Asia-Pacific Family Business Symposium

Event details

Location

  • University of Western Australia

Date and time

  • 11-13 September, 2026

Event type

  • Business

Audience

  • Researchers
  • Community
  • Professionals

Event Fee

  • See fees table below

Registration

  • Registration is essential
Register here

2026 Symposium will be held at the University of Western Australia and Edith Cowan University, City Campus

Symposium Convenors
A/Professor Donella Caspersz, University of Western Australia
Professor Francesco Chirico, Macquarie University, ISE Research Centre & Jonkoping University
A/Professor Chris Graves, University of Adelaide

Abstract Review Convenor
Professor Hazel Ramos, University of Nottingham, Malaysia 

Research Student Consortium Convenor:
Professor Pi-Shen Seet, Edith Cowan University

Call for Papers

Conference theme: Sustaining family business in the Asia-Pacific: the significance of learning, experience and resilience

 Family businesses are distinguished from other organisational forms by the overlap of family and business systems. Framed by this tension, a special issue in the Academy of Management Learning & Education asked how we can respond to the learning needs of entrepreneurial families, educators and advisors “for the development of effective initiatives for families, their educators, and advisors” (Salvato et al., 2015p. 309)? In this issue, the guest editors highlighted the need for more focus on family business learning in emerging and developing countries. As we know, family business in Asia represent at least 80% of all corporations and a third of the value of listed companies in Asian markets (Bennedsen et al., 2022) significantly contributing to progress in the region (Tomizawa et al., 2020). Yet, in what ways has our understanding of learning patterns and approaches to family business education in the region advanced since the publication of this special issue? How can we respond to the learning needs of family business in the region considering the latest issues, insights, and directions uncovered by research?

Suggested areas for papers to address include:
  • What are the skills and qualities needed to sustain family business?
  • What is the role of education by formal education bodies such as universities through research teaching and translation of research to business family?
  • What is the significance of experience in developing resilience for family business to be sustainable?
  • How will practices such as intra-firm and inter-firm succession, as well as types of ownership transformation influence research and practice about the sustainability of family business in the region?
  • How can advisors and practitioners contribute to sustainability in family businesses?
  • How can nonfamily learn to be effective in sustaining business families?
  • How can the next generation be prepared to sustain business families?
  • What are the resources that are needed to promote learning in family business – and how should they be delivered?

Submission Types: welcome from higher degree research students, academics, practitioners; in progress or completed research covering case studies, qualitative and quantitative methodologies

 Submit paper

Symposium Keynote Speakers

Professor James H. Davis

Emeritus Professor in the Marketing, Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership Department at the Huntsman School of Business, Utah State University

Prior to his work at Utah State University, Professor Davis served as the John F. O’Shaughnessy Professor of Family Enterprises and Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business for twenty-eight years. He is an affiliate professor at several universities including the University of Vermont, Dublin City University, Grand Valley State University, and Indiana University. Davis consults globally with corporations and trade associations on trust, legacy, strategy, innovation, governance, and change leadership. His research and publications on trust, stewardship, legacy, strategy, and family business have earned numerous awards including ‘Best Theory of the Decade by the Academy of Management. He has also been recognized for his teaching excellence. 

 

 Registration Details

 
Full Registration:
This is for in person attendance and includes cocktail reception, lunches, symposium dinner.

Online Registration*
This is for online attendance at all symposium events. MS Teams will be used for online facilitation.

Student registration
This for student in person attendance and includes HDR session, cocktail reception, lunches and symposium dinner.

Student online registration*
This is for online attendance at all symposium events.
* Recordings of symposium sessions will be limited to keynotes only.
MS Teams will be used for online facilitation.

Note: the registration platform -  Humanitix - charges a 5% service fee. 
Humanitix is a not-for-profit ticketing platform that dedicates 100% of its profits to charity.

Fees
 Registration Type Early bird | Payment before July 31 Registration after July 31
 Full registration
Tickets are limited to 50		 $300 AUD $350 AUD
Online  $200 AUD $250 AUD
Student full 
Tickets are limited to 10		 $125 AUD $150 AUD
Student online  $100 AUD $125 AUD

Registration is required for inclusion in symposium programme.

More information
[email protected]

Cancellation policy
Cancellation of registration is not eligible for refunds. In case of cancellation, the registration fee can be transferred to another author of the same paper who has not yet registered. In case of single-authored papers, 50% of the paid registration will be applied to the next year’s conference registration.

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