CALL FOR PAPER

Academy of International Business, Southeast USA Chapter

 2014 Annual Conference

October 23rd – 25th

Florida International University, Miami, FL

Conference Theme: Sustainability, Institutions, and Emerging Markets

Submission Deadline: June 15, 2014

The Conference
AIB-SE is one of the largest and most active regional divisions of the Academy of International Business’s 16 worldwide chapters. AIB-SE’s annual conference centers on the presentation of the newest ideas in international business to an international audience of academic scholars and business practitioners. The conference is characterized by a strong professional development focus, providing participants with a supportive and collegial platform to discuss and develop their ideas, as well as opportunity for mentoring of authors to enhance their papers for publication.

Over the past three years, AIB-SE (www.aibse.org) has experienced significant transformation and growth. AIB-SE has established itself as a valuable brand in the International Business community and the conference has become a reputable academic meeting of choice for almost 300 participants from nearly 40 countries.

Sustainability, Institutions, and Emerging Markets
Organizations are under tremendous pressure to reduce their carbon emissions and save money by eliminating waste from their processes and achieving long-term sustainability. Sustainability can be defined as “the design of human and industrial systems to ensure that humankind’s use of natural resources and cycles does not lead to diminished quality of life due to either losses in further economic opportunities or to adverse impacts on social conditions, human health and the environment.[1]” Sustainability ensures long-term business success while contributing towards economic and social development, a healthy environment, and a stable society.

The 2014 AIB-SE conference will focus on issues facing firms from emerging markets as well as those firms competing in those markets and their efforts regarding sustainable innovation, institutions leading sustainable development, and illuminate the differences and similarities between emerging and developed world economies with respect to sustainability. The conference investigates the three pillars of sustainability relating to 1) environment (e.g. the impact of human activity on biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems, 2) social (e.g. human rights, equality and social justice, and 3) economic(e.g. the social and environmental impacts of economic growth and models of production and consumption) sustainability in emerging markets vis-à-vis developed economies:

Conference Highlights

1. Professional Development – AIB-SE has a strong focus on professional development. This is exemplified by:
   1. PLS-SEM workshop by Joe Hair, Kennesaw State University.
   2. Doctoral consortium, which will be chaired by John McIntyre, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Bill Newburry, Florida International University.
   3. New Faculty consortium, which will be chaired by Mark Peterson, Florida Atlantic University, and Tom Lenartowicz, Florida Atlantic University.
   4. Undergraduate and Master’s students competitive paper tracks to provide an opportunity to receive critical feedback on submitted papers in the review process as well as the opportunity to present accepted papers in a professional conference.
   5. Interactive paper sessions for those papers earlier in development or work-in-progress pieces which could benefit from informal feedback from other participants.
2. Publishing Opportunities – The best papers of the conference will be considered for publication in AIB-SE’s own journal, International Business: Research, Teaching and Practice and to a special issue of the International Journal of Emerging Markets, and  the International Marketing and Management Research Series. All accepted conference papers will be published as an abstract in the 2014 AIB-SE Conference Proceedings.
3. Conference Awards – Prestigious awards with cash prizes will be given for the conference Best Paper, Best Paper on the conference theme, best Ph.D. student, best Master’s student, and best Undergraduate student. Consistent with the developmental focus of AIB-SE, we also recognize thebest reviewer and the best student reviewer.
4. Make a Difference! – This year’s conference theme focuses particularly on the sustainability dimension of economic growth and organizational behavior in emerging markets. Focused sessions, special panels, and a keynote address by renowned sustainability scholar, Dr. Andrew Spicer of University of South Carolina, will provide valuable insights in this key area.
5. Fun in the Sun! – Develop friendships and collaborative opportunities in downtown Miami with beautiful beaches nearby. Miami is a hub of international business activities, with a particular focus on Latin America. Miami is at the center of U.S.-Cuban relations and over 1,000 MNEs have their regional HQ for Latin America in South Florida.

Paper and Panel Submissions
Paper and panel submissions for AIB-SE 2014 need to be categorized into one of the topical tracks. Each paper or panel proposal must be submitted to only one track. Please select the track closest to your proposal from the list below:

1. IB Theory, FDI, and Entry Mode Strategies

Volatility and interconnectedness in the global economic and institutional environment create new challenges for theories of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and foreign direct investment (FDI). This track invites papers that explore various aspects of the MNE and FDI, including motivations for undertaking investment, drivers and determinants of location choices and entry mode decisions, and issues pertaining to how MNC headquarters and affiliates interact with and effect host-country firms, governments and institutional environments.

