Call for Papers

Academy of International Business, Western USA Chapter

2018 Annual Conference

 

April 12-14, 2018

 

Denver, Colorado, USA

Hosted by Metropolitan State University of Denver

 

Conference Theme: “Emerging Markets: Transitional Boundaries”

 

Submission Deadline: October 30, 2017

 

The AIB US-West announces its 2018 Annual Conference, to take place at Metropolitan State University of Denver, in exciting downtown Denver, Colorado. The 2018 conference theme is “Emerging Markets: Transitional Boundaries.” Emerging markets are former developing economies that have achieved substantial industrialization, modernization, and rapid economic development. They are attractive destinations for exports, FDI, and global sourcing. They now account for more than half of world GDP. Emerging markets hold the most future promise as target markets and engines of global commerce. In addition to the main theme, the conference will feature a wide range of tracks for competitive sessions and panels, as well as keynote speakers from academia and business, a paper development workshop, a teaching workshop, and opportunities for networking. The conference seeks to enhance knowledge development on global trade and investment and superior performance in organizations that operate internationally. Papers are welcome that explain the nature or improve the international competitiveness of firms and non-profit organizations. 

 

The conference welcomes all types of participants, including master’s and PhD students, professors of all ranks, and members of the practitioner community. The conference is an opportunity to present scholarly papers and obtain critical feedback in a professional setting. Submitted papers can range from works-in-progress to complete articles aimed for journal publication. Best Paper Awards will also be given.

 

AIB-US West is one of 18 chapters worldwide of the Academy of International Business (AIB), the leading academic organization for scholars and practitioners of international business. The AIB-US West annual conference emphasizes presentation to an international audience of the latest ideas in international business scholarship and practice. The conference’s professional development focus provides a collegial and supportive platform to discuss and develop ideas, and an opportunity for mentoring authors to enhance their papers for publication. Although based in the Western United States, the AIB-US West conference provides a venue for participants from around the world. 

 

Conference Venue

The 2018 Conference will take place on the campus of Metropolitan State University of Denver, in Denver, Colorado. The region is home to the headquarters of various global companies and has a vibrant start-up culture in a wide range of industries. Home to the beautiful landscapes of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado is considered one of the top places to live in the United States. Denver was founded by pioneers, cradled by the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park and adjacent to some of the world’s best ski resorts in neighboring Veil and Aspen. The city is a unique cultural hub, with a rich nightlife, museums, art, and a host of restaurants and cafes.

 

Conference Highlights

AIB US-West is committed to professional development. As in past conferences, the 2018 conference will feature a Paper Development Workshop (PDW) for doctoral students and junior faculty and a teaching/pedagogy workshop, as well as competitive paper sessions, and panels on leading issues in international business.

 

Paper and Panel Submissions

Paper and panel submissions for AIB US-West 2018 are organized under the following topical tracks. Please submit your paper or panel proposal to just one track. Please select the track that best fits your submission from the list below:

 

1.    Conference Theme Track: Emerging Markets, Developing Economies, and Transitional Boundaries

Emerging markets are powering global economic growth. Institutional environments in such emerging markets and developing economies differ in important ways. This track emphasizes the challenge and opportunity of international business in emerging markets and developing economies. Relevant topics include appropriate strategy and business models, entrepreneurship, organizational aspects, role of government policy, management approaches, sustainable development and environmental challenges, financial dimensions, outsourcing to emerging markets, MNEs and entrepreneurial ventures entering and internationalizing from emerging markets. Also of interest are papers that examine the growing importance of South-South trade and investment; and research on NGOs and non-profits operating in emerging markets. We welcome submissions that bridge the gap between theory and practice, and explore links among complementary disciplines (e.g., political science, economics) and international business.

 

2.    Culture, Culture Theory, and Cultural Distance

Theory, constructs, measurement of culture, and the role of culture are critical issues in international business environments. We welcome both empirical and conceptual papers. The track is open to micro and macro perspectives, to unique levels of analysis, and to different levels and conceptualizations of culture (e.g., national culture, organizational culture, professional culture, global communities), in an international business context.

 

3.    IB Theory, FDI, and Entry Mode Strategies

The nature of foreign direct investment (FDI) is evolving in a world characterized by the growing importance of emerging markets and developing economies as both sources and destinations for FDI. Global economic, institutional, and cultural environments pose important challenges for FDI and the multinational enterprise (MNE). This track invites papers that investigate FDI and MNEs in terms of investment motivations, location choice, entry mode decisions, or how headquarters interacts with and affects host-country firms, governments, and institutional environments.

 

4.    Global Strategy and Competitiveness

Strategy is a critical dimension of organizational performance. This track invites conceptual and empirical papers that examine the relationship between organizational strategies and their effect on firms’ competitiveness and performance. We encourage papers focusing on innovation, knowledge management, and cross-border learning and collaborations as key components of global corporate strategy.

 

5.    International Marketing

This track addresses the role of marketing as a conduit for entering and growing in foreign markets and interacting with diverse customers. Papers are encouraged that offer new conceptual and empirical insights into the nature and processes of cross-border marketing, and that emphasize issues such as cross-cultural consumer behavior, segmentation, product development, branding, and the digitization of markets. Papers that examine marketing approaches for emerging economies and base of the pyramid markets are also welcome.

 

6.    International Economics, Finance, and Accounting

Papers in this track should be based on economics and/or finance and accounting literature and research methodology, but should address questions of interest to IB scholars and practitioners. Relevant topics in this track might include M&As, valuation, capital flows, transfer pricing, exchange rates, international political economy, regional economics, and others. Papers examining questions on international trade and development are also appropriate.

