WORKSHOPS AT SMS Berlin
Workshops are held on Saturday, October 17, 2026; the first day of the SMS Annual Conference. Workshops are included in the registration for the Annual Conference, therefore participants in workshops must be registered for the Annual Conference.
While workshops are open to all conference attendees, please note that some workshops have a competitive application process. Review the details for each workshop below for whether an application is required and the deadline for applications.
Most workshops are presented by the SMS Interest Groups and Communities (IG&Cs).
Workshops are scheduled for three-hour morning (9:00 AM–12:00 PM) or afternoon (1:00 PM–4:00 PM) sessions. Conference attendees are welcome to attend workshops both in the morning and afternoon timeslots. For workshops that require applications, we ask that you do not apply for more than one workshop per timeslot.
Lunch and coffee breaks are provided for all workshop participants.
To learn about the full-day Annual Doctoral Workshop, click here. Please note that because it runs the entire day, participants cannot attend the IG&C Workshops as well.
MORNING WORKSHOPS
Sponsored by the Behavioral Strategy and Knowledge & Innovation Interest Group
Application required
Ever wondered how academic career paths evolve, and how they differ across regions of the world? Are you a PhD student thinking ahead to the academic job market, or a master’s or undergraduate student considering graduate school, trying to understand what different systems value? Perhaps you are exploring academic opportunities in another region and want to know what to expect at various career stages—or you are involved in hiring and curious about how candidates trained in different academic systems are evaluated.
This workshop explores how academic careers unfold across six regions—North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia—from doctoral training to early-career placement and progression through tenure and promotion. It highlights how institutional structures, expectations, and opportunities vary across contexts, shaping distinct academic pathways and professional experiences.
The session begins with a panel featuring six scholars representing these regions. Panelists will share perspectives on key stages of the academic career and reflect upon regional differences in career development, evaluation criteria, mobility, and professional responsibilities. This will be followed by an open Q&A, allowing participants to engage directly with the speakers on topics of interest.
In the second part of the workshop, participants will join small, region-focused roundtables led by experienced scholars. These interactive discussions provide an opportunity for more in-depth exchange around specific questions related to academic careers in different parts of the world. To participate in this portion of the workshop, please register in advance and indicate your preferred regional roundtable.
Confirmed Panelists:
- Adeola Olufunso Olajide, University of Ibadan
- Yanbo Wang, HKU
- Sam MacAulay, University of Queensland
- JK Suh, NYU
- Marina Gama, Fundação Getúlio Vargas
- Mike Adebamowo, Lagos Business School
- Siddharth Natarajan, Nanyang Technological University
- Fabian Gaessler, Pompeu Fabra University
Co-Organizers:
- Charlotte Jacobs, Louisiana State University
- Larisa Cioaca, Tulane University
- Sukhun Kang, University of California - Santa Barbara
Application Requirements:
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An updated CV
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Selection of regional roundtable preferences
Sponsored by the Global Strategy Interest Group and Global Strategy Journal
Application required
This workshop is designed to provide participants with developmental feedback on current projects, with a focus on contemporary issues in global strategy. The GSJ editorial team will address topics around what it takes to publish in GSJ. The session will then break into small groups where GSJ editorial team members will provide detailed feedback to the authors in a roundtable discussion format. The workshop will also invite peer feedback from other participants to provide a rich developmental experience for the authors. Attendance will be capped at 20 to 25 participants to ensure a high-quality, interactive, and constructive discussion.
Application Requirements:
- An updated CV
- A 3-page research proposal or extended abstract
Sponsored by the Stakeholder Strategy Interest Group
Application required; Walk-ins welcome for panel portion
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly expanding the methodological toolkit available to scholars, including creating new opportunities to study firms’ stakeholder strategies and relationships. Yet some scholars may be uncertain about how to use AI-based methods rigorously, transparently, and in ways that can support publication in leading strategy and management journals. This workshop is designed to help stakeholder strategy scholars build that capacity while also advancing their own research projects.