Track Chairs:
Wlamir Xavier, UNISUL, Brazil, wlamir.xavier@unisul.br;
Pinaki Dasgupta, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, pinaki@iift.ac.in

2. Global Strategy and Competitiveness

This track invites conceptual and empirical papers that deal with firms’ global business strategies, and their impact on competitiveness. We encourage papers that examine the relationship between global strategies and how these relate to institutional or economic changes in home and host countries. Papers that examine how regulatory or political environments and institutional and political risk affect global business strategy are encouraged.

Track Chairs:
Daniel W. Baack, University of Denver, daniel.baack@du.edu;
Prashant Salwan, Indian Institute of Management, Indore, psalwan@iimidr.ac.in

3. International Marketing and Social Responsibility

This track addresses challenges of entering and growing in foreign markets and interacting with diverse sets of customers. Consistent with the overall conference theme, we are particularly interested in how firms are using and communicating CSR initiatives to enhance brand image and firm performance. Other mainstream marketing issues, such as segmentation, product positioning, personal selling and sales management, and pricing that offer new conceptual and empirical insights into the nature and processes of cross-border marketing are also encouraged.

Track Chairs:
Stanford A. Westjohn, University of Toledo, Stanford.westjohn@utoledo.edu;
Ray Rody, Florida International University, rrody@fiu.edu

4. International Accounting, Economics, and Finance

This track calls for papers written from a discipline base of Accounting, Economics or Finance or papers covering issues or topics in these areas (e.g. M&As, valuation, capital flows, transfer pricing, international trade, exchange rates, international political economy, international economic development, etc.). Applied or theoretical economics papers and/or economics research methods papers or papers developing theory using the tools of economics should also be sent to this track. Papers examining finance and economics research questions such as international trade and development are also appropriate for this track. Papers in this stream are expected to draw on the economics and/or finance literature but speak to the broader community of IB scholars.

Track Chairs:
Andrea Paltrinieri, University of Verona, andrea.paltrinieri@univr.it
Clark Wheatley, Florida International University, wheatley@fiu.edu
Lydia Gan, University of North Carolina – Pembroke, lydia.gan@uncp.edu

5. Global Value Chains

In this track, we focus on any aspect of the way sustainability in international business impact the workplace globally. Supply chain managers are affected by risk or uncertainty in the international marketplace. We welcome submissions that offer important conceptual and empirical insights into the nature and processes of sustainability, channel development and management, geographical collaborations, and global supply chains. Of interest are the papers that examine the impact of institutional, political and regulatory factors on supply chain management issues and the effects of institutional change on IB and supply chain processes.

Track Chairs:
Gerard Burke, Georgia Southern University, gburke@georgiasouthern.edu;
Amit Arora, Savannah State University, aroraam@savannahstate.edu

6. Sustainability in Business Curriculum

In this track, we invite papers that present successes, failures, and challenges of incorporating sustainability and CSR in the business curriculum from around the globe. Topical areas could include good governance, international social entrepreneurship, cross-sectoral partnerships, greener work experience, resource management, and poverty alleviation germane to fostering business understanding and practice that promote environmental health and/or stewardship. We are particularly interested in transferring lessons and knowledge from one cultural context into another.

Track Chairs:
Petra Molthan-Hill, Nottingham Business School, petra.molthan-hill@ntu.ac.uk;
Jerome Baddley, Nottingham Energy Partnership jerome.b@nottenergy.com

7. Entrepreneurship, SMEs, and Born Globals

Large numbers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are participating in international trade, investment, and collaboration. Indicative research questions for this track include: How do entrepreneurs / SMEs use non-equity modes of business to engage in international business? Through what processes do they upgrade from low commitment modes to higher commitment modes at more mature stages of their development? How do the features of local and global environments affect international activities of entrepreneurs and SMEs? Hoes does personal prior experience shape individuals entrepreneurial behavior?

Track Chairs:
Vishal K Gupta, SUNY Binghampton, vgupta@binghampton.edu;
Suman Niranjan, Savannah State University, niranjans@savannahstate.edu

8. Organization and Human Resources of the MNE

This track seeks to explore ways in which MNEs operate across diverse international contexts, and how they configure themselves internally and externally. We are particularly interested in novel forms of organization that cross geographic locations such as virtual teams, internal knowledge networks, and offshored divisional headquarters. Potentially interesting questions include how different organizing frameworks help MNEs manage the complexity and tensions inherent in their activities, and in turn create capabilities and competitive advantage? How do organizing frameworks affect intra-firm and inter-firm innovation and knowledge flows?

Track Chairs: 
Srdan Zdravkovic, Bryant University, szdravko@bryant.edu
Michelle Yang, Central Michigan University, yang1km@cmich.edu

9. The Final Frontier: Sustainable Business in Developing Markets

We encourage papers that examine institutional and sustainability aspects of emerging economies and the challenges these pose for MNEs and Institutions. This track invites manuscripts that examine how institutions in emerging versus developed economies influence the behavior and performance MNEs. We encourage submissions that bridge the gap between theory and practice, and explore links between complementary disciplines (such as political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, business history and economics) and IB. We welcome submissions that examine how changes in the economic and institutional environments in developed and emerging economies affect traditional patterns of firm-state-NGO interactions.

