Emma Su

Emma is an Associate Professor of Management in the School of Business Administration at University of Dayton. My research focuses on strategic management in the context of family businesses. Her work has been published in journals including Family Business Review, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business Ethics, and Journal of Business Venturing Insights, among others.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Emma enjoys running, practicing yoga, and spending time with her furry companions.

• MGT 490 (Strategic Management)
• MGT 421 (Small Business Management)

• Family Business
• Entrepreneurship
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Diversification
• Knowledge Management

In MGT 421 (Small Business Management), a course centered on experiential learning through a semester-long small business project, AI tools are used to augment instruction and deepen learning across three key areas:

• Course support: Built a custom Google AI agent to streamline student access to course policies, deadlines, and syllabus-related questions.
• Idea Validation & Feedback: Guided students in using AI tools to critique, iterate, and strengthen their small business ideas.
• AI-Assisted Class Prep: Structured pre-class activities to guide students to engage with assigned readings, using AI tools as a learning partner to clarify complex concepts before in-class discussions. 

• Mississippi State University, PhD (Management), 2019
• University of British Columbia, MS (Business Administration), 2010
• Nanyang Technological University, MS (Knowledge Management), 2008
• Chongqing Jiaotong University, BA (English), 2002

• Li, Z., & Su, E. (2026). When advantages become liabilities: Entrepreneurial traits and opportunity perception during disruptive events. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 25, e00629.
• Fu, Y., Su, E., Dou, J., & Chen, J. (2026). Long-term orientation as a mediator between family commitment and entrepreneurial orientation and behavior in Chinese family firms. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 32(2), 442-462.
• Su, E., & Dou, J. (2025). How does the parent-child relationship influence a child’s intentions for internal succession versus external entrepreneurship in a family firm?. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 46(4), 1244-1259.
• Fu, Y., Li, J., & Su, E. (2025). The effect of second-generation involvement on environmental performance in family firms: A SEW resources perspective. Family Business Review, 38(3), 239-258.
• Su, E., & Li, Z. (2025). The impact of entrepreneurs’ military experience on small business exit: A conservation of resources perspective. Journal of Business Research, 186, 115004.
• Su, E., & Dou, J. (2025). How does the parent-child relationship influence a child’s intentions for internal succession versus external entrepreneurship in a family firm?. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 1-16.
• You, X., Su, E., & Dou, J. (2025). Family management and corporate charitable donations in Chinese family firms: An inverted u‐shaped relationship. Journal of International Financial Management & Accounting, 36(1), 7-37.
• Skorodziyevskiy, V., Sherlock, C., Su, E., Chrisman, J. J., & Dibrell, C. (2024). Strategic change in family firms: A review from an institutional environment and firm size perspective. Family Business Review, 37(1), 130-160.
• Randolph, R., Su, E., & Memili, E. (2023). How does the founding family matter in corporate governance? A study of the entrenchment heterogeneity among S&P 1,500 firms. Journal of Business Research, 154, 113362.
• Su, E., & Daspit, J. (2022). Knowledge management in family firms: a systematic review, integrated insights and future research opportunities. Journal of Knowledge Management, 26(2), 291-325.