MEMC

PDWs & Symposia

Workshops and sessions we organize at the major management conferences.

Our Annual PDW at AOM

Each year we organize the Professional Development Workshop on Research in Emerging Markets: Theoretical and Methodological Frontiers at the Academy of Management (AOM) Annual Meeting. The workshop is organized by two PhD students who are on the job market that year, which keeps it close to the questions the next generation of scholars is actually wrestling with.

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AOM 2026 — Philadelphia

Sunday, August 2, 2026 · 1:00–3:30 pm EDT
Third Annual PDW on Research in Emerging Markets: Theoretical and Methodological Frontiers

Pennsylvania Convention Center, 100 Level, 1101 Arch St, Philadelphia
Organized by Octavio Barros (HEC Paris) and Peter Polhill (Cornell University)

Abstract

This Professional Development Workshop (PDW) aims to foster cutting-edge research in management, focusing on emerging markets as well as other underexplored institutional settings. Emerging and frontier markets, which account for nearly 50% of global GDP and two-thirds of global growth over the past decade, pose distinct challenges and opportunities for strategic management research. These markets often present diverse institutional environments that can inform new research frameworks. Additionally, they may provide access to underutilized data or drive the use of creative methodological approaches when traditional data sources are lacking. The PDW aims to bring together established scholars who have studied these less explored contexts and encourage rich discussion on both testing existing theories and formulating new ones, thereby expanding the scope of strategic management research to include these understudied markets and institutional contexts.

Panelists and discussants

Panelists

  • Aline Gatignon (HEC Paris)
  • Laura Doering (University of Toronto)
  • Natalie Carlson (University of Pennsylvania)
  • Sergio Lazzarini (Insper)
  • Shon Hiatt (University of Southern California)

Discussants

  • Andrew Foley (New York University)
  • Aparajita Agarwal (INSEAD)
  • Carlos Inoue (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
  • Florencio Portocarrero (London School of Economics and Political Science)
  • Nataliya Wright (Columbia Business School)
  • Priyam Saraf (Stanford University)
  • Thomaz Teodorovicz (Copenhagen Business School)
  • Ussama Ahmad Khan (London Business School)
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 · 1:15–2:45 pm EDT
Presenter Symposium: Strategy, Technology, and Governance for Social Good in Emerging Markets

Pennsylvania Convention Center, 100 Level, 1101 Arch St, Philadelphia
Organized by Aparajita Agarwal (INSEAD), Fulton Eaglin (Duke University) and Thomaz Teodorovicz (Copenhagen Business School)

Abstract

Emerging markets face pressing societal challenges alongside rapid technological change and institutional complexities. This presenter symposium brings together papers that advance a governance-focused perspective on technology adoption and deployment for social good in emerging markets. The symposium shows that the pursuit of technology-enabled social good may involve navigating complex trade-offs that are multiple, interrelated, and not immediately apparent. Across diverse contexts — including clean cooking in East Africa, remote learning and higher education in Brazil, the minibus taxi industry in South Africa, and the mobile-money industry in multiple markets — the papers demonstrate that the societal impact of technology is shaped not just by technical capabilities but also by how technologies are embedded within institutional meanings and governance arrangements. The symposium has learnings for scholars, managers and policy-makers interested in technology, governance, and social impact in emerging markets.

Discussant and papers

Discussant

  • Anita McGahan (University of Toronto)

Papers

  • Broadening without Displacement: How Mission-Oriented Industries Develop Plural Templates — Diana Jue-Rajasingh (Rice University)
  • Democratization of Disparity? Unequal Gains from Digital Platforms in Emerging Markets — Aparajita Agarwal (INSEAD), Sarath Balachandran (London Business School)
  • Comparative Governance and Digital Technology Adoption in Public Services — Thomaz Teodorovicz (Copenhagen Business School), Ilze Kivleniece (INSEAD)
  • The Cost of Flexibility: Informal Governance and Resilience in the South African Taxi Industry — Fulton Eaglin (Duke University), Rakeen Tanvir (Duke University)

Past PDWs & Symposia

AOM 2025
Second Annual PDW on Research in Emerging Markets: Theoretical and Methodological Frontiers

Organized by Amrita Saha and Daphne Coelho

AOM 2024
First Annual PDW on Research in Emerging Markets: Theoretical and Methodological Frontiers

Organized by Sukti Ghosh and Aparajita Agarwal