2026 SYSBS International Conference on Frontier Management Research: Entrepreneurship under New Realities

Guangzhou, China | May 23, 2026

School of Business, Sun Yat-sen University (SYSBS) is pleased to announce its 2026 International Conference on Frontier Management Research, to be held in Guangzhou, China, on May 23, 2026. The theme of this year’s symposium is “Entrepreneurship under New Realities.”

Entrepreneurship has always thrived in times of change. Yet today’s entrepreneurs face an unprecedented convergence of new risks and new opportunities. Global business is increasingly shaped by geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation, and technological disruption, as well as by sweeping innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), digital platforms, and global connectivity. Together, these shifts constitute a new reality—one that redefines how entrepreneurs identify opportunities, mobilize resources, and compete in dynamic and uncertain environments.

On the one hand, entrepreneurs are challenged by rising geopolitical frictions, technological decoupling, and regulatory fragmentation, which heighten uncertainty and reshape access to global markets, talent, and capital. Start-ups and multinationals alike must navigate a world marked by competing geo-economic blocs, localized ecosystems, and politicized supply chains.

On the other hand, new technologies, digital platforms, green transformation, and intelligent connectivity have expanded the frontiers of entrepreneurial opportunity. Artificial intelligence, automation, data analytics, digital connectivity and green technologies are transforming industries and business models. Digital entrepreneurship, platform ecosystems, and born-global start-ups are thriving by leveraging distributed innovation, online collaboration, and cross-border digital trade. The rise of new markets in Global South and emerging markets coupled with deepening regional integration, is also opening diverse pathways for entrepreneurial growth and impact.

Against this backdrop, understanding entrepreneurship under new realities requires integrating insights from multiple disciplines, such as entrepreneurship, international business, strategic management, innovation studies, data science, and organizational behavior, and political economy. How do entrepreneurs build capabilities and resilience amid geopolitical turbulence? How do digital connectivity and AI reshape opportunity discovery, scaling, and collaboration across borders? What new forms of legitimacy, diplomacy, and partnership emerge as entrepreneurs operate in politically sensitive or institutionally complex environments?

This conference seeks to advance scholarly and practical understanding of how entrepreneurs navigate, shape, and thrive under the evolving global realities of our time. Here are some illustrative topics (but not limited to):

• Entrepreneurial strategy and innovation under geopolitical and geoeconomic uncertainty
• AI-driven entrepreneurship, digital innovation, and platform ecosystems
• Born-global start-ups and international new ventures in the digital age
• Entrepreneurial resilience and adaptation under global fragmentation
• The role of digital connectivity in enabling cross-border entrepreneurship
• Institutional entrepreneurship and corporate diplomacy in contested markets
• Regional integration, global value chains, and entrepreneurial opportunities
• Venture capital, sovereign funds, and entrepreneurial finance amid new risks
• Data governance, cybersecurity, and digital entrepreneurship regulation
• Sustainable and social entrepreneurship in a fractured world
• Entrepreneurship in emerging markets and the Global South
• Policy entrepreneurship and national innovation strategies in the age of AI
• Human capital, creativity, and innovation ecosystems under new realities
• Comparative entrepreneurship across political, cultural, and technological systems

We welcome submissions that draw from multiple disciplines and examine these issues at multiple levels of analysis (individual, organizational, ecosystem, and institutional).

Submission Guidelines

We invite both full papers and extended abstracts (3–5 pages) that align with the conference theme. Submissions must be in English, original, and unpublished. Authors should clearly articulate research objectives, theoretical frameworks, methodology (if applicable), and key insights or contributions.

Please submit your manuscript or abstract via the conference registration link https://f.wps.cn/g/rysvthTy/

Important Dates

• Submission Deadline: April 23, 2026
• Notification of Acceptance: April 30, 2026
• Registration Deadline: May 10, 2026
• Conference Date: May 23, 2026

Conference Features

The 2026 SYSBS International Conference will feature distinguished keynote speakers and interactive sessions designed to foster scholarly exchange and collaboration.

