IFERA 2017 Conference at Zadar, Croatia
Family businesses are often torn between their local roots and their desire and need for internationalization. They grapple with the paradox of being deeply rooted to their origins, tradition and local communities, while, at the same time, exploiting international opportunities in the global marketplace to stay competitive.
IFERA invites papers that speak directly to the selected conference theme “Locality and Internationalization of Family Businesses”. In addition, we invite papers on all aspects of family business research, including but not limited to succession, leadership and governance, entrepreneurship, strategy, organization, family relationships, emotions, family psychology and sociology, history, economics, finance, and accounting, as well as issues that lie at the intersection of these and other interrelated disciplines. All theoretical and methodological approaches are welcome.
The scientific program of the conference is available
Click here to download
Keynote Speakers
Paul Beamish – Canada Research Chair in International Business. Ivey Business School, Western University, Canada Bio
Johan Wiklund – Al Berg Endowed Chair and Professor of Entrepreneurship. Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University, USA Bio
Call for Papers
“Locality and internationalization of Family Business”
Program Co-Chairs:
Jörn Block, University of Trier (Germany)
Massimo Baù, Jönköping International Business School (Sweden)
IFERA invites papers that speak directly to the selected conference theme “Locality and Internationalization of Family Businesses”. In addition, we invite papers on all aspects of family business research, including but not limited to succession, leadership and governance, entrepreneurship, strategy, organization, family relationships, emotions, family psychology and sociology, history, economics, finance, and accounting, as well as issues that lie at the intersection of these and other interrelated disciplines. All theoretical and methodological approaches are welcome.
Family business research is indeed a truly multi-disciplinary, creative, rigorous, reflexive, and critical community. Let’s discover once again the pleasure of discussing between good friends the topics we love in a relaxed environment. Moreover, Zadar is amazing in June!
Family firms’ local roots and how they impact the local economy
Exemplary research questions are the following:
- How do family firms and their leaders and decision makers care about the local economy? How does this connection to the home region develop over the generations?
- What is the role of family firms in regional economic environments and how do they contribute to regional economic growth and development?
- Which role does the family and the family tradition play to create a link between the family firm and the region in which the family firm is located?
- How can policy makers create an environment such that family firms become a cornerstone of regional development?
- How do family firms face economic crises and how does this impact the local labor market?
Family firms’ local roots and how they influence strategy
Exemplary research questions are the following:
- How do local roots and embeddedness of family firms influence business strategy and firm performance?
- How do local roots shape family strategies? And how do families leverage regional cultures, networks and embeddedness in their strategies?
- How can local roots and regional contexts favor or hinder success factors of the family firms?
- How do customers, suppliers and other external stakeholders value the local roots of family firms?
- How do roots and traditions shape the international identity of family companies?
These and other related questions from the perspective of strategy and performance research are of high importance for family firms and their leaders in order to understand their unique competitive (dis)advantages resulting from their local roots.
Family firms and their development from local to global companies
Exemplary research questions are the following:
- How do the local roots of family companies affect their internationalization process?
- How do family firms and the families behind them change when they develop from a local to global company?
- When do local roots become a liability for internationalization and what can be done about it?
- How can family firms internationalize and still stick to their local roots and traditions?
- How do family firms differ from other firms in their internationalization and market entry strategies? What is the role of the family and its involvement in management and ownership in this regard?
- These and other related questions from the perspective of international management and evolutionary economics research are of high importance for family firms and their leaders to determine their internationalization and growth strategy.
In summary, the IFERA 2017 theme “Locality and Internationalization of Family Businesses” encourages submissions that embrace diverse disciplinary traditions, theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches to (1) advance our understanding of the distinctive opportunities and challenges prompted by the duality between being deeply rooted in local communities, cultures, and networks while exploring new opportunities for expansion and entrepreneurship in the global marketplace; and to (2) help family owners and managers, as well as policy makers and professionals engaged with family firms to effectively manage the nexus between locality and internationalization to build competitive advantages and sustain firm growth and performance across generations.
In addition, we invite papers on all aspects of family business research, including but not limited to succession, leadership and governance, entrepreneurship, strategy, family relationships, emotions, family psychology and sociology, economics, finance, and accounting, as well as issues that lie at the intersection of these and other interrelated disciplines. All theoretical and methodological approaches are welcome as we advance the field in a truly multi-disciplinary, creative, rigorous, reflexive, and critical fashion.
