This study develops a novel framework for understanding foreign direct investment (FDI) through the lens of value capture theory (VCT), which integrates cooperative and non-cooperative game theory to explain firm performance in competitive markets. By leveraging biform games as the core analytical tool, VCT potentially offers a unified mathematical foundation for several strategic management paradigms, including stakeholder theory, the resource-based view, and industrial positioning. We propose a biform game model specifically tailored to FDI, where the cooperative component is represented by a two-sided matching market between multinational enterprises (MNEs) and local stakeholders, reflecting the dynamics of strategic factor markets. We also formulate the non-cooperative aspects of key strategic decisions MNEs face in internationalization, such as co-specialization with locations, the scale and speed of expansion, and resource allocation for investment opportunity identification. Using agent-based simulations, we explore the implications of these strategic choices within the proposed model, offering new insights into the complexities of FDI strategy formation and execution.

This study investigates how religiosity and personality traits — specifically internal locus of control — influence the likelihood of self-employment within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Building upon the attribution theory of motivation and the entrepreneurial behavior theories, we examine how an individual’s locus of control impacts self-employment. We assess how religiosity can moderate the effect of internal locus of control on self-employment. Two metrics for religiosity are considered: subjective religiosity — a self-identification of the individual as religious, and religious salience that measures the intensity of religiosity. Our paper contributes to the literature of entrepreneurship, especially at the intersection of religiosity, locus of control and self-employment by understanding the entrepreneurial behavior and labor market dynamics in the MENA economies as an unexplored region where religion profoundly affects everyday life and work.

Why is doing palm oil right a thankless task? This project was started to try to understand the failure of a sustainable palm oil plantation project in Liberia to gain broad acceptance. The purpose of my project is to understand how this state of illegitimacy developed and what lessons it may hold for the wider sector and sustainability transitions literature. Palm oil is illegitimate because of a litany of environmental and social sustainability challenges. Any solution to this legitimacy crisis needs to be grounded in an industry-wide transition to sustainability that is cognizant of how legitimacy is built or lost over time. Sustainability transitions need to gain legitimacy in order to happen.

This study adopts ethnographic and process methods to investigate and understand the mechanisms and dynamics of legitimacy as they are seen and responded to within a palm oil plantation in the Republic of Liberia. This research is longitudinal, with data and analysis spanning from the initial business opportunity in 2008 through founding in 2009, an Ebola outbreak in 2014, to 2020. This project theorizes about legitimacy process spaces and about how legitimacy issues migrate across different levels over time through the agency of actors doing legitimacy work.

This poster presents research on the role of blockchain technology (BT) in enhancing the circular economy (CE) within the context of international business (IB). The transition to a CE is crucial for addressing global environmental challenges, yet its implementation across global value chains (GVCs) is complex, spanning multiple levels—micro (individual organizations), meso (industrial clusters), and macro (policy frameworks). This research examines these complexities and explores how BT can help overcome challenges such as lack of transparency, difficulties in sourcing sustainable materials, and challenges in monitoring CE progress.

Key findings highlight how BT can improve transparency, enable reliable data collection, and foster collaboration across GVCs. Additionally, the poster outlines future research opportunities, including exploring sector-specific BT applications, assessing the long-term impact of BT on CE initiatives, and understanding how blockchain can enhance consumer engagement in CE.

The purpose of this poster is not only to showcase current findings but also to set the stage for future research. By addressing these challenges and opportunities, the poster contributes to the ongoing dialogue on how emerging technologies can support sustainable business practices and advance the global transition to a circular economy.

