51cg

Professor Jie Wu

In this section
Professor Jie Wu
Professor Jie Wu
Professor Jie Wu

Chair in Strategy and Entrepreneurship

51cg
Email Address
jie.wu@abdn.ac.uk
Office Address
King's College
Old Aberdeen Campus
King's College
AB24 3UB

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School/Department
Business School






Biography

Chair Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

Director of Postgraduate Research (PGR Director), 51cg Business School

Co-Director, Africa-Asia Centre for Sustainability

Fellow, British Academy of Management Peer Review College

Area Editor, Technovation

Professor Jie Wu's research examines how algorithms and artificial intelligence are transforming the foundations of competitive advantage, including when the capabilities firms spent decades building turn into liabilities. His wider research spans digital inclusion, entrepreneurship, and innovation and internationalisation in emerging economies. He has published more than eighty articles in leading academic journals, including Strategic Management Journal, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management Studies, and Research Policy among the Financial Times Top 50 and UTD Top 24. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review and Forbes.

He serves as Area Editor of Technovation (Impact Factor 12.0), as Associate Editor of Asian Business & Management, and on the Editorial Review Boards of the Journal of International Business Studies, Organization Studies, and Business & Society. He has guest-edited special issues for Management International Review, Transportation Research Part E, and European Management Journal.

Professor Wu has been named on Stanford University's list of the world's top 2% most-cited scientists for six consecutive years (2020–2025).

As PGR Director, he leads the School's doctoral programme and welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD candidates in strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships

Professor Wu is the Co-Director of the Africa-Asia Centre for Sustainability Research, launched in 2021.

External Memberships

Fellow, British Academy of Management, Peer Review College

He held the position of a visiting scholar at prestigious institutions such as Stanford University (under the guidance of Professor James G. March), Columbia University Business School, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, among others. He has instructed at several universities, such as University of Leeds, National University of Singapore, University of Auckland, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, University of Macau, and others.

Research

Current Research

His current research programme examines the algorithmic transformation of dynamic capabilities: how artificial intelligence reshapes the foundations of competitive advantage, when accumulated expertise becomes a liability, and what "capability" means when strategic action is delegated to learning machines. Recent work from this programme appears in the Journal of Management Studies ("Algorithmic Status Inequality," 2026, solo-authored).

Special Issue - The International Journal of Human Resource Management

“Addressing Ultra-Low Fertility and Workforce Shrinkage: A Human-Centered HRM Response to the Demographic Crisis”

Manuscript deadline: 30 November 2026

Special Issue Editors: Ingyu Oh (Kansai Gaidai University), Jie Wu (51cg), Ho-Kwong Kwan (CEIBS), Hyun-Jeong Kim (Inha University)

https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issues/addressing-ultra-low-fertility-and-workforce-shrinkage-a-human-centered-hrm-response-to-the-demographic-crisis/

Past Research

Selected Publication:

Wu, J. (2026). Algorithmic status inequality: An integrative perspective on AI-driven social stratification. Journal of Management Studies. (solo-authored)

Khan, Z., Wood, G., Khan, H., Al-Tabbaa, O., Puthusserry, P., & Wu, J. (2026). Multinational enterprises and their role in mitigating climate change: Comparative perspectives. Management International Review.

Wu, J., Triana, M. d. C., Richard, O. C., & Yu, L. (2024). The impact of CEO successions involving a change in gender on strategic change. Journal of Management Studies.

Kim, H., Wu, J., Schuler, D. A., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2020). Chinese multinationals' fast internationalization: Financial performance advantage in one region, disadvantage in another. Journal of International Business Studies, 51(7), 1076–1106.

Richard, O. C., Wu, J., Markoczy, L. A., & Chung, Y. (2019). Top management team demographic-faultline strength and strategic change: What role does environmental dynamism play? Strategic Management Journal, 40(6), 987–1009.

Wu, J., Si, S., & Wu, X. (2016). Entrepreneurial finance and innovation: Informal debt as an empirical case. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 10(3), 257–273.

Knowledge Exchange

Academic Host and Chair, Scottish Ethnic Minority Talent Summit & Festival (SEMTSF) 2026, Aberdeen Edition.

 

Collaborations

Scotland Collaborations

Work With Me in Scotland (UK)   Bring Your Funding • Build Impact

I collaborate with externally funded postdocsPhD studentsearly‑career scholarsvisiting scholars/professors, and entrepreneurs to produce rigorous publications, high‑value proposals, and venture outcomes. No internal funding is available - this page is for candidates who bring their own funding or projects.

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Scholars & Students

  • Design publishable studies and joint proposals; co‑author for top outlets.
  • PhD: supervision or co‑supervision and thesis‑aligned projects.
  • Visits: flexible from 2 - 8 weeks (short) to 3 - 12 months (medium) and 1 - 3 years (long).

Entrepreneurs & Industry

  • Research‑driven consulting, pilots, and venture incubation in the UK.
  • Partnerships on data, experimentation, and knowledge transfer.
  • Executive education workshops and advisory boards.

What I Provide

  • Publication strategy and hands‑on paper development.
  • Research design, methods, and compliance (ethics, data, visa).
  • Introductions to UK research & innovation networks.
  • Local Scotland context and university navigation.

Best fit: externally funded or company‑backed candidates.

