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Call for Papers
Academy of Management Learning & Education
2015 Special Issue
Learning Patterns and Approaches to Family-Business Education Around the World
Guest Editors (listed alphabetically):
Carlo Salvato, Bocconi University, Italy
Pramodita Sharma, University of Vermont & Babson College, USA
Mike Wright, Imperial College Business School & University of Ghent, UK
The topic of this special issue is learning and education targeting family enterprises (the
“business entity”); entrepreneurial families (the “family entity”); or both. Its aim is to assess
the learning and educational implications of different philosophies, designs, initiatives, and
approaches to developing both the business and the family entity. Conceptual as well as
empirical submissions that investigate the specific learning patterns of entrepreneurial
families and their members, or that illustrate family-business teaching and education in
academic, workplace, and family settings, are encouraged. Consistent with the format of the
Academy of Management Learning & Education, we welcome empirical and conceptual
articles for the Research & Reviews section, and appropriate material for the Essays,
Dialogues, and Interviews section.
Some research questions, issues, and interview topics that contributions might address,
among many others, include:
• What are the core principles on which research on family-business learning and
approaches to family-business education are currently grounded, and what are some
possible perspectives for advancing them in the future?
• What do we know about the specific patterns of learning of entrepreneurial families, their
members, and their enterprises? How can this knowledge be expanded conceptually and
empirically?
• How can the existing and new knowledge about the learning patterns and needs of family
firms be translated into effective educational approaches and tools?
• How can research and education in nonbusiness fields (e.g., family therapy and family
psychology, marriage and the family, social capital, affect and emotions, leadership
coaching, etc.) support in the development of encompassing approaches to family-
business education?
• What are the key categories of players offering learning and education activities to the
family business (e.g., business schools, consulting companies, individual advisors, family
therapists, etc.), and what perspectives and solutions does each category offer?
• How do learning and education initiatives differ, or how should they differ, for different
target groups (e.g., family firms across geographic regions, cultures, countries, industries,
or demographic groups; initiatives addressing family vs. nonfamily members, active vs.
nonactive family members, owners vs. nonowners, and family members belonging to
different generations)?
• Do family-business instructors need special skills and sensibilities toward the family
entity across the different topics/approaches to training and education? How can
instructors who lack experience in/with family firms acquire these skills and sensibilities?
• How does the work of professional instructors interact with the educational and
upbringing activities performed within the controlling family and across generations?

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• How effective are current family-business education and training initiatives offered by
academic institutions, consulting companies and in-company training initiatives?
• What are the most advanced and effective tools, measures and criteria for assessing the
efficacy of family-business education and learning, and how can they be improved?
• What are the most innovative and evidence-based approaches to family-business learning
and education?
Initial submissions should be received by July 15, 2014 and should be designated for either
the Research & Reviews section or the Essays, Dialogues, & Interviews section. While we
provide brief descriptions of each section below, authors are encouraged to visit AMLE’s
website (www.aom.pace.edu/amle) for more detailed guidance.
Research & Reviews section articles are typically between 20-40 double-spaced pages of
theoretical or empirical material. Theoretical or review articles must develop a coherent
theory of learning and education in family enterprises. Empirical studies must test some
fundamental principle and research question related to family-business education, or the
effectiveness of family-business education approaches and tools. We encourage quantitative
and qualitative empirical manuscripts, theoretical discourses and models, literature reviews,
and general or specific appraisals and descriptions of effective approaches to family-business
education and learning.
Essays, Dialogues, & Interviews can include short dialogue pieces in response to prior
research or published positions, or longer form essays that offer provocative views, opinions,
and analytical frameworks on family-business learning and education. For example, essays
may include articles involving reflective case studies of innovative programs as well as
articles developing analytical frameworks based on interviews with leading learning and
education providers or arguing for a particular point of view. Dialogues are responses to
papers published in AMLE. Interviews are discussions with academic or business thought
leaders on their modes of learning and the role of family-business education therein.
Submissions should be accompanied by an assurance of originality and exclusivity. Papers
should adhere to the “Information for Contributors” guide for authors that can be found at
aom.org/AMLE.
Manuscripts should be submitted at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/amle, and designated
under Manuscript Type as “Special Issue-Family Business 2015”. Pre submission discussion
of and consultation on potential submission ideas and topics are also welcome. For further
information, please contact one of the guest editors.
Guest editors will be available to meet with submitting authors during the 2014 Academy of
Management meetings in Philadelphia. All submissions will be subject to a rigorous double-
blind peer-review process, with one or more of the guest editors acting as action editor, and
final approval coming from the AMLE journal editor. Invitations to revise and resubmit will
follow initial submissions in approximately 3 months. The final deadline for revised
submissions is December 15, 2014. Final acceptances will be made by April 2015.
For further information, please contact: Carlo Salvato, carlo.salvato@unibocconi.it;
Pramodita Sharma, psharma@bsad.uvm.edu; Mike Wright, mike.wright@imperial.ac.uk