State-owned firms, regulators, sovereign wealth funds and a range of state agencies have surged in importance over the last decade and strategy research is increasingly tackling this critical and challenging topic. Five leading scholars will be discussing the how strategy researchers can engage with the many exciting issues that state activity raises around the world: Aline Gatignon (Wharton): The firm, the State, and Civil Society: a Bermuda Triangle for Nonmarket Strategy? Anna Grosman (Loughborough U): Strategies for Firm Success in the Face of Government Influence Pasha Mahmood (NUS Singapore): Strategies for Engaging with Regulators in Nascent Markets Mike Peng (UT Dallas): Corporate diplomacy and exit strategies Anthea Zhang (Rice): Asymmetric imitation between state-owned firms and non-state-owned firms in their FDI location choices   (c) STR - Strategic Management Division - AOM