Laura Ierfino

Laura’s research interests broadly include organizational theory and entrepreneurship. Her current work focuses on understanding how small players change organizational fields. Her research has been published in the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences. She has presented her research papers at numerous national and international academic conferences including the Academy of Management and Administrative Science Association of Canada. She received the Best Paper Award in the Organizational Theory Division at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Annual Meetings, 2021.

At Trent University, Laura has taught Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship, New Venture Planning and Design, and Markets, Organization Theory and Markets, Governments and Organizations. Prior to her doctoral degree, Laura was a Strategy Consultant with Diamond Strategy and Technology Consultants/PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Selected Publications:

• Ierfino-Blachford, Laura (forthcoming). Starting small: How icewine diffused in the mature, Canadian wine field. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences.

• Ierfino-Blachford, Laura (2018). Grape expectations: The diffusion and persistence of small players’ practices in the Ontario wine field. Best Paper Proceedings, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, Organizational Theory Division.

Recent Peer-Reviewed Conference Presentations:

• Ierfino-Blachford, Laura. Grape expectations: The diffusion and persistence of small players’ practices in the Ontario wine field. Presented at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Annual Meetings, Toronto, May, 2018.

• Ierfino-Blachford, Laura. Niche practice spillover to mainstream: How small players changed the mature Ontario wine field. Presented at the Atlantic Schools of Business Conference, Wolfville, NS, Sept. 30th/Oct. 1st, 2017.

• Ierfino-Blachford, Laura. From Margins to Mainstream: The emergence and diffusion of a new identity associated with small players in the Canadian wine field. Presented at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Annual Meetings, Montreal, May, 2017.