The workshop will have two complementary parts. The first half will feature a panel of scholars who have published research using AI methods relevant to stakeholder strategy research. Panelists will focus on the practicalities of implementation: how AI methods can be used to collect, classify, and analyze complex stakeholder-related data; how researchers can make defensible methodological choices; and how AI-enabled approaches can be positioned for high-quality scholarly contribution. This portion of the workshop is open to all SMS attendees interested in learning how AI tools can strengthen their research toolkit.
After the break, the workshop will shift to small-group developmental feedback sessions for accepted participants who submit papers or research proposals in advance. These sessions will be facilitated by senior scholars with expertise across stakeholder strategy domains. Participants will receive focused feedback on their research questions, theory development, empirical strategy, contribution, and paper positioning. To make the sessions more generative, participants are encouraged to use AI tools before the workshop to obtain first-order feedback on their projects, then bring those reflections into the discussion groups for deeper, more tailored scholarly engagement. While the paper feedback sessions are open to all attendees interested in applying, preference will be given to doctoral students and early- to mid-career academics.
Confirmed Panelists:
- Daniel Albert, LeBow College of Business, Drexel University
- Farzam Boroomand, University of South Carolina
- Natalie Carlson, The Wharton School, UPenn
- Witold Henisz, The Wharton School
- Milan Miric, USC Marshall School of Business
Confirmed Discussants:
- Sinziana Dorobantu, New York University
- Olga Hawn, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Don Lange, Arizona State University
- Shuping Li, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Toru Yoshikawa, Waseda University
Co-Organizers:
- Steve Sauerwald, University of Houston
- Narae Lee, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Kate Odziemkowska, University of Toronto
An application is required for the paper development portion. Application Requirements:
- An updated CV
- A paper overview (maximum 5 pages)
Sponsored by the Behavioral Strategy, Competitive Strategy, Cooperative Strategies, Corporate Strategy, Global Strategy, Knowledge & Innovation, and Strategic Human Capital Interest Group
Application required; Walk-ins welcome for panel portion
At the SMS 46th Annual Conference in Berlin, the strategic management research community will engage with pressing questions about strategy in an evolving global environment, including challenges related to competition, innovation, and the management of knowledge and human capital. Through an interactive panel and Q&A discussion followed by in-depth paper feedback sessions, this junior faculty development workshop aims to bring together a variety of perspectives across diverse strategy communities. The workshop is open to interested scholars at all levels, with priority given to submissions from junior faculty. Applications will be required for this workshop.
Confirmed Panelists:
- Maggie Zhou, University of Michigan
- JR Keller, Cornell
- Vibha Gaba, INSEAD
- Dan Li, Indiana University
- Olga Hawn, UNC
- Stefano Brusoni, ETH Zurich
Confirmed Discussants:
- Julia Bodner, Copenhagen Business School
- Jay Anand, Ohio State University
- Shelby Gai, Michigan State University
- John Eklund, USC
- Min Jung Kim, Korea University Business School
- Christine Choi, UNC
- Marina Papanastassiou, University of Leeds
- Mirko Benischke, Erasmus University
- Stefan Wagner, University of Vienna
- Cameron Verhaal, Tulane University
- Aline Gatignon, HEC Paris
- Rocio Bonet, IE Business School
Co-Organizers:
- Marco Testoni, University of Miami
- Charlotte Ren, University of Pennsylvania
- Carlos Inoue, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Larisa Cioaca, Tulane University
- Yejee Lee, Auburn University
- Xuchang Chen, University of Reading
- Tracy Anderson, Bocconi University
- Thorsten Grohsjean, University of Vienna
- Dylan Boynton, MSU
- David R Clough, UBC Sauder
- Shivaram Devarakonda, Nanyang Technological University
An application is required for the paper development portion. Application Requirements:
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An updated CV
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A copy (or extended abstract) of a working paper
Sponsored by the Strategy Process and Entrepreneurship & Strategy Interest Group
No application required
How do entrepreneurs leverage AI to scale their ventures, and how do these scaling processes unfold across different geographic and institutional contexts? This PDW brings together leading scholars and practitioners to explore the evolving dynamics of AI-enabled scaling in entrepreneurial and corporate ventures.
