Liang Wang

Professor Liang Wang brings a wealth of cross-cultural experience to USF. His esteemed research, published in leading academic journals, focuses on the interplay between strategy and geography, with an emphasis on local competitiveness within a global context.

Having worked and lived in China, Canada, and the US, Wang is particularly intrigued by how social, cultural and institutional forces shape, and are shaped by, varying business practices in different countries. Professor Wang’s research enriches his teaching curriculum, giving students a better understanding of how culture impacts strategic decision making in the global economy.

Business ethics of multinational corporations (MNC’s) are a reflection of both their home and host countries. Wang’s personal, professional and academic history – spanning eastern and western cultural settings – has given him unique insight into how deep-seated traditions cross-pollinate in an entrepreneurial environment. By introducing students to various methods of examining cultural influence on business organizations, Professor Wang hopes to guide a new generation of more effective, aware and ethically-driven MNC leaders into the global business space.

• China innovation and global integration
• Regional innovation
• Global strategy
• Industry cluster

• Department Chair, Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy and International Business, 2019-2020
• Associate Director, China Business Studies Initiative, 2018-present

• Ph.D., Policy/Strategic Management, Schulich School of Business, York University, Canada
• M.A., Economics, School of Economics, Peking University, China
• B.A., Economics, School of Economics, Peking University, China

• Best Student Paper Award Runner-up, Social Issues in Management Division, Academy of Management annual meeting, 2021

• Outstanding Research Award – School of Management, University of San Francisco, 2015, 2019

• Highly Commended Paper Award of Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence, 2019

• Best Paper Award in the 9th Annual “China Goes Global” Conference, Atlanta, GA, 2015

• Wang, L., Xie, Z., (2021). An Outcome of Decoupling and De-globalization? Weakened Impact of Internationalization on Innovation of Chinese Firms Since 2016. Management and Organization Review. 1-6.

• Wang, L. and J. Tan (2019). "Social structure of regional entrepreneurship: The impacts of collective action of incumbents on De Novo entrants." Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 43(5): 855-879.

• Massa, F., M. Voronov, W. Helms and L. Wang (2017). "Emotions uncorked: Inspiring evangelism for the emerging practice of cool-climate winemaking in Ontario." Academy of Management Journal 60(2): 461-499.

• Tan, J., H. Zhang and L. Wang (2015). "Network closure or structural hole? The conditioning effects of network-level social capital on innovation performance." Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice 39(5): 1189-1212.

• Wang, L., A. Madhok and S. X. Li (2014). "Agglomeration and clustering over the industry life cycle: Toward a dynamic model of geographic concentration." Strategic Management Journal 35(7): 995-1012.

• Tan, J. and L. Wang (2011). "MNC strategic responses to ethical pressure: An institutional logic perspective." Journal of Business Ethics 98(3): 373-390.