Digital technologies have transformed a wide range of industries, and digital companies are playing an increasingly important role in the economy. This has created an interest in understanding implications of how this forms our understanding of strategic management (Adner, Puranam and Zhu, 2019; Greenstein, Lerner and Stern, 2010), and opportunities for entrepreneurship (Ewens, Nanda and Rhodes-Kropf, 2018). Such differences are only being amplified with the growth of AI which is greatly impacting how firms compete, and also new opportunities.
This SMS Extension brings together scholars interested in studying digitization, innovation, entrepreneurship, AI and technology, for a discussion of cutting-edge research on the topic. While these topics are garnering considerable attention, research is only beginning to be published on this topic, and scholars benefit from co-locating to discuss and develop papers on this topic. The event will also involve practitioners/managers from southeastern Europe, including a number of local digital platform companies which have developed a unique approach, developing a local solution to technology problems, while inspired by ventures elsewhere.
Additionally, the extension brings the SMS global community to a new and topically-relevant location, where they can interact with local faculty (from Serbia and other universities in the region) as well as local business leaders and government leaders. The government of the Republic of Serbia has recently made an official commitment to positioning Serbia as a leading hub for cutting-edge scientific research and technology transfer in the fields of machine learning and AI, leveraging what have been traditionally strong human capital expertise in domains such as engineering, coding and computer science. This has been supported by a number of recent investments in AI-related initiatives, including the establishment of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research and Development of Serbia.
Preliminary Conference Program
Wednesday, October 16th
- Text Analysis Workshop
- PhD Students Mentoring Session
- Welcome Drinks & Networking
- City Tour
- Conference Dinner
Thursday, October 17th
- Registration and Breakfast
- Welcome Address
- Keynote Panel: Beyond Disruptive Digital Technologies, Data and AI: What’s next
- Carmelo Cennamo (Copenhagen Business School), Nan Jia (USC), Deepak Somaya (UIUC) & Yue Maggie Zhou (Michigan); Moderator: Milan Mirić (USC)
- Panel: Disruptive Technologies and the Future of Work: Innovative Approaches
- Božidar Vlačić (Catolica Porto), Aleksandar Nedeljković (Mainstream), Erdem Dogukan Yilmaz (INSEAD) & Vukašin Grozdić (Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, Republic of Serbia); Moderator: Jovana Karanović (RSM, Erasmus U)
- Panel: Platforms and Ecosystems
- Natalie Burford (IESE), Katia Meggiorin (Stevens), Dragana Jovčić (UradiZaradi) & Gabriele Santoro (U Turin); Moderator: Hakan Ozalp (U Amsterdam)
- Panel: AI and Managerial Decision-Making
- Nur Ahmed (U Arkansas & MIT), Vid Štimac (UNDP), Stevo Pavićević (Franfurt School of Finance and Management) & Jose Ramon Saura (Rey Juan Carlos University); Moderator: Jelena Cerar (WU Vienna University of Economics and Business)
- Panel: AI, Digital Technologies, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Mehdi Bagherzadeh (NEOMA), Rastko Damnjanović (Inclusio), Nebojša Bjelotomić (Digital Serbia Initiative) & Nataliya Langburd Wright (Columbia Business School); Moderator: Veljko Jeremić (U Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences)
Lunch and Coffee Breaks throughout the day, with optional dinner in the Thursday evening
Additional Notes
PhD Students are encouraged to register. We seek to provide a venue where PhD students can connect with faculty. We will reach out to registrants before the conference to help coordinate arrival and arrange the PhD sessions for October 16th.
Attendees should be aware of several daily flights from Belgrade to Istanbul (for participants attending the SMS annual conference). They should ensure they find a flight that coincides with their desired arrival time in Istanbul.
Registration Fees
- SMS Members: 150 USD
- Non-Members: 180 USD
Event Sponsors
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