Strategy Science Conference
Strategy Science Conference
Barcelona · June 13-14 2025
We are pleased to announce the 8th annual Strategy Science Conference. The conference will be hosted by IESE Business School and co-sponsored by the journal Strategy Science. The conference will take place June 13-14 in Barcelona, Spain.
Strategy Science, an INFORMS journal, has established itself as an important voice in the strategy field, providing an outlet for innovative strategy research tackling central questions in the field. In that spirit, the conference will provide an opportunity for strategy researchers to share their work with in-depth discussions both in the context of the formal paper presentations and panel discussions. The conference aims to attract a diverse set of work addressing key issues in the strategy field.
Prior to the conference, the Strategy Science Doctoral Workshop will be held on June 12. Students admitted to the workshop will also be invited to participate in the conference that follows on June 13 and 14. The workshop is aimed at students who are finishing or have recently finished their coursework and are in the early stages of their dissertation work.
The deadline for submissions to the Conference and the Doctoral Workshop is March 10, 2025.
We hope that you feel inspired and have a wonderful time in Barcelona. Looking forward to seeing you,
The local organizing committee
Bruno Cassiman & David Wehrheim
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
Strategy for Multiunit Organizations
• Julian Jimenez-Cardenas, Jorge Tamayo
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: Massimo Maoret
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
- Sinziana Dorobantu, Stern School of Business, New York 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
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.