Asia-Pacific Family Business Symposium 2021
September 30, 2021
University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka City, Japan1
Call for Papers
Symposium Convenors
Professor Hikari Akizawa, Dr Donella Caspersz, Professor Akihiro Okumura

Conference Theme: Family Business and Innovation in Times of Crisis
Family business face - and have faced – innumerable crises. COVID-19 is one of these thatreflects a disruption that encompasses not just a health crisis, but arguably other crises suchas that linked to the environment. While family businesses both pivot and transform theirbusiness model to respond these challenges, a “new normal” is emerging. This provides bothscholars 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 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 canpotentially 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 thetheoretical implications for the business model construct that these lessons provide?
•How did family businesses respond to the challenge of innovation in their productoffering during a crisis such as COVID-19? Are these now becoming core to their value

1 Face to face venue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 ofcrisis? 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 familybusiness 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 theoreticalideas that these have for stakeholder and other theories?

•How does the experience of family business innovations during times of crisis thatemerge from the Asia-Pacific region contribute to our scholarly ideas about innovation,knowledge management and even change?

Symposium Awards
Three awards will be available at the 2021 Symposium. The awards have been sponsored by
Mr Naito, CEO of Eisai Co Ltd. a third-generation family business. The awards are:
Asia Pacific Family Business Symposium 2021 Naito Best Paper Award (40 000 Y)
This award is for the abstract and/or paper that demonstrates scholarly rigour, contributes tothe field of family business and best fits the conference theme
Asia Pacific Family Business Symposium 2021 Naito Best Practice Award (30 000 Y)
This award is for the abstract and/or paper that makes a contribution 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(30 000 Y)
This award is for the abstract and/or paper by a student that demonstrates scholarly rigour,and best fits the conference theme
Further Information• Professor Hikari Akizawa (hikariakizawa@gmail.com)• Dr Donella Caspersz (Donella.Caspersz@uwa.edu.au)• Professor Akihiro Okumura (okumura1201@gmail.com)
Review
Co-ordinator:
Associate
Melanie.Ramos@nottingham.edu.my)

ProfessorHazel

MelanieRamos(Hazel-Submission Details
We welcome full papers, work-in-progress, case studies, and teaching materials for the symposium.
Requirements: 1000-word abstract (plus references), with paper title, author’s name, institution, andaddress (email and physical).
Please indicate the paper stream when submitting ie “Research”, “Practitioner”, “Student”
Deadline for Abstracts: 30 April 2021
Abstract/Paper Submission: Professor Hikari Akizawa (hikariakizawa@gmail.com); Dr DonellaCaspersz (Donella.Caspersz@uwa.edu.au)