Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, the Stanford W. Ascherman M. D. Professor at Stanford University, delivered a series of speeches themed "Management Research Methods" at SEM from June 21 to June 25, 2010. The speeches drew together about 200 faculty and students from universities in China.

Professor Eisenhardt is also the Co-Director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. She is a visiting faculty member within INSEAD's Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise area. Her work mainly focuses on strategy and organization, especially in technology-based companies and high-velocity industries. She has received a number of awards, including career Scholarly Contribution Award, the Irwin Award for her contributions in strategy, the ASQ Scholarly Contribution award for the most influential paper five years after publication, and Strategic Management Society's Schendel Best Paper prize.

Professor Eisenhardt delivering speech

The speeches include academic reports and instructional discussions. Topics covered were: literature review, single case study, multiple case study, complex multiple case study, and advanced theories of strategies and innovation. In the instructional discussion stage, Professor Eisenhardt offered advices for case analyses and reviews submitted by Chinese professors and Ph.D. students.

During her stay in SEM, Professor Eisenhardt had dinner with SEM professors and faculty members from other universities everyday, exchanging ideas regarding issues of mutual concern.

Dean QIAN Yingyi giving the tablet the Professor Eisenhardt

On the last day of the speech, Dean QIAN Yingyi of SEM conferred a tablet to Professor Eisenhardt to thank her support for management research in China. The audience also thanked Professor Eisenhardt for sharing, and SEM for offering the opportunity of knowledge building.

Professor Eisenhardt with the audience