Professors

Yu LI

Assistant Professor

corport sociopolitical activism, CSR decoupling, geopolitics, foreign direct investment, stakeholder management, societal impact

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Yu LI

Academy

Transformation

Research center

Knowledge, Technology and Organization

Location

Paris

Discipline

Management & Organization

Yu Li is Assistant Professor of Strategy and International Business at SKEMA Business School in Grand Paris, France. She earned her PhD from University of South Carolina in the United States. Yu’s research lies at the intersection of nonmarket strategy, sustainability, and international business, involving her consistent interest in better understanding how multinational enterprises (MNEs) navigate nonmarket dynamics on a global scale. Yu’s research has been recognized with several awards and honors, such as nominations and awards at the AIB, AOM, IACMR, SMS conferences. 

 

At SKEMA, Yu teaches courses across the BBA and PGE programs in Paris and Lille. As an educator, she aims to cultivate business leaders who possess deep insights into societal realities and are committed to addressing the grand challenges facing our world.

Education
2025
Ph.D. in Business Administration, University of South Carolina, United States of America
2011
B.B.A. in Marketing, Sichuan University, China
Experience
Full-time academic positions
Since 2025
Assistant Professor, SKEMA Business School, France
Research grants, Awards and Honors
Awards and Honors
2025
Finalist for the 2025 Temple/AIB Best Paper Award, Academy of International Business Annual Conference, United States of America
2025
Nominated for PhD Paper Prize at SMS Annual Conference, Strategic Management Society, United States of America
2024
Best reviewer award for IM Division, Academy of Management (AOM), United States of America
2024
Finalist for Best Paper Award of the STR Division, Academy of Management (AOM), United States of America
2023
Finalist for IM Division Georgetown Best Paper in International Business and Policy Award, Academy of Management (AOM), United States of America
2023
Finalist for the 2023 Temple/AIB Best Paper Award, Academy of International Business Annual Conference, Poland
2023
Finalist for the Best Theme Paper Award, IACMR Biennial Conference, China
Research Grants
2024
Humane Studies Fellowship, Institute for Humane Studies, United States of America
Other research activities
Reviewer for:
Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Journal of Management & Organization
Organization of a conference or a research seminar
2025
Co-organizer (with Beatrisa Pucalev) for panel symposium “Stance or strategy? The challenging terrain of corporate sociopolitical activism”, Academy of Management (AOM)
2024
Co-organizer (with Zhao Li) for presenter symposium “Firm strategic responses to political polarization around the world”, Academy of Management (AOM)
Other academic activities
Since 2022
Strategic Management Society
Since 2022
Academy of Management
Since 2022
Academy of International Business
Since 2022
Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS)
Since 2022
Women of the Academy of International Business

Peer-reviewed journal articles

XIE, E., HUANG, Y., SHEN, H. and LI, Y. (2017). Performance implications of ties to large-scale state-owned enterprises and banks in an emerging economy. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 34(1), pp. 97-121.
HUANG, Y., XIE, E., LI, Y. and REDDY, K.S. (2017). Does state ownership facilitate outward FDI of Chinese SOEs? Institutional development, market competition, and the logic of interdependence between governments and SOEs. International Business Review, 26(1), pp. 176-188.

Book chapters

ALBINO-PIMENTEL, J., DE BRUYN, G. and LI, Y. (2024). Global nonmarket strategy. In: C. G. Asmussen, N. Hashai, & D. Minbaeva eds. Encyclopedia of International Strategic Management. 1st ed. Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 133-137.

Conference presentations

LI, Y. (2025). Rainbow- Hushing or Washing? Institutional Complexity and Corporate Rhetoric. In: Organization Schience Paper Development Workshop. Beijing.
LI, Y., ALBINO-PIMENTEL, J. and SANTANGELO, G.D. (2025). Unexpected dilemmas: MNEs’ divestitures as strategic responses to host-country anti-LGBTQ legislation. In: Strategic Management Society. San Francisco.
LI, Y., JOAO ALBINO-PIMENTEL, J. and SANTANGELO, G.D. (2025). Unexpected dilemmas: MNEs’ divestitures as strategic responses to host-country anti-LGBTQ legislation. In: AOM Annual Conference. Copenhagen.
LI, Y., JOAO ALBINO-PIMENTEL, J. and SANTANGELO, G.D. (2025). Unexpected dilemmas: MNEs’ divestitures as strategic responses to controversial host-country legislation. In: AIB Annual Conference. Louisville.
LI, Y., JOAO ALBINO-PIMENTEL, J. and SANTANGELO, G.D. (2025). Unexpected dilemmas: MNEs’ divestitures as strategic responses to host-country anti-LGBTQ legislation. In: Chamonix PhD Workshop. Chamonix.
LI, Y. (2024). Flipped faces: Contradictory corporate sociopolitical activism and stakeholders’ evaluations of legitimacy. In: SMS Annual Conference. Istanbul.
LI, Y. and ASTVANSH, V. (2024). Rising geopolitical risk and a supplier firm’s customer concentration. In: SMS Annual Conference. Istanbul.
LI, Y. and JOAO ALBINO-PIMENTEL, J. (2024). Firm LGBTQ inclinations and strategic responses to anti-LGBTQ laws. In: AOM Annual Conference. Chicago.
LI, Y. (2024). Contradictory corporate sociopolitical activism and stakeholders’ evaluations of legitimacy. In: AOM Annual Conference. Chicago.
LI, Y. (2024). Contradictory corporate sociopolitical activism and stakeholders’ evaluations of legitimacy. In: AIB Annual Conference. Seoul.
LI, Y., JOAO ALBINO-PIMENTEL, J. and SANTANGELO, G.D. (2024). Unexpected dilemmas: MNEs’ divestitures as strategic responses to host-country anti-LGBTQ legislation. In: AIB Northeast Conference. Boston.
LI, Y. and ASTVANSH, V. (2024). Rising geopolitical uncertainty and a supplier firm’s customer concentration. In: AMA Winter Academic Conference. St. Pete's Beach.
LI, Y. and ASTVANSH, V. (2023). Rising geopolitical risk and a firm’s customer concentration. In: AOM Annual Conference. Boston.
LI, Y. and ASTVANSH, V. (2023). Rising geopolitical risk and a firm’s customer concentration. In: AIB Annual Conference. Warsaw.
LI, Y. and ASTVANSH, V. (2023). Rising geopolitical risk and a firm’s customer concentration. In: IACMR Biennial Conference. Hong Kong.
LI, Y. (2023). Theorizing corporate sociopolitical activism: A three-market view. In: AMR Idea Development Workshop. Knoxville.
LI, Y. (2019). CEO duality in internationalization decisions: Agent or steward? In: AOM Annual Conference. Boston.
XIE, E., LI, Y., GAO, G.Y. and ZHOU, K.Z. (2015). Compliance or resistance: Firms’ responses to corruption and performance in an emerging economy. In: AOM Annual Conference. Vancouver.