu, Rob Seamans, Manav Raj, Ted Liu
  Innovation Platforms and Value Capture: Release of Deep-Learning Platforms and AI Firms’ Profitability
  • A-Sung Hong

• Session 3c (Q-103): Science and Business
  Chair: Giacomo Marchesini
  How Does Industry Shape Academic Science? Evidence from “Million Dollar Plants”
  • Hongyuan Xia
  The Dual Role of Intellectual Property Rights in Shaping Research
  • Sina Khoshsokhan, Arvids Ziedonis
  The Effects of Minimum Wage Changes on University Research Labs and Scientific Careers
  • Raviv Murciano-Goroff, Ina Ganguli
  Limits to the Division of Innovative Labor: Evidence from the Pharmaceutical Industry
  • Dennis Byrski, Fabian Gaessler, Matt Higgins

• Session 3d (Q-502): Networks and Ecosystems
  Chair: Mahka Moeen
  Brokers and Brokerage: Linking local behavior and global structure in knowledge Networks
  • Claudio Panico, Manuel Gómez Solorzano
  With a Little Help from My Friends: Productivity and Socialization in the Workplace
  • Brit Sharoni
  Ecosystem Alignment and Relationship-Specificity
  • Francisco Ruiz-Aliseda, Brian Wu
  A Theory of Asset Specificity Perception Bias in Innovation Partnerships
  • Russ Coff, Libby Weber

5:30 End of Day 1 sessions

5:45 – 6:00 p.m.: Buses departing from the school’s main entrance

7:00 – 9:30 p.m.: Conference Dinner

Agenda

Saturday, June 14

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Breakfast Opens

9:00 – 10:30 a.m.: Parallel Sessions

• Session 4a (Q-101): Business & Politics
  Chair: Romain Boulongne
  Diversity Claims and Political Sorting
  • Reuben Hurst, Saerom (Ronnie) Lee
  Money in Politics at Work
  • Jan Stuckatz, Timothy Werner, Mogens Kamp Justesen
  Diversity and/or Inclusion? Evidence from Disability Quota and Inclusion Laws in Brazil
  • Leonardo Nardi, Marieke Huysentruyt, Tomasz Obloj, Thomaz Teodorovicz
  Startup Jobs in a Polarized Era: How Dobbs v. Jackson Shifted the Geography of Remote and In-Person Applications
  • Elaine Pak, Prasanna Tambe, David Hsu

• Session 4b (Q-102): IP in a Global Environment
  Chair: Giovanni Valentini
  Shielding or Stifling? How Policies Restricting Foreign Acquisitions of Domestic Technologies Affect U.S. Entrepreneurial Innovation
  • Kenneth Huang, Qing He, Nan Jia
  Geopolitical Alignment and Patent Litigation Outcomes: Evidence from China’s AIIB Memberships
  • Huiyan Zhang, Raffaele Conti, Giovanni Valentini
  Multimarket Competition and Patent Litigation in Digital Platforms: Evidence from the Global Smartphone Industry
  • Yongzhi Wang, Dmitry Sharapov, Zhe Xing, Shiyang Chu, Yongwook Paik
  Innovating on a Legal Minefield: How Litigation Risks Shape Firms’ Patent Strategies
  • Yifan Liu, Mingtao Xu, Aija Leiponen, Zhe Xue

• Session 4c (Q-103): Capabilities and Firm Performance
  Chair: Xavier Castañer
  Strategy and Capabilities in an Audacious Mission: SpaceX and the Transformation of Rocketry to Make Life Multiplanetary
  • Petteri Leppänen, Oliver Alexy, Gerard George
  Organizational digitalization and firm performance
  • Ramakrishna Devarakonda, Elena Golovko, Jiuyu Dong
  Reactivate Idle Resources Now or Later? The Roles of Uncertainty and Organizational Capabilities
  • Toby Li, Jan-Michael Ross
  How does artificial intelligence change firms’ competitive position in the product market?
  • Yu “Luna” Liu, Yanru Han, Haemin Dennis Park

• Session 4d (Q-502): Entrepreneurial Growth and Dynamism
  Chair: Liinus Hietaniemi
  The Selective Tailwind Effect of Artificial Intelligence in Entrepreneurship
  • Danilo Messinese, Annamaria Conti
  The Effect of Startup Revenue Pressure on Firm Geographical Expansion: Evidence from the Micro-Mobility Industry
  • Roxanne Jaffe
  Corporate Flight from Uncertainty and Business Dynamism
  • Mircea Epure, Feng Zhou
  Retention and Incentive Effects of Equity in Startups: Evidence from Finland
  • Liinus Hietaniemi, David Hsu

10:30 – 11:00 a.m.: Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:30 p.m.: Parallel Sessions

