2021 Asia-Pacific Family Business Symposium

University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka City, Japan

Symposium Convenors

Professor Hikari Akizawa, Dr Donella Caspersz, Professor Akihiro Okumura

Call for Papers

Conference theme: Family Business and Innovation in Times of Crisis

Family business face – and have faced – innumerable crises. COVID-19 is one of these that reflects a disruption that encompasses not just a health crisis, but arguably other crises such as that linked to the environment. While family businesses both pivot and transform their business model to respond these challenges, a “new normal” is emerging. This provides both scholars and business with the opportunity to reflect on how family business will not just survive but also thrive in this “new normal”.

The question guiding the 2021 Asia-Pacific Family Business Symposium thus is what have been and what can be the innovations for family business in times of crisis?

While not restricted to, papers for the 2021 Asia-Pacific Family Business Symposium can potentially address the following:

• How has the family business model adapted during times of crisis such as COVID-19? What are the adaptations that are needed to continue post these crises? What are the theoretical implications for the business model construct that these lessons provide?
• How has the family business model adapted during times of crisis such as COVID-19? What are the adaptations that are needed to continue post these crises? What are the theoretical implications for the business model construct that these lessons provide?
• How did family businesses respond to the challenge of innovation in their product offering during a crisis such as COVID-19? Are these now becoming core to their value offering? How does the experience of family business contribute to ideas about strategy?
• How have management approaches of both family and business adjusted in times of crisis? Are these now becoming crucial to surviving post a crisis such as COVID-19? How do these experiences of family business contribute to the growing interest in how the affective wealth of the family provides a unique source of value for family business?
• How have responses by external stakeholders including government influenced family business response to crises such as COVID-19? How does their response shape how family business survives and thrives in the “new normal”? Are there any theoretical ideas that these have for stakeholder and other theories?
• How does the experience of family business innovations during times of crisis that emerge from the Asia-Pacific region contribute to our scholarly ideas about innovation, knowledge management and even change? 

Symposium Paper Awards

Sponsored by Mr Naito, CEO of Eisai Co Ltd. a third-generation family business.

Asia Pacific Family Business Symposium 2021 Naito Best Paper Award (40 000Y)
This award is for the abstract and/or paper that demonstrates scholarly rigour, contributes to the field of family business and best fits the conference theme

Asia Pacific Family Business Symposium 2021 Naito Best Practice Award (30 000Y)
This award is for the abstract and/or paper that contributes to innovative ideas about practice in the field of family business, and which aligns with the conference theme Asia Pacific Family Business Symposium 2021 Naito Best Student Research Paper(30 000Y) This award is for the abstract and/or paper by a student that demonstrates scholarly rigour, and best fits the conference theme

Early Career Researcher Publication Opportunity
SI “Managing Family Enterprise” International Journal of Employment Studies, https://search.informit.org/journal/ijes

Symposium Keynote Speakers

Symposium Program

Further Information