Frontier Research Themes & Keywords

In addition to core interests in strategy and international business, I welcome human‑centered AI topics at the frontier of management and technology:

AI & Organization

  • Human - AI collaboration & decision making
  • Generative AI for strategy & innovation
  • AI governance, safety, transparency

Digital Strategy

  • Platforms & ecosystems; data network effects
  • AI agents as ecosystem participants
  • Born‑digital firms & digital internationalization

Capabilities & Collaboration

  • Dynamic capabilities under AI disruption
  • Microfoundations: leadership for AI change
  • Open innovation; university - industry partnering

Methods: mixed methods; causal inference; field experiments; computational social science; NLP; network analysis; case/process research.

Keywords: strategy; international business; entrepreneurship; AI; human - AI teaming; generative AI; governance; digital platforms; ecosystems; dynamic capabilities; resource dependence; open innovation; internationalization; venture incubation; computational methods; ESG.

Core Targets:

Strategic Management Journal (SMJ).  Academy of Management Review (AMR).  Academy of Management Journal (AMJ).   Organization Science.   Administrative Science Quarterly (ASQ).   Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS).   Journal of World Business (JWB).   Journal of Business Venturing (JBV).   Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (ETP).   Research Policy.   Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal (SEJ).   Technovation

Contact

Email is the fastest way to start. Please email: jie.wu@abdn.ac.uk. Include (1) a 1 - 2 page CV, (2) a short summary of your research/venture idea, (3) any funding you have (or plan to apply for), and (4) your preferred timeline.

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Based in Scotland, UK • Open to collaborations across the UK and internationally

Funding and Grants

This page is designed for candidates who already have—or aim to secure—external funding or company‑backed projects. Typical routes include national research councils, international fellowships, institutional sabbaticals, foundation grants, and industry‑sponsored R&D.

Quick Eligibility Checklist

  • Clear project idea aligned with themes above
  • Evidence of funding (or a credible pathway)
  • Timeline: short (2–8 wks), medium (3–12 mos), or long (1–3 yrs)
  • Willingness to co‑develop methods, compliance, and outputs

What to Send

  • 1–2 page CV
  • 1–2 page concept note (problem, method, data, deliverables)
  • Funding status (secured / applying, scheme name if applicable)
  • Desired start date and visit length
Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

I contribute to teaching and learning in strategy and innovation, and I supervise postgraduate research students. My approach is research-led and practice-engaged, integrating insights from strategic management, innovation, and international business into classroom discussion and doctoral development

  • Postgraduate supervision: PhD/DBA supervision and research training (methods, paper development)
  • Teaching contributions: Strategy / Innovation-related topics (guest sessions, seminars, workshops)

Scholarly development: Organisation of paper development workshops and research frontiers events

Non-course Teaching Responsibilities

2026

  • Discussant, Professional Development Workshop "Leadership Development and Behavioural Dynamics in African Contexts," 86th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Philadelphia.
  • Invited participant, Academy of Management Review Idea Development Workshop (ESSEC Business School) and Academy of Management Annals Idea Development Workshop (WU Vienna).

 

2025

  • Keynote Speech at the 85th Annual Meeting’s session about the Academy of Innovation and technology adoption in African business contexts, sponsored by the African Academy of Management, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Strategic Management; and Management, Spirituality, and Religion.
  • Presentation at the 85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management with the topic "Managing Sustainable AI Partnerships between Multinational Technology Firms and Local Companies.”
  • The Panel Member Panel Symposium (submission ID #21379) with the theme “Brain Drain, Gain, and Circulation: The Questions We are Grappling with in a World of Turmoil”
  • Presentation at the 2025 Academy of International Business with the topic "Managing Sustainable AI Partnerships Between Multinational Technology Firms and Local Companies: A Co-opetition Perspective in the Era of Advancing Machine Intelligence.”
  • Organizer and Chair of the 3rd Strategic Research Frontiers Workshop: Advancing Innovation Research, Keynote and Paper Development with Leading Scholars and Journal Editors
    • Chair the keynote of Professor Richard Whittington (Oxford University).
    • Organize the PDW of meeting with editors.

2024

  • Presentation at the University of Birmingham (UK) with the topic: “The Impact of CEO Successions Involving a Change of Gender on Strategic Change: The Moderating Role of Environmental Factors.”
  • Presentation at the Edinburgh University Business School with the topic: “The Impact of CEO Successions Involving a Change of Gender on Strategic Change: The Moderating Role of Environmental Factors.”
  • Presentation at the King's College London Business School with the topic: “The Impact of CEO Successions Involving a Change of Gender on Strategic Change: The Moderating Role of Environmental Factors.”
  • Keynote Speech at the Knowledge Exchange Seminar Sponsored by the Society for the Advancement of Management Studies, SAMS. The topic is Crafting Interesting Papers for Technovation
  • Organizer and Chair of PDW1st Strategic Research Frontiers Workshop: Advancing Innovation Research, Keynote and Paper Development with Leading Scholars and Journal Editors
    • Chair the keynote of Professor Jay Barney (Utah University);
    • Organize the Scholarly Roundtable Conversation between doctoral students/young scholars and world-renowned management scholar Jay Barney.
  • Organizer and Chair of 2nd Strategic Research Frontiers Workshop: Advancing Innovation Research, Keynote and Paper Development with Leading Scholars and Journal Editors
    • Chair the keynote of Professor Dovev Lavie (Bocconi University).
    • Organize the scholarly roundtable conversation between doctoral students/young scholars and leading strategic management scholar Dovev Lavie.