• Presented at the 40th EGOS Colloquium in Milan, Italy (2024)

• Presented at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management in Chicago, USA (2024)

Abstract

This study aims to understand how expert rating organizations navigate internal similarities/differences in their evaluation outcomes across diverse locations. In contrast to the ideal scenario where expert rating organizations provide independent and coherent evaluations, this study identifies discrepancies in evaluation outcomes across host countries. To explain these discrepancies, three hypotheses involving cultural and economic factors are tested. First, expert rating organizations encounter cultural barriers that lead to the “penalization” of countries with dissimilar cultural contexts. Second, they exercise discretionary power to shield the home country from economic competition posed by other host countries in the international market. Lastly, the presence of competing expert rating organizations contributes to strategic “penalization” in evaluations. This article clarifies the organizational constraints and strategic interests of expert rating organizations in shaping market social hierarchies, enhancing our understanding of the inequalities embedded in their evaluation outcomes.

• Presented at the 43rd SMS Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada (2023)

• Discussed at the 14th Medici Summer School at HEC in Paris, France (2022)

Abstract

This study demonstrates that expert rating organizations exhibit strategic interdependence, with their evaluation outcomes reflecting strategic decisions on optimal distinctiveness. We investigate the level of imitation between the two expert rating organizations in 4662 evaluations spanning 454 restaurants between 2017-2022. Results reveal that both expert rating organizations imitated each other’s coverage and rating of producers to a different extent, suggesting a relational and dynamic strategy in their optimal distinctiveness. Furthermore, the analysis identifies culinary experiences as key determinants of restaurant guides’ optimal distinctiveness strategies, including organizational status, market knowledge accumulation, and order of entrance into the market. 

• Nominated for the PhD Paper Prize by the 44th SMS Annual Conference in Istanbul, Turkey (2024)

• Presented at the SCOPES workshop at Esade Business School in Barcelona, Spain (2024)

Abstract

This study examines how evaluated organizations navigate the opportunities and risks in their status change, focusing on organizational public responses to consumer reviews as a significant strategy for adjusting their primary market. The analysis advances two central propositions: producers experiencing status elevation demonstrate an increased propensity to engage with consumer reviews while adopting more positive response tonality, whereas producers undergoing status decline exhibit decreased response rates but heightened positivity in their communications. Empirical analysis of organizational responses to consumer reviews on Dianping.com, examining 108 Michelin-starred restaurants across major Chinese cities from 2017 to 2022, largely supports these predictions. This research extends scholarly understanding of how organizations strategically recalibrate their primary market identification in response to status fluctuations.

• Reject & Resubmit at Journal of Business Venturing

Abstract

Allocating structural power and (or) equity power are two crucial decisions for entrepreneurs in the initial founding stage. Although prior studies have extensively examined the impacts of both decisions, less attention has been paid to what drives these decisions and their potential link with entrepreneurial uncertainties. This study emphasizes the role of lead founders in both decisions and tests the influences of lead founder’s pre-founding experience on them. Specifically, we propose that compared to entrepreneurs with only small company work experience, entrepreneurs with large company work experience are more likely to retain structural power and arrange a more dispersed ownership structure. Moreover, we found that these relationships are moderated by their functional experiences and perceived technological uncertainty respectively. This study contributes to a better understanding of the impacts of pre-founding experience on decision-making under uncertainty.

• Presented at the SEJ ESSEC PDW in Cergy, France (2025)

Prior research on equity splitting in entrepreneurial firms presents equivocal findings on the implications of more equal versus more unequal equity splits in entrepreneurial teams. These studies typically follow incentive theory and treat ownership as a special form of “wage”. In this study, we argue that ownership is more than a special form of wage, as it is closely associated with both financial rewards and power/control, especially in the context of entrepreneurial firms. Rather than treating all new venture team members as homogenous individuals, we differentiate them into the lead founder and co-founders. Based on the perspective of ownership competence we further propose that vertical ownership dispersion (i.e., ownership dispersion between the lead founder and co-founders) increases new venture team stability, while horizontal ownership dispersion (i.e., ownership dispersion among co-founders) induces membership change. Our empirical analysis, based on matched new venture data from China, partly supports our predictions.

• Presented by coauthor at the 9th ENTFIN Conference in Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2025)

Startups face a fundamental tradeoff when building organizational identities: incorporating multiple institutional logics creates novel, broad identities but increases legitimacy and survival risks, while fewer logics enhance legitimacy and survival but limit growth potential. Although research examines how resource constraints shape initial logic adoption, little is known about post-investment identity evolution. We examine how venture capital firms influence startups’ logic adoption following investment. Drawing on resource dependence theory, we propose that VCs encourage startups to adopt multi-logic identities to achieve superior returns, albeit with higher risks of illegitimacy and failure. Our findings extend VC influence research beyond operations to identity construction, demonstrate post-founding identity dynamics, and identify VCs as key drivers of logic proliferation in emerging markets.