Smith Family Business Initiative Faculty
Knowledge Into Action.
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The Smith Family Business Initiative (SFBI) at Cornell has brought together faculty, scholars, and practitioners to provide multidisciplinary guidance and expertise to help equip well-established, emerging, and aspiring family businesses with the knowledge and skills essential to navigate the multi-generational dimensions and family influence of these organizations. Through thought leadership, practice, and teaching the SFBI faculty and fellows leverage their expertise and knowledge to shape the landscape of family business as well as provide new ideas and paradigms for understanding family business.
Smith Family Business Faculty Leadership
Wesley Sine
John and Dyan Smith Professor of Management and Family BusinessWesley Sine is the academic director of the Smith Family Business Initiative. His research investigates how new economic sectors and entrepreneurial ventures emerge across regions like the U.S., Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, with a focus on institutional change, technology evolution, and venture strategy. He also teaches and consults on topics such as entrepreneurship, innovation management, and commercializing university technologies, particularly in global executive settings.
Sine has published papers in the following journals: Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Management Science, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Research Policy. Sine is currently a senior associate editor at Organization Science and is the book review editor at Administrative Science Quarterly.
Sungyong Chang
Assistant Professor, Management and OrganizationsSungyong Chang’s research focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship, firm strategy, and family business. He examines how entrepreneurial firms navigate resource constraints and capability disadvantages to compete with industry leaders and how family business ownership structures shape strategy, governance, and long-term performance. His work also explores topics such as early internationalization, network effects, and the role of technology in firm growth and competitive dynamics.
Chang’s research has been published in leading academic journals, including Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, and Research Policy. He has received multiple awards, including the Buckley and Casson Dissertation Award from the Academy of International Business.
Smith Family Business Faculty Experts
Smith Family Business Initiative Faculty and Practitioner Fellows are global leaders in family business, chosen for their deep expertise and experience. Together, they shape curriculum, programs, and opportunities for students and alumni.