The program will include:

• Keynote addresses by leading global scholars such as Yadong Luo (University of Miami,USA), Shaker Zahra (University of Minnesota,USA), Torben Pedersen (Copenhagen Business School, Denmark), and Tony Tong（University of Colorado, USA）;
• Parallel paper sessions providing developmental feedback from senior scholars;
• An Industry Panel bringing together entrepreneurs at the forefront of digital transformation, sustainability, and cross-border investment to share practical insights and bridge entrepreneurial practice and academic research;
• Best Paper Awards recognizing two to three outstanding submissions for their originality, rigor, and contribution. Award winners will receive certificates and monetary prizes.

Conference Speakers

Dr. Yadong Luo holds the Emery M. Findley Distinguished Chair and is Professor of Management at the University of Miami Herbert Business School. He is an elected Fellow of both the Academy of Management (AOM) and the Academy of International Business (AIB). He has authored over 20 books and more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, including over 60 published in journals on the UT Dallas top journals list. His research spans global strategy, cooperative alliances, cross-cultural management, and emerging market enterprises. His contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the JIBS 50th Anniversary Gold Medal, AOM IM Division Educator Award and the Hyundai Motor Eminent Scholar Award, University of Miami Lifetime Achievement Award, and Axiom Gold Medal for his recent book. His work has generated over 65,000 citations on Google Scholar, with an H-index of 121. Prior to entering academia, he worked in international business and public policy.

Shaker A. Zahra is Robert E. Buuck Chair of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Carlson School of Management, the University of Minnesota. He has served as the department chair, Director of the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Academic Co-Director of Carlson Ventures Enterprises. He also served as the Founding Co-Director of the Center for Integrative Leadership at University of Minnesota. Previously, Shaker was Paul T. Babson Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at Babson College and Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University. He has been a visiting or guest professor at several universities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Shaker has also held several visiting endowed chairs in multiple countries. Widely published and cited, his research has appeared in leading scholarly journals.  Shaker has also published or (co) edited 12 books and conference proceedings. Shaker’s research centers on corporate and international entrepreneurship, dynamic capabilities in science and technology global industries. Shaker also studies industry emergence and its consequences for entrepreneurship. He is a Fellow of AOM, AIB and several other organizations and the recipient of Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research. He holds seven honorary PhDs from universities in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden.

Torben Pedersen is a professor of Global Strategy at Copenhagen Business School. His research interests lie at the intersection of strategy, sustainability, and international management. He has published over 100 articles and books concerning the managerial and strategic aspects of globalization. His research has appeared in prominent journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, the Strategic Management Journal, the Journal of Management, the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of Management Studies, and the Organization Science. In addition, he has written more than 25 teaching cases that have been published in case clearinghouses. He is an elected Fellow of the Academy of International Business, the Strategic Management Society, and the European International Business Association. He is the founding editor of Global Strategy Journal and serves on numerous editorial boards. He is currently the President of the Academy of International Business.

Tony Tong is Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and holds the Guggenheim Endowed Chair of Business Design and Innovation at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder.  He currently serves as Chair of the Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Operations Department and previously served as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research.  His research focuses on firm strategy, innovation management, and international business, and has been published extensively in top academic journals in these fields. Professor Tong has served as principal investigator on multiple grants funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and as commercialization lead on several government-sponsored projects.  Within the larger profession, he serves as Vice President of the Strategy Science Section of INFORMS and is a past Chair of the Corporate Strategy Interest Group of the Strategic Management Society.  He has received multiple teaching awards from the University of Colorado, Purdue University, and Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in recognition of his contributions to both MBA and PhD education.  Beyond academia, he co-founded a high-tech startup and has led several university technology commercialization initiatives.  He is also co-author of Value Circles: Strategy in a VUCA World.

会议议程

Conference Schedule

Conference Avenue

School of Business, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingangxi Road, Guangzhou, P.R.China

Registration and Logistics

We welcome both submissions and direct registrations. Those who are interested in participating in this symposium should register via the link https://f.wps.cn/g/rysvthTy/ or by scanning the QR code below.

The registration fee includes all forums and meals listed in the conference schedule. Details are as follows.

Conference Committee
Professor Weiwen Li (Chair)
Associate Professor Daomi Lin
Professor Juelin Yin
Ms. Li Jiang

Contact Us

Email: conference@mail.sysu.edu.cn