Julio De Castro

Julio Orlando de Castro’s infectious enthusiasm and wry sense of humour makes it easy to become interested in what he has to say about strategy and entrepreneurship. And as someone who comes from the Dominican Republic and who has consulted for companies both in the US and elsewhere, he has plenty of stories to tell when it comes one of his main areas of study – the way cultural variances have an impact on entrepreneurship in different parts of the world.

Prof de Castro is fascinated by how the American entrepreneurship spirit is migrating across the Atlantic to Europe, which has traditionally lagged behind the US on this front. Another of his areas of focus is the nature of entrepreneurship among women and Hispanics. “I look at questions of context and conditions and what implications they have for public policy”, he says. “What’s interesting is that the way people interpret cues in the environment may play a role in their decision to become an entrepreneur. So, what you have to do to foster entrepreneurship in the US may be very different from what you do in the UK or in Spain”.

The process of privatisation is another area of interest for Prof de Castro, particularly in former communist states and less developed countries. He is also keenly following the nature of technology transfer and its effects on new venture creation – especially with respect to piracy.

Prof de Castro – whose work has appeared in publications such as his work the Academy of Management, Journal of International Business Research, the Journal of Business Venturing, and the Journal of Management Studies – believes that companies need to recognise conditions where it can play a positive role in creating a market and building a brand. “What’s interesting is you’re starting to see some evidence of companies taking a more strategic approach to this”, he says.

Academic Background

• PhD in Business Administration, University of South Carolina (USA)
• Degree in Industrial Engineering, Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (Dominican Republic)

Academic Experience

• Director of PhD program, IE Business School, 2014 to present
• Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, IE Business School, 2003 to present
• Chair, Department of Entrepreneurship, IE Business School, 2011 – 2014
• Chair, Strategy Department, IE Business School, 2006 to 2008
• Associate Dean of Research, IE Business School, 2003 to 2008
• Member of the Board of Governors, Academy of Management, 2003 to 2006
• Member of the Board of governors and treasurer, Iberoamerican Academy of Management
• Associate Professor of Strategy and Organisation Management, University of Colorado at Boulder (USA), 1997 to 2001
• Assistant Professor of Strategy and Organisation Management, University of Colorado at Boulder (USA), 1989 to 1997
• Visiting Professor, IE Business School, 2001
• Visiting Professor, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 1999
• Visiting Professor, Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (Dominican Republic), 1993 – 1995

Corporate Experience

• Production Manager, Productos La Estrella, Dominican Republic, 1983 to 1984
• Consulting and specialised seminars for organisations such as Grupo BHD, Banco BHD, Aeromar Airlines and Centro Gerencial Meta

Latest Publications

• Gerwe, O. , Silva, R., de Castro, J. O. (2020). “Entry of Providers onto a Sharing Economy Platform: Macro-level Factors and Social Interaction”. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
• Pizarro-Moreno, M. I., de Castro, J. O., Galán González, J. L. (2021). “Breaking down the decision to externalise new corporate ventures”. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, Vol. 32 (1-2): 76-91
• Musaji, S., Schulze, W. S., de Castro, J. O. (2020). “How Long Does It Take to “Get to” the Learning Curve?” Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 63 (1)
• Siraz, S., Claes, B., de Castro, J.O. (2019). “La legitimidad empresarial como un intangible. un análisis en el contexto de industrias controversiales”. Economía Industrial, Vol. 414: 41-54
• Musaji, S., de Castro, J.O. (2019). “The Contingent Effect of Team Composition on the Performance of Entrepreneurial Teams”. In Jeffrey J. Reuer, Sharon F. Matusik, and Jessica Jones (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Entrepreneurship and Collaboration. Oxford Handbooks