Call for Papers
Utah Winter Strategy Conference at Black Desert
March 12–14, 2026
We are issuing an open call for manuscripts authored by junior strategy scholars worldwide for the annual Utah Winter Strategy Conference. This year, it will be held in honor of Professor Bill Hesterly.
At least eight junior faculty members will be invited to present at the conference. Once there, you will have 25 minutes to present your research to an audience of peers and experienced strategy scholars. In addition, a more senior scholar with deep knowledge of your research area will be invited to provide a 15-minute discussion of your work. Prior participants have found this format and feedback extremely helpful in developing their work.
This call solicits papers from junior strategy scholars on any topic within the field of strategic management, broadly defined. We are also open to a wide range of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, as long as papers push the field of strategic management in important new ways and are not yet accepted for publication.
Experienced junior faculty who have not yet presented at our conference are particularly encouraged to submit papers. Our target is scholars who have at least one year of experience as an assistant professor but are still pre-tenure.
This year's conference will be held at the picturesque Black Desert Resort, located in Ivins, Utah, 20 minutes from the St. George Regional Airport and approximately two hours from Las Vegas, Nevada. There will be an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of southern Utah.
In addition to the featured junior faculty paper sessions, the program will include plenary and panel sessions, as well as free time for outdoor activities such as golf or hiking at nearby Snow Canyon.
Submissions will be accepted at the following link until October 31, 2025, at midnight (Mountain Time):
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A MANUSCRIPT FOR THE CONFERENCE
If you have any questions, feel free to contact this year's conference chair, Jay Barney (Jay.Barney@Eccles.Utah.edu).
------------------------------
Todd Zenger
The University of Utah
Salt Lake City UT
------------------------------