• Session 5a (Q-101): R&D, Innovation and Organizational Structure
  Chair: Anne-Marie Knott
  The Organizational Structure of Development and Firm Innovation
  • Jiho Yang, Paola Criscuolo, Brian Silverman
  Firm Boundaries and Incentives: Evidence from the Biopharmaceutical Industry
  • Marco Da Rin, Christopher Larson, Marco Testoni
  Who Should Firms Incentivize to Innovate? Unmasking Key Players in R&D Decision Making
  • Leonardo Kluppel, Trey Cummings
  Location Choice and Innovation: Invention Value, R&D Offshoring, and Cost of Inventing
  • Divya Sebastian

• Session 5b (Q-102): Entrepreneurship
  Chair: Amy Zhao-Ding
  Clarifying beliefs: multi-function product experience and subsequent positioning in nascent markets
  • Amy Zhao-Ding
  Strategies at Entry of For-Profit Firms in Social Services: Insights from Brazilian Higher Education
  • Carlos Inoue, Deepak Somaya, Thomaz Teodorovicz
  Which startups benefit from corporate accelerator participation?
  • Benoit Decreton, Alfonso Almeida Costa, Philip Nell, Franziska Hittmair
  When Do Advisors Help with Startup Fundraising? Evidence from a Field Experiment
  • Niloofar Abolfathi, Olenka Kacperczyk, Heli Wang

• Session 5c (Q-103): Platforms
  Chair: Natalie Burford
  Platform Power Struggle: Spotify and the Major Record Labels
  • Luis Aguiar, Joel Waldfogel, Axel Zeien
  Platform Openness: Evidence from Bug Bounty Programs
  • Aviram Zrahia, Sarit Markovich, Tobias Kretschmer
  Platforms as Intermediary Enforcers: The Case of Airbnb in Paris
  • Madhulika Kaul, Olivier Chatain
  Beyond the chicken and the egg: How entrepreneurs organize learning in two-sided market ventures to jumpstart network effects
  • Timothy Ott, Pinar Ozcan

• Session 5d (Q-502): Direction of Innovation
  Chair: Marco Giarratana
  How Experience moderates the Impact of Generative AI Ideas on the research process
  • Anil Doshi, Sen Chai, Matthias Tröbinger
  Crossing the Design-Use Divide: How Process Manipulation Shapes the Design and Use of AI
  • Rebecca Karp
  Mandatory Disclosure and Firms’ R&D Decisions: Evidence from the FDA Amendments Act of 2007
  • Yongyi Lin
  Why Missions Fail: Mission-Oriented Grand Challenges and the Decline of Firm Innovation in Antimicrobial Drug Development
  • Sina Khoshsokhan

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.: Lunch

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.: Plenary Session II “(Geo)Politics and Strategy” (Aula Magna)
Moderator

• Bruno Cassiman, IESE Business School & KU Leuven

Panelists

• Olivier Chatain, HEC Paris
• Nilanjana Dutt, Bocconi University
• Kenneth Huang, National University of Singapore
• Tim Werner, McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin

2:30 – 3:00 p.m.: Strategy Science Business Meeting (Aula Magna)

3:00 p.m.: Conference Ends

Location

The Strategy Science Conference will take place on the Barcelona North Campus of IESE Business School.

C/ Arnús i Gari 3-7
08034 Barcelona
+34 93 253 42 00

Google map

Accomodation

IESE is a dynamic community of scholars and practitioners who will welcome you to Barcelona, a traditional and welcoming Mediterranean city. It is a city with a great number of tourist attractions and a friendly atmosphere that will offer conference participants and their families plenty of opportunities to enjoy their stay here, over and above the academic program we are preparing for you. Barcelona, offers a wide range of accommodation so that everyone can find their perfect base camp. Find all the information here: Booking

Accommodations options near IESE and downtown:

• Sansi Pedralbes → 5-minute walk from IESE
  Av. Pearson 1-3, 08034 Barcelona
• NH Constanza → 10-minute car from IESE
  C/ Deu i Mata 69-99, 08029 Barcelona
• Arenas Atiram → 11-minute car from IESE
  C/ Capitán Arenas, 20, 08035 Barcelona
• Tres Torres Atiram → 10-minute car from IESE
  C/ Calatrava, 32, 08017 Barcelona
• Mesón Castilla Atiram → 25-minute car from IESE
  C/ de Valldonzella,5, 08001 Barcelona
• Oriente Atiram → 30-minute car from IESE
  C/ Ramblas, 45, 08002 Barcelona

With Atiram Hotel Company, we have a discount code available for this event. To make reservations at any of the hotels, please contact Anna Sánchez at anna@vintage.cat, who will handle them.

Please note that two major events are taking place in Barcelona during this period, so we recommend booking hotels as soon as possible.

• 495 €: Academics & Government Officials.
• 250 €: Students (excluding those attending the Doctoral Workshop).

Conference registration is open to anyone interested in attending.

Participants of the Doctoral Workshop will not be charged a registration fee.

All participants must register for the Conference.

Notifications of paper acceptance or rejection will be sent out by April 12, 2025. Presenters should only register after receiving confirmation that their paper has been accepted.

Conference registration will be opened from March 1st, 2025 until May 12, 2025, through the online registration platform.