The purpose of the conference is to advance family business scholarship by (1) serving as a platform for presentation of carefully crafted contributions seeking to find home in top-tier academic journals, (2) advancement of papers that need further development in order to make a meaningful contribution, (3) testing of new ideas and plans that will benefit of advice from other members of the IFERA family and our distinguished quests, and (4) raising of new and relevant questions concerning family business.
Highlighting the role of IFERA as a bridge between intellectual framings and praxis of family business, the annual conference brings together business families and scholars to identify and advance best practices in the family business. Policy issues are not ignored either. Finally, with the IFERA tradition of having fun, the conference provides an inspiring and a unique atmosphere for networking, bonding, and exchanging ideas.
The Conference invites papers on all aspects of family business research, including but not limited to succession, leadership and governance, entrepreneurship, strategy, family relationships, emotions, family psychology and sociology, economics, finance, and accounting, as well as issues that lie at the intersection of these and other interrelated disciplines. All theoretical and methodological approaches are welcome as we advance the field in a truly multi-disciplinary, creative, rigorous, reflexive, and critical fashion.
Journal Special Issues
> download the call for papers in pdf
Conference Program
Click here to download the full version of the program (last update: June 20)
June 29, Wednesday
June 29, Thursday
June 30, Friday
July 1, Saturday
Topic Guide
Doctoral and Faculty Development Consortia
June 28, 2017
Consortium chair:
Claudia Binz Astrachan, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Switzerland
Doctoral Consortium is designed as an interactive and educational event for doctoral students planning to pursue a career of scholarship in the family business field. It aims at providing an additional opportunity for the students to share the latest state of their research, learn from and get socialized in the field via close interaction with their peers and experienced participating faculty.
Faculty Development Consortium offers opportunities for new and experienced faculty to develop their careers and skills. Through workshops and group work, faculty will learn and interact with their peers on key topics including publication in peer reviewed journals, teaching family business curriculum, developing research programs, creating and directing a research center, supervising and mentoring doctoral students.
Program
Time |
Doctoral Consortium |
Faculty Development Workshop |
Time |
| 8:15 | Coffee and Registration | 8:15 | |
| 8:45 | Claudia Binz Astrachan & Torsten Pieper Welcome and information about the logistics of the day |
8:45 | |
| 8:55 | Academic Speed Dating | 8:55 | |
| 9:15 | Joe Astrachan The evolution of the Family Business field: hopes, fears and future |
||
| 10:00 | Isabel Botero The craft of reviewing: How can we benefit from reviewing papers? |
Paul Beamish Dealing with rejection: How to increase your chances of getting published |
10:00 |
| Coffee and Refreshments | 10:45 | ||
| 11:00 | Coffee and Refreshments | Joe Astrachan Working with families in business: Establishing relationships of mutual trust in research and consulting |
11:00 |
| 11:15 | Breakout Sessions 2 students + 1 faculty (groups TBA) |
||
| Massimo Baù Teaching with the Case Study Method: Insights from the 2-times winner of the FB Case Competition |
11:45 | ||
| 12:30 | Lunch | ||
| 1:30 | Kim Eddleston & Torsten Pieper Writing for success: crafting high-impact articles |
||
| 2:15 | Josip Kotlar How to perform a thorough and meaningful literature review |
Lucia Naldi The potential of and the potential pitfalls in survey research |
|
| 3:00 | Coffee and Refreshments | ||
| 3:30 | Paul Beamish Looking ahead: Developing a Personal Research Strategy |
Francesco Chirico Developing family business centered research programs and increasing the publication skills of their members |
|
| 4:15 | Johan Wiklund Building a successful career as an entrepreneurship and family business scholar |
||
| 5:00 | Claudia Binz Astrachan & Torsten Pieper Conclusion and acknowledgments |
||
Application guidelines
Space in both groups is limited to 15 candidates. Please include in your application a CV reflecting your current interest, and capabilities in family business research, and provide your complete contact details, including name, university affiliation, email address and phone number, as well as a picture of yourself.
For the Doctoral Consortium, please also include the following:
- Abstract of your research interests (150-200 words) – with the heading “Application for IFERA 2017 Doctoral Consortium”.
- Letter of recommendation from your dissertation supervisor (if already determined) or a faculty member who knows you and your research interests.
For the Faculty Development Consortium, please also include the following:
- Abstract of your current research interest (150 – 200 words) – with the title “Application for IFERA 2017 Faculty Development Consortium”
Applications can be sent directly to the consortia chair Claudia Binz Astrachan – claudia.astrachan[at]hslu.ch
Deadlines (UPDATED!)
- May 1, 2017 – Deadline for submissions (early submissions encouraged!)