Startups are expected to scale – but how they do it is far from one-size-fits-all. Different ventures demand different tools, different tempos, and different strategic pathways. AI has the potential to fundamentally reshape these scaling approaches, offering new possibilities like faster iteration, leaner operations, and algorithmic decision-making. However, it also comes with new complexities around data dependencies, information quality, capability development, and strategic path dependencies. Understanding how these scaling processes unfold over time and how ventures navigate and govern AI-enabled growth, is therefore critical. Beyond that, the context in which startups operate and leverage AI in the scaling process highly differs across regions. This workshop thus also examines how such processes differ across the US and EU, considering regulatory environments and access to capital and talent. We ask: What does the process of scaling with AI look like in practice? How do founders and leaders make strategic decisions as firms grow? How do contextual factors shape the tempo, direction, and governance of scaling with AI?
By combining academic insights with real-world perspectives from investors, entrepreneurs, and regulators, the session aims to bridge theory and practice and spark new research directions at the intersection of entrepreneurship and strategy process research. The scholar panel features researchers with expertise in entrepreneurial scaling, technology adoption, digital innovation, AI and organizations, and process research. The practitioner panel brings voices from the Berlin startup ecosystem who are on the forefront of leveraging novel AI technologies, including investors and founders with hands-on experience building and scaling AI-enabled ventures. For instance, the audience will hear from Charlotte Kufus who founded the start-up Flank that leverages autonomous AI agents for legal services and from the founder of Lindera – a startup targeted at the healthcare sector that leverages AI to predict fall risks in patients.
Each panel will conclude with interactive Q&A sessions with the audience leveraging structured prompts or live polling.
Participants will leave with a richer understanding of how AI is reshaping scaling processes, how context shapes entrepreneurial growth trajectories, and where promising research opportunities lie.
Confirmed Panelists:
- Kristina McElheran, University of Toronto
- Susan Cohen, University of Georgia
- Audra Wormald, University of North Carolina
- Hans Berends, VU Amsterdam
- Reza Rezvani, Lindera
- Charlotte Kufus, Flank
Co-Organizers:
- Alexander Alexiev, ESSCA School of Management
- Heinrich-Jakob Wild, University of St. Gallen
- Lyda Bigelow, University of Utah
- Nataliya Wright, Columbia University
- Valentina Assenova, The Wharton School, UPenn
- Zoe Jonassen, University of St.Gallen
Sponsored by the Global Strategy, Strategy Practice, and Strategy Process Interest Group
No application required
Strategizing in the digital era increasingly unfolds under conditions of fragmentation - across digital and non-digital spaces, between academic insight and practitioner experience, and among scholars separated by disciplinary traditions and geographic contexts. Fragmentation is therefore not only a condition shaping digital strategy, it is also reflected in how research itself is organised, theorised, and conducted. Scholarship has long emphasized the situated, relational, and material nature of strategy work, acknowledging the value of interdisciplinary perspectives, practitioner wisdom, and the cultural-historical embeddedness of strategy work, practices, and processes across the globe. However, important insights often remain siloed within disciplinary, professional, geographic, and academic–practitioner boundaries.
This session brings together strategy scholars and practitioners working on the broad themes of digital transformation and change. It invites attendees to explore how fragmentation is experienced, navigated, and made consequential in organizations from these varied perspectives, to consider how key issues of transformation and change are currently studied, and to reflect on what might be gained from synthesizing these various viewpoints.
The workshop comprises two parts. Part one is a moderated conversation in which panelists reflect on how strategic issues related to digital transformation and change are framed and enacted across contexts, and what these differences reveal about the study of these topics. Part two is a roundtable discussion, in which attendees can join groups to discuss questions and issues of interest. The workshop aims to open up new questions, empirical sites, and collaborative possibilities for advancing research on strategizing in the digital era and in times of fragmentation.
Confirmed Panelists:
- Aljona Zorina, Neoma Business School
- Krsto Pandza, Leeds Business School
- Natalia Vuori, Aalto University
- Elena Kano, University of Calgary
Organizers:
- Josh Morton, University of Leeds
- Qian Li, Warwick Business School
- Katharina Cepa, VU Amsterdam
- Chris Golding, University of Reading
- Zachary Bolo Awino, University of Nairobi
Sponsored by the Cooperative Strategies Interest Group
No application required
The theme of this session is to explore four fundamental and interrelated questions organizations have been contending with since the advent of LLM-based AI models:
- What sort of human, organizational, and ethical concerns are likely to shape AI adoption by firms?