Track Chairs:
Maureen Muller, Penn State University York, mim10@psu.edu;
Jun Wu, Savannah State University, wuj@savannahstate.edu

10. International Business Education 

The education track invites you to share innovative approaches to teaching IB. 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.

Track Chairs:
Carolyn Mueller, Stetson University, cmueller@stetson.edu;
Berna Mutlu, University of Florida, berna.mutlu@warrington.ufl.edu

11. Undergraduate/Master’s Students

This track seeks submissions from students (non-Doctoral) on topics related to international business practice, sustainability, emerging markets, research, or education. In addition to the opportunity to present your research, the conference will offer special student workshops, exploring careers in international business and academic research opportunities.

Track Chairs:
Mounir Kehal, ESC Rennes School of Business, France, mounir@kehal.net;
Leilani O. Baumanis, Johnson & Wales University, lbaumanis@jwu.edu

Submit your Paper
All submissions will be handled through the AIB-SE online submission system. All manuscripts and proposals must be submitted by June 15, 2014. Please refer to the detailed submission instructions page for additional information on how to prepare and submit your submission. For up-to-date information about the conference and related events, please check the conference website at http://www.aibse.org/. Any questions regarding this call for papers should be addressed to the track chairs or the Program Chair.

There will be three kinds of sessions:

1. Competitive Sessions – The most fully developed papers should be submitted for inclusion in competitive sessions. Competitive sessions consist of more formal and longer presentations. Competitive papers must be fewer than 10,000 words inclusive of all materials, including appendices and references.
2. Interactive Sessions – Interactive sessions are primarily designed for shorter manuscripts or work-in-progress pieces which could benefit from informal feedback from other participants. They are held in a roundtable discussion format with shorter presentations which allows for an engaging interaction with other researchers with similar interests. Interactive papers should be limited to no more than 5,000 words.Please note that submitting a manuscript as a competitive paper does not necessarily mean it will end up in a competitive session. Oftentimes very good papers end up in an interactive session because of lack of space on the program or lack of fit with any of the existing competitive sessions.
3. Special Panel Sessions – We invite focused panel sessions, which can be in a variety of formats. For example, a session may feature four presentations on a related theme or three presentations and a discussant. Another possibility is an interactive panel discussion among participants. Other creative special session formats are encouraged, particularly those that generate attendee interaction. Proposals for special sessions should describe the topic, session format, and its importance to international business research or education and identify all individuals (with their qualifications) who will formally participate. Panel proposals should be limited to no more than 5,000 words.

Submission Guidelines
All submissions must conform to the following guidelines. Please also refer to the detailed submission instructions.

• The document must be stripped of all identifying information: Do not include a cover page. The ‘File Properties’ for the documents should be cleaned to remove identifying information.
• Each manuscript should be accompanied by an abstract, not to exceed 200 words.
• Submissions must be formatted as follows: Letter sized page (8.5″x11″ or 216×279 mm), with one-inch (2.5 cm) margins, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font.
• The manuscript should preferably be saved in PDF format to ensure that reviewers see it in the intended way. However, Microsoft Word files will also be accepted. Please ensure all files are checked for viruses using updated anti-virus software before submission. Free virus scanners are available at TrendMicro and  BitDefender.

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, Dr. Anshu Arora and Dr. Peter Magnusson.

All manuscript submissions will be subject to a blind review process and will be evaluated based on interest to AIB-SE members, relevance to IB research, teaching and/or practice, analytical and conceptual rigor, quantitative and qualitative methods (if applicable), innovativeness, and significance of conclusions. Panel proposals will be evaluated based on interest to AIB members, relevance to IB research, teaching and/or practice, quality, innovativeness, fit with conference theme, and diversity of participants.

Peter Magnusson, Ph.D.
AIB-SE Vice Chair &   2014 Conference Chair
Florida International University
peter.magnusson@fiu.edu

Anshu Arora, Ph.D.
Program Chair & 2014 Conference Co-Chair
Savannah   State University
aroraa@savannahstate.edu

Sumit Kundu, Ph.D.
Local Host & 2014 Conference Co-Chair
Florida International University
kundus@fiu.edu

[1] J. R. Mihelcic, J. C. Crittenden, M. J. Small, D. R. Shonnard, D. R. Hokanson, Q. Zhang, H. Chen, S. A. Sorby, V. U. James, J. W. Sutherland and J. L. Schnoor, Sustainability science and engineering: The emergence of a new metadiscipline, Environmental Science and Technology, 37 (23) (2003), pp. 5314 – 5324.