- May 7, 2017 – Notification of acceptance
If you have any questions, please contact the consortia chair: Claudia Binz Astrachan – claudia.astrachan[at]hslu.ch
Conference Awards
The candidature for the following Awards are based on self-nomination:
- PhD Thesis Proposal Award – 2 000 € – Deadline May 30, 2017
- Research Proposal Award – 2 000 € – Deadline May 30, 2017
The following Awards are assigned by IFERA:
- Best Conference Paper – 1 000 €
- Best Paper on Conference Theme – 1 000 €
- Best Paper-Contribution to Practice – 1 000 €
- Best Reviewer(s) – Conference Registration Fee & 250 €
PhD Thesis Proposal Award
Deadline: May 30, 2017
PURPOSE
The International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA) is dedicated to facilitating and promoting the advancement of family business research by encouraging sound, scholarly, and rigorous research practices derived from all accepted methods of inquiry and philosophical traditions. The IFERA PhD Thesis Proposal initiative aims to acknowledge and honor the next generation of family business scholars whose research is deemed to hold significant promise to increase extant knowledge in the broad area of family business.
AWARD
2000 € award sponsored by IFERA.
WHO MAY APPLY?
- PhD students undertaking research in an accredited academic institution.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCESS
Before the deadline of May 30, 2017, go to https://www.softconf.com/h/ifera2017 to complete the submission process.
Please make sure that you have the following ready because they are required before you can complete the submission process:
1. Title (also preliminary) of the PhD Thesis
2. Abstract (200 words limit) – Type or Cut and paste in the textbox on the submission page
3. A detailed summary– Upload a file in Word or PDF format
- This summary should outline the following key aspects: research objectives, leading research question(s), outline of theory driving the research or shown to be potentially developed, relevant literature review, study justification.
- Lenght: 3’000 words (+/- 10%) double-spaced in 12 points font (note that title page, abstract, figures, tables, and references are not counted for page limit purposes).
4. Letter of recommendation from your primary Ph.D. supervisor.
5. Curriculum Vitae – Upload a file
- Only online submissions will be accepted at https://www.softconf.com/h/ifera2017
- No email or hard copies will be accepted.
PROPOSAL’S PITCH
The applicants are requested to present the PhD Thesis Proposal during the conference to a panel of scholars that will evaluate the idea and provide developmental feedbacks. The format for the presentation will be communicated to the applicants after the deadline.
ASSESMENT CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Quality of research question(s)
- Adherence to the best practices of the research philosophy and tradition employed
- Potential significance, impact, and contributions of findings on the family business field
Research Proposal Award
Deadline: May 30, 2017
PURPOSE
The International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA) is dedicated to facilitating and promoting the advancement of family business research by encouraging sound, scholarly, and rigorous research practices derived from all accepted methods of inquiry and philosophical traditions. The IFERA Research Proposal initiative aims to support family business research by supporting the development of early stage research project that will contribute to knowledge in the broad area of family business.
AWARD
2000 € award sponsored by IFERA.
WHO MAY APPLY?
- Single Researcher or Resarch Team.
- The main applicant has a Doctoral title
- All applicants conduct research in an accredited academic institution.
- The research project is not part of a doctoral thesis. In this case, please refer to the PhD Thesis Proposal Award.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCESS
Before the deadline of May 30, 2017, go to https://www.softconf.com/h/ifera2017 to complete the submission process.
Please make sure that you have the following ready because they are required before you can complete the submission process:
1. Title (also preliminary) of the Research Project
2. Abstract (200 words limit) – Type or Cut and paste in the textbox on the submission page.
3. A detailed summary– Upload a file in Word or PDF format
- This summary should outline the following key aspects: research objectives, leading research question(s), outline of theory driving the research or shown to be potentially developed, relevant literature, study justification, as well as the refereed journal(s) that will be targeted.
- Lenght: 3’000 words (+/- 10%) double-spaced in 12 points font (note that title page, abstract, figures, tables, and references are not counted for page limit purposes).
4. Curriculum Vitae of the participants to the project – Upload a file
- Only online submissions will be accepted at https://www.softconf.com/h/ifera2017
- No email or hard copies will be accepted.
PROPOSAL’S PITCH
The applicants are requested to present the Research Proposal during the conference to a panel of scholars that will evaluate the idea and provide developmental feedbacks. The format for the presentation will be communicated to the applicants after the deadline.
ASSESMENT CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Quality of research question(s)
- Adherence to the best practices of the research philosophy and tradition employed
- Potential significance, impact, and contributions of findings on the family business field