- How is AI-driven automation going to reshape human and organizational capital?
- What are the critical adjustments that firms have to make to leverage AI and cope with the pace and nature of change it has unleashed?
- How can firms leverage AI to augment productivity and drive superior performance?
We bring together practitioners implementing AI and strategy scholars studying design, incentives, and partnerships. The session has two segments. In the first segment, each panelist gets to make a 15-minute pitch on their ideas. These presentations will be followed by a panel discussion (30 minutes + 5 minutes for closing). The second segment includes round table discussions among participants to generate research ideas/sub-themes to explore (30 minutes). Each roundtable will present its ideas as a 5-minute pitch. The session will close with summary remarks by the session chair.
Confirmed Panelists:
- Vibha Gaba, INSEAD
- Phanish Puranam, INSEAD
- Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury, London School of Economics
- Prashant (Kash) Kashyap, Wolters Kluwer
More details coming soon!
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS
Sponsored by the Strategy Research Foundation
Application required; Walk-ins welcome for panel portion
Securing external funding is a critical milestone for advancing research projects. Yet, for many scholars, navigating the complex world of grants and funding opportunities can feel unfamiliar. The Strategy Research Foundation (SRF) is pleased to organize a “Grant Writing and Research Funding” workshop that is designed to equip strategic management researchers with knowledge and practical tips to develop competitive grant proposals.
The first section of the workshop will highlight the growing importance of grants for academic success. Panelists will explore different types of funding sources and how to identify opportunities that align with researchers’ goals. The panel discussion will also cover the key elements of a strong funding proposal, including interpreting grant calls, crafting a compelling executive summary, articulating the motivation behind a project, and developing realistic financial plans and responsible budgets. Further, the workshop will feature success stories, highlighting lessons learned from experienced grant recipients and common pitfalls to avoid.
The second section of the workshop will provide interactive discussions with participants and roundtable leaders about specific funding proposals, budgeting practices, and experiential activities. By the end of the workshop, attendees will be better prepared to transform their research ideas into funded projects.
Consistent with SRF’s mission, that is, creating funding initiatives that support strategy scholars in conducting rigorous and business relevant research, the workshop aims to inspire and enable participants to navigate the grant-writing process with greater confidence and success. However, the discussions will extend beyond SRF funding opportunities, focusing instead on strategies to secure external funding from a wide range of sources.
Co-Organizers:
- Mahka Moeen, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Francisco Polidoro, University of Texas at Austin
- An updated CV
- A one-paragraph overview of research interest
Sponsored by the Corporate Strategy and Knowledge & Innovation Interest Group
Application required; Walk-ins welcome for panel portion
Markets for technology, encompassing licensing, technology sales, alliances, and acquisitions, have long been central to how firms innovate and capture value. Yet these markets are being fundamentally reshaped by a rapidly fragmenting geo-economic landscape. Rising geopolitical tensions, the resurgence of industrial policy, and the expansion of national security–driven investment and trade restrictions are altering how technologies are developed, transferred, and commercialized across borders.
This workshop examines how these forces are transforming markets for technology and explores the implications for core theories of strategy, innovation, and the firm. As global innovation systems become increasingly segmented, firms face new constraints on cross-border transactions, from heightened scrutiny of foreign acquisitions to tightening export controls and politicized technology standards. These changes are not only reshaping firm behavior, but also raising fundamental questions about innovation incentives, entrepreneurial activity, and the efficiency of technology transfer mechanisms.
Bringing together leading scholars across strategy, innovation, and international business, the session will explore a set of interconnected questions: How does geopolitical fragmentation affect R&D investment, licensing, and alliances? What happens to entrepreneurial incentives when acquisition markets thin? How are technology standards and global coordination evolving under political pressures? And how should firms adapt their innovation and commercialization strategies in response?
