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Conference RecapFrom health care technology and autonomous vehicles to the evolution of “Music City” and a celebration of award-winning papers, there was something for everyone at the Industry Studies Association (ISA) Annual Conference held May 30 – June 1, 2019 in Nashville, TN, held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Conference attendees presented their own work and joined discussions in sessions on Electric Vehicles and Shared Mobility Services; Innovation and Creativity in Healthcare; The Dynamics of Entrepreneurial Spinoffs; STEM Labor Markets, Skill Development, and Firm Strategy; The Evolution of Agricultural Supply Networks; Cultural Development in Cities; How Uncertainty Shapes Performance in the Energy Industry; and the Innovation Dynamics of Technology Clusters (among many others). For the full conference program, click here.
Pre-Conference Off-Site Learning Excursion Our pre-conference attendees started their time with us at the Music City Excursion where they met music community leaders, learned how Nashville has expanded beyond its (still strong) roots in country music to embrace and incorporate different musical genres, and visited music sites such as the historic recording studio The Music Mill that now houses the Nashville Songwriters Association International. Professional Development WorkshopAlso held on the pre-conference day was ISA’s Professional Development Workshop (PDW) for early career scholars. This half-day workshop partnered early and senior scholars to discuss research, publishing, and career growth. The PDW had 24 attendees and 5 presenters. Some of the senior scholars presenting attended one of ISA’s PDWs earlier in their career and found it to be tremendously helpful. The PDW is also a fantastic opportunity for networking among the young scholars just beginning their industry studies research career. NetworkingTwo all-conference receptions were a hit this year with our attendees looking for chances to see old friends and expand their research network. Our Welcome Reception was a relaxing evening along the Delta River of the Gaylord Opryland and for the first time, we welcomed the families of our conference attendees. Our Annual Conference Reception was held under the amazing greenery and lights of the Crystal Gazebo where our attendees discussed industry studies research while delighting in campfire desserts – actually making their own s’mores! Insights into Local Industries: The ISA Plenary Sessions On Day One, ISA kicked things off with a plenary session on the “Cultural Evolution of ‘Music City’: How Performers, Places, Songs, and Activists Shape Nashville’s Music Scene”. The session featured Erika Wollam Nichols, COO of Bluebird Café (center of Nashville’s strong songwriters’ community); Eric Holt, founder of LoveNoise (a collaborative that promotes R&B and soul music performances); and Manuel Delgado,a third-generation luthier making guitars for Nashville music stars and promoting Hispanic musical styles in the Nashville schools). Joining the panel were Dan Cornfield from Vanderbilt, editor-in-chief of Work and Occupations and author of a recent book on Nashville’s musician activists, and local news anchor Demetria Kalodimos. Day Two welcomed a robust discussion on Nashville as a hub for innovation in the for-profit healthcare sector. The session featured Chip Blaufuss, John A. Graves, and Michele Molden. Graves, an Associate Professor in the Departments of Health Policy and Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, moderated the panel, which took up a range of topics from innovations in payment models and delivery systems to new venues for care delivery. Blaufuss serves as Vice President of HCA Healthcare’s Strategy & Innovation Group. HCA, now the largest, for-profit healthcare provider in the country, was founded and is headquartered in Nashville, implying that the region’s economic vitality rests in no small way on policy decisions around sectoral reform. He also had strong views on the potential impact of what some presidential candidates have labeled “Medicare for All,” prompting a healthy discussion of the feasibility of single-payer and single-provider models more broadly. Molden, who has spent nearly four decades as a healthcare consultant, presently serves as Vice President at Advisory Board, now part of Optum Health. She seemed more open to single payer approaches, as did a number of our members and conference attendees. However, Graves cautioned all parties to move slowly on this front. While he sees a role for strong government involvement in healthcare delivery, he noted that Medicare should probably not serve as our primary exemplar. The panel ended with a discussion of Nashville’s vibrant healthcare ecosystem.
The Sessions: Core of the ConferenceThe 2019 conference included 40 panel sessions organized in eight research streams: Energy, Power, & Sustainability
CongratulationsWith a room full of enthusiastic attendees, we honored our award winners at our Annual Awards Luncheon. Later, at the Award Panel Session, eight authors gave the “back story” of their award-winning article, describing what prompted the original research question, how they got access to the industry data, what surprises they encountered along the way (from unexpected opportunities to discouraging setbacks), and how their engagement in the industry context helped to generate insights for both theory and practice. We are proud to announce all winners and runners-up for all of ISA’s awards. The 2019 Conference Award WinnersBest Conference Paper in Innovation and Entrepreneurship AwardWINNING PAPER RUNNER-UP Dissertation AwardWINNER RUNNER-UP Emerging Scholar in Innovation and Entrepreneurship AwardWINNER Giarratani Rising Star AwardWINNER RUNNER-UP) Ralph Gomory Best Industry Studies Paper Award
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