Industry Studies

Gail M. Pesyna and A. Frank Mayadas, Program Directors

Industry Studies Affiliates

Click here to apply.

Although each industry faces its own set of technological and economic challenges, there are commonalities and patterns to these challenges that cut across industries and academic disciplines. The Sloan Industry Studies Program offers a dynamic forum for the exchange of ideas among scholars from a variety of industry specialties and academic backgrounds – including economics, business management, engineering, medicine, law, public policy, and sociology. Despite the diversity of research interests, the scholars affiliated with the program find common ground in the value of observation-based research. They share an interest in understanding industrial development both at the firm level and at the wider level of the markets within which the firms compete. Even more broadly, program Affiliates are often concerned with “macro” issues that address the links between the behavior of industrial firms and the well being of society and the economy.

Affiliates benefit from participating in a strong, like-minded community of scholars through regular communication on the program's listserv as well as through a variety of meetings and workshops. In addition to serving as a forum for ideas and discussion, the listserv helps to provide notification of workshop opportunities, meetings, and special events that may be organized by any of the Sloan Industry Centers or other Affiliates.  The network also has a website that among other things includes examples of recent scholarship in the Industry Studies Working Papers series.

One of the major events of the Sloan Industry Studies Program is its Annual Conference, and Affiliates are invited to attend with registration fees waived. Travel support may also be made available. Affiliates are eligible to apply for special grants from the Sloan Foundation, including grants to conduct workshops, to promote industry studies books, to host guest speakers from within the program, or to organize panel sessions at their annual disciplinary meetings. Travel grants also are available to promote other activities and collaborations across the community of scholars.

Affiliate status is open to a wide range of scholars, including faculty members, research staff, and post-docs working in academia. We encourage participation by any scholar who seeks to ground his or her research in the deep knowledge of particular industries that they or others obtain through visits and direct contact with people in the industry. The program is open to those who are interested in conducting observation-based research themselves, or collaborating with a center or industry studies researchers, as well as to those who want to draw on the findings of observation-based research to enrich or extend their own. The key to participation is a shared commitment to a research approach that places great value on direct contact with industry for data, observations and insights.

Membership in the program may be achieved in a number of ways. Industry Center faculty and Affiliates can nominate new Affiliates at any time, the Sloan Foundation may invite participation, and individuals may apply or “self-nominate.” Interested scholars should fill out an application form and either send it electronically to IndustryStudiesCommittee@Sloan.org or mail it to one of the addresses below. Affiliates are required to join the listserv in order to facilitate communication about the program; however, active involvement in listserv discussions is neither expected nor required.

Nominations and requests for additional information about Affiliates or the Sloan Industry Studies program more generally should be directed to either:

 

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