The workshop is designed as an interactive experience combining a panel discussion with small-group research roundtables. The session begins with short perspectives that frame the emerging research agenda, followed by an open discussion with attendees. In the second part, participants engage in focused roundtable conversations, where they can develop new ideas or receive structured feedback on ongoing research.
By connecting geopolitical developments with the microfoundations of innovation and strategy, this session offers participants a timely opportunity to engage with a rapidly evolving research frontier. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how global fragmentation is reshaping markets for technology, and with new insights, frameworks, and collaborations to advance their own work in this critical area.
Panelists:
- Kenneth Huang, National University of Singapore
- Catherine Magelssen, University of South Carolina
- Bruno Cassiman, KU Leuven
- Raffaele Conti, ESSEC
- Nan Jia, University of Southern California
Co-Organizers:
- George Chondrakis, Esade Business School
- Marco Testoni, University of Miami Herbert Business School
- An updated CV
- An extended abstract, or a 1–2 page research idea
Sponsored by the Strategic Leadership & Governance Interest Group
Application required; Walk-ins welcome for panel portion
The Strategic Leadership & Governance PDW is divided into two segments. The first segment is a paper development workshop targeted at doctoral students and junior scholars. An application (including a 5-page research proposal) and pre-registration are required. Authors will participate in small roundtable discussions led by senior scholars with shared interests, who will provide feedback on the authors' research.
The second segment, starting after the Coffee Break, is open to accepted participants and walk-ins. It will center on a highly interactive “Iron Chef” paper development exercise. Participants are placed in teams and work together to craft a paper proposal (including a research question, theoretical model, and data collection/testing strategy) using a set of theoretical and empirical “ingredients.” The teams then present their proposals, get real-time feedback on their ideas, and compete for a variety of light-hearted awards. This segment concludes with senior scholars offering reflections on various strategies for generating paper ideas.
Panelists:
- Radina Blagoeva
- Mike Mannor
- Joanna Campbell
- Andi Koenig
- Shuping Li
- Jeff Lovelace
- Ann Mooney Murphy
- Seemantini Pathak
- Matthew Semadeni
- John Busenbark
- MK Chin
- Priyanka Dwivedi
- Ilaria Orlandi
- Jason Ridge
- Craig Crossland
Co-Organizers:
- Ryan Krause, The University of Iowa
- Matthew Semadeni, Arizona State University
- An updated CV
- A 5-7 page research proposal or extended abstract
Sponsored by the Competitive Strategy Interest Group
Application required; Walk-ins welcome for panel portion
When business schools evaluate a junior professor for tenure, the school typically seeks letters from several prominent individuals in the junior scholar’s area of research. This half-day workshop is intended to help assistant professors and post-doctoral candidates understand and prepare for the tenure letter process.
The first half of the workshop will feature presentations by prominent senior faculty who have written tenure letters or have gone through the tenure process multiple times. They will describe the letter-writing process, explain how they evaluate a tenure case, and provide advice for junior scholars.
The second half of the workshop will feature small round-table discussions where junior scholars will describe their intended research program and receive feedback and advice from the senior scholars.
Panelists:
- Rajshree Agarwal, Maryland
- Samina Karim, Northeastern
- Martin Ganco, UWisconsin
- Mary Tripsas, UCSB
- Olenka Kacperczyk, LBS
Co-Organizers:
- Hyo Kang, Seoul National University
- Christine Choi, University of North Carolina
- Johanna Glauber, IE University
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An updated CV
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A research statement (maximum 3 pages), which we will share with thepanelists.
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Applicant's top 4 preferences in terms of panelists that the applicant would liketo be matched with for the roundtable discussions. (We will try our best to takethe applicants top choices)
Sponsored by the Strategy Practice and Strategy Process Interest Group
No application required
Despite the recognized value of qualitative research in capturing strategic complexity, the path to publication in top-tier journals is far from straightforward, and misconceptions of editorial expectations and methodological concerns remain. The purpose of this workshop is to dismantle some of these barriers, replacing common myths with editorial insights and practical experiences. The workshop is structured in two sessions. Session one will be a panel with editors of top-tier strategy journals, where we will discuss the different journals’ expectations for qualitative research. Session two will be interactive roundtable discussions with participants hosted by editors. Together, this workshop is designed to debunk common myths in qualitative research, such as: Is the Gioia methodology the only viable path to acceptance? Is "bigger always better" when it comes to interviews and data collection more generally? How do you resolve data-theory fit? Will using AI tools in your research process get you in trouble with editors?
