Speaker: Fei Dai (Ph.D. Candidate in Management, WHU–Otto Beisheim School of Management)

Date & Time: Wed. 22, October 2025, from 14:00 to 15:30 (Beijing Time)

Place: Tongji Building A2101

ABSTRACT

How do strategic leaders influence developed-country firms’ adoption of reverse innovations from emerging economies? This study addresses this question by examining how CEO political conservatism influences U.S. firms’ propensity to acquire technological knowledge from China. We argue that conservative CEOs, motivated by a protectionist orientation toward defending domestic political institutions and a desire to reduce uncertainty, are generally less inclined to guide their firms toward sourcing knowledge from emerging economies such as China. However, this effect is likely to be less pronounced in firms operating in complex technology sectors or pursuing an exploratory innovation strategy, where the strategic context constrains CEOs’ discretion to influence innovation decisions. An analysis of S&P 1500 firms’ citations of Chinese patents provides general support for these theoretical predictions.

GUEST BIO:

FEI DAI is a Ph.D. candidate in Management (Dr. rer. pol.) at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar, Germany. He is expected to graduate in 2025. Before his doctorate, he earned a Master’s in Business Analytics and Big Data (2018–2019) at IE School of Science and Technology and an International MBA (2017–2018) at IE Business School, both in Madrid, Spain. He holds a Bachelor of Management in Financial Management (2008–2012) from Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China. His research interests are Strategic Leadership, International Business, and Nonmarket Strategy.