 

7.    Global Value Chains

This track emphasizes the upstream side of international value chains, including suppliers in global sourcing.  The international marketplace particularly impacts supply chain management, bringing substantial risk or uncertainty. We welcome submissions that offer important conceptual and empirical insights on the nature and processes of channel development, and on the management and logistics of global supply chains.

 

8.    Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

This track invites papers on successes, failures, and challenges of incorporating sustainability and CSR in the internationalizing firm and the business curriculum. Topics could include governance, international social entrepreneurship, cross-sectoral partnerships, resource management, poverty alleviation, and fostering business understanding and practice that promote environmental health or stewardship.

 

9.    Entrepreneurship, SMEs, and Born Globals

Large numbers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and immigrant entrepreneurs are participating in international trade, investment, and collaboration. Diaspora and transnational entrepreneurs, and born globals represent an important trend and portend the future of international trade and investment. Research in this track could explore, for instance: how resource-constrained SMEs succeed in complex international environments; and how global environments affect the international activities of entrepreneurs and SMEs.

 

10. Organization and Human Resources Multinational Firms

MNEs manage substantial complexity and tensions inherent in their activities through the firm’s most important resource–managers and other personnel. This track explores ways in which MNEs operate across diverse international contexts, and how they configure themselves internally and externally.  We will consider research on novel organizational forms such as virtual teams, internal knowledge networks, and offshored divisional headquarters. Papers on topics related to leadership, diversity issues in management, and recruitment and retention of talent in the context of global firms are also welcome. 

 

11. Governments, NGO’s, Global Institutions and State-Owned Enterprises

This track accepts papers that might examine how regulatory or political environments influence internationalizing firms, NGOs, and state owned enterprises. Appropriate for this track are papers that address institutional and political risk including regulation, policy and trade relations. Papers that offer conceptual and empirical insights on global issues, such as the impact of terrorism, pollution, and human rights are welcome as well.

 

12. Research Methods, Cross-Cultural Measurement, Analytics and Metrics

This track seeks submissions where the primary contribution is advancement in international research methods or measurement. Papers can be from any topical area but focus on measurement development, methods, or issues specific to the rigors of conducting international and cross-cultural comparative research. Qualitative or quantitative methods, emic, etic, approaches and techniques are welcome.

 

13. International Business Education

The track invites submissions on innovative approaches to teaching international business. This includes insights on teaching IB with cases, experiential learning exercises, the use of technology to enhance IB courses, developing study abroad programs, and other curricular issues.  Business cases with an IB focus can also be submitted.

 

Conference Submission Guidelines

All submissions will be handled through the AIB US-West online submission system. All manuscripts and proposals must be submitted by October 30, 2017. For up-to-date information about the conference and related events, please check the chapter website at  http://www.aib-w.org/. Any questions regarding this call for papers should be addressed to the Program Chair.

 

All submissions must conform to the following guidelines:

·       The document, including ‘document properties’, must be stripped of all identifying information:  Do not include a cover page.

·       Each manuscript should be accompanied by an abstract, not to exceed 200 words. 

·       Panel proposals should have 3-5 scholars and/or students as well as a chair/discussant. Proposals should be no more than 2,000 words, and describe the topic, session format, its importance to IB research or education, and all panel participants and their qualifications. Panels typically emphasize new topics in IB on which extant research is sparse.

·       Submissions must be formatted as follows: Letter sized page (8.5″x11″ or 215×280 mm), with one-inch (2.5 cm) margins, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font. 

·       Competitive papers should not exceed 10,000 words, and must comply with the JIBS style requirements (http://www.jibs.net ; click on ‘Instructions for Authors).

·       We recommend you submit your paper in PDF format to ensure reviewers see it as intended.  Microsoft Word files are also acceptable. Check all files for viruses using updated anti-virus software before submission. Free virus scanners are available at TrendMicro and BitDefender.

·       All submissions will be acknowledged. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 48 hours of submitting your manuscript or proposal, please inform the Conference Chair.

 

Registration Fees

 

AIB Member            Non-Member

Registration Rates for Faculty and Practitioners

   By March 1                               $200                           $300

   March 2 – March 30                  $250                            $350

   After March 30                          $300                           $400

 

Registration Rates for Students, Low Income, and Emeritus Faculty

   By March 1                                $125)                          $175

   March 2 – March 30                  $175)                          $225

   After March 30                          $225)                          $275

After Submission

Authors will be sent an automatic e-mail confirmation message upon successful uploading of their paper on the website acknowledging receipt of their submission. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 24 hours of submitting your manuscript or proposal, please inform the conference chairs. All submissions will be subject to a blind review process and will be evaluated based on relevance to IB research, teaching and/or practice, rigor, methods (if applicable), innovativeness, and significance of conclusions. Authors of papers selected for presentation will be notified by December 4, 2017. At least one author of an accepted paper must register for the conference no later than March 1, 2017 to secure a place on the program.  Any questions regarding this call for papers should be addressed to the AIB-US West Conference Chair Professor Nila Wiese, nwiese@pugetsound.edu.

 

 

Nila Wiese AIB-US West Conference Chair Director Business Leadership Program Professor of International Business & Marketing Nat S. & Marian W. Rogers Professor University of Puget Sound
Gary Knight AIB-US West Chapter Chair Professor of Global Management Helen Jackson Chair of International Management Willamette University
David Dickerson AIB-US West CMO & Local Host Professor of International Business & Marketing Director of International Business Programs Metropolitan State University of Denver

 

More Information on the AIB

The Academy of International Business is the leading association of scholars and practitioners in the field of international business. Established in 1959, the AIB has over 3,000 members, across 18 chapters in 87 countries. We welcome conceptual and empirical papers, teaching cases, and symposia from scholars, business professionals and policy makers.

 

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