Panelists:
- Hans Berends, VU Amsterdam
- Julia Hautz, University of Innsbruck
- Giada Di Stefano, Bocconi University
- Pinar Ozcan, Oxford University
- Violina Rindova, University of California
Co-Organizers:
- Marte Semb Aasmundsen, BI Norway
- Chris Golding, Henley
- Susan Hilbolling, Aarhus University
Sponsored by the Cooperative Strategies Interest Group
No application required
Geo-economic fragmentation is reshaping the terms of interorganizational cooperation. Trade blocs, sanctions regimes, investment screening, technological decoupling, and regulatory divergence increasingly limit where firms can transact, whom they can partner with, and how collaboration can be governed across borders. These shifts challenge long-standing assumptions about the stability and enforceability of cooperative agreements. At the same time, they make cooperation more critical than ever. Firms rely on alliances, joint ventures, platform partnerships, and public-private arrangements to access markets, technologies, and capabilities that are harder to obtain through trade or acquisitions under heightened political constraints.
This workshop treats fragmentation not as a background condition, but as a direct driver of partner selection, governance design, learning, and termination. It is designed as a conversation across theoretical mechanisms, empirical patterns, and emerging research frontiers. We aim to connect classic theories of cooperative strategy with global strategy perspectives on political risk and institutions, while also surfacing new forms and dynamics of collaboration that arise under fragmented geopolitical conditions.
Panelists:
- Gabriel R.G. Benito – Professor of Strategy, BI Norwegian Business School
- Ilya Cuypers – Lee Kong Chian Professor of Strategic Management, Singapore Management University
- Giovanni Battista Dagnino – Chair of Management and Professor of Digital Strategy and Artificial Intelligence, University of Rome LUMSA
- Grazia Sant’Angelo – Professor of Strategic and International Management, Copenhagen Business School
- Anthea Zhang – Professor and the Fayez Sarofim Vanguard Chair of Strategic Management, Rice University
- Manuela Hoehn-Weiss – Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship in the College of Business at Oregon State University
Co-Organizers:
- Adele Xing, Santa Clara University
- Anna Mina, University of Rome LUMSA
Sponsored by the Behavioral Strategy Interest Group, Research Methods, and Teaching Community
No application required
While AI is a rapidly evolving and widely discussed topic, conversations often remain siloed within specific domains. This workshop is designed to create a shared space where participants can “compare notes” across research, teaching, and practice, gaining insights into how others are experimenting with and applying these tools. It is organized into two parts that combine conceptual discussion with hands-on exploration.
The first 90 minutes focus on the “what,” featuring short presentations from multiple perspectives followed by a moderated discussion of opportunities, limitations, and emerging issues related to AI applications, particularly LLMs and generative AI.
The second 90 minutes focus on the “how.” Participants will rotate among interactive use-case stations to experiment with practical workflows and discuss potential applications across domains (e.g., AI-assisted coding, discourse analysis, stakeholder mapping, teaching design). The format is designed to encourage small-group exchange and peer learning as participants explore different tools and approaches.
The workshop will conclude with brief reflections from station leads summarizing key insights and potential implications for research, teaching, and practice.
Panelists:
- Riitta Katila, Stanford University
- Raj Choudhury, London School of Economics & Political Science Teaching
- Maciej Workiewicz, ESSEC Business School
- Waldemar Kremser, Johannes Kepler University Linz Practice
- John Joseph, Paul Merage School of Business, University of California - Irvine
- Jochen Riedisser, Fujitsu
- Tim Hubbard, Notre Dame
- Aaron McKenny, University of Central Florida
- Sandra Janko, Johannes Kepler University Linz
- Larissa Marchiori Pacheco, Northeastern University
Co-Organizers:
- Daniela Blettner, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University
- Joseph Harrison, University of Tennessee
- Sabine Reisinger, Johannes Kepler University