Business cannot succeed in countries that fail. However, despite the grand challenges emphasising the embeddedness of multinational enterprises in social systems, the sphere of inter-governmental and supranational organisations within international business has been under-studied. There is also a notable research gap concerning the role of individual actors. Adopting a grounded theory approach, this study addresses these research gaps, exploring how international professionals navigate the nested pressures for effectiveness within international organizations in contexts of flux, with focus on field workers in the complex United Nations system. The sensitising concepts of effectiveness, tensions, and organised hypocrisy are used to guide the inquiry that culminates in a grounded theory of savvy bureaucracy. This theory reveals an “entrepreneurial-bureaucratic hustle” and its pre-conditions: it is powered by the want, facilitated by radical acceptance, and enabled by sense of agency. These are good tidings in our world of worry: no matter how diverse and dispersed the workforce and how daunting the issues they work with, workers can feel a sense of mattering and can be, to a degree, incentivised to operate – to hustle – towards the desired goals, under competent leadership. Micro-actions do matter, even in the business of tackling grand challenges.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) is reshaping global manufacturing through technologies such as IoT, big data analytics, and cyber-physical systems, yielding significant efficiency gains and competitive advantages. Despite these benefits, a gap remains in understanding the factors influencing Industry 4.0 adoption, especially among foreign subsidiaries in post-transition economies like Poland. This study addresses this gap using total interpretive structural modelling to analyse data from 40 manufacturing foreign subsidiaries in Poland. This research, grounded in the resource-based view and institutional theory, explores factors that facilitate or hinder Industry 4.0 adoption. The findings reveal that substantial financial reserves, access to funding, significant investment in R&D, and government initiatives are crucial for successful adoption. These findings advance international business theory by enhancing the understanding of how financial and external factors influence technology adoption and contribute to the development of theories related to resource allocation, institutional influences, and adoption dynamics in post-transition economies. This research provides useful insights and practical guidance for policymakers and international business practitioners.

This study investigates the role of Capital in Transit (CIT) in distorting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) data and its implications for understanding multinational enterprise (MNE) activities. By analyzing OECD data on immediate and ultimate FDI positions, we construct a CIT index to explore how differences in regulatory quality, rule of law, and political stability between home and host countries influence MNE behavior. Our findings reveal that CIT practices are not random but are systematically linked to specific institutional characteristics of countries. MNEs from countries with higher regulatory quality and lower political stability are more inclined to use CIT to mitigate domestic risks. These results underscore the need for a more nuanced analysis of FDI data to accurately capture MNE activities. This study contributes to the literature on international business by highlighting the strategic use of CIT and its implications for both researchers and policymakers.

The Universidad Nacional de Colombia, through the Vice-Rectorate of Research, developed a strategy for the internationalization of research, with the aim of becoming a guiding document that would help mobilize and promote actions that, when implemented, would achieve a true internationalization of research.

The Faculty of Mines is an engineering faculty whose professors have been characterized by being good researchers and the results of these investigations are published in high-impact international publications, but there are not a large number of professors and research groups that are articulated in international research networks.

A proposal is presented to implement actions that allow professors with a high technical qualification to articulate themselves as scientific diplomats in international research networks and thus develop an internationalization of research.

Local development policies are the subject of numerous studies. Development strategies, as tools for strategic management of local development, occupy a special place in them. Given the high percentage of municipalities constructing development strategies, the question arises whether the reason is an awareness of the role they play in local development management, or whether other considerations determine this. We aim to verify whether the enactment of devel-opment strategies by municipalities in Poland is motivated by obtaining EU funding. This issue has not been comprehensively recognized in the literature, hence it is a research gap that re-quires clarification. Our research sample comprises of 302 urban and 677 urban-rural municipal-ities in Poland in the years 1991-2023. The preliminary results are affirmative. The (first) adop-tion of development strategy correlates strongly with the timing of EU multiannual budgetary frameworks Over time, municipalities have learned to prepare strategies adapting their time span to the duration of the EU financial perspectives. Furthermore, of interest it will be to explore whether the EU funding serves as a significant mediator between the strategy adoption and its successful implementation.

This paper investigates the intersection of Project Finance (PF) and sustainable development, focusing on the institutional and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks affecting large-scale cross-border PF transactions. In today's era of climate change and sustainability, PF has emerged as a preferred financing mechanism for significant infrastructure investments. However, despite its growing importance, research into PF's unique organizational form remains limited. Using data from 26,486 global PF transactions, the study aims to identify key risks and how political and governance constraints influence project outcomes. The analysis proposes four hypotheses centered on political stability, debt share, World Governance Index (WGI), and Freedom on the Net (FOTN). Through logistic regression, the study examines how these factors impact project distress, defined as transaction cancellations or risk alerts. The findings are expected to offer new insights into how PF can better incorporate ESG factors and address institutional barriers, contributing to International Business (IB) theory and offering practical strategies for PF stakeholders in high-risk environments.

Spurred by the necessity to provide online learning during the pandemic, online degree programs continue to gain popularity and acceptance as a primary form of higher education, especially for students seeking flexible graduate programs while employed. The following proposes a project assignment in a Human Resources / Organizational Behavior (HR/OB) course that remedies several weaknesses that online courses typically present. The project design, which is carried out over several weeks in a team setting, also integrates the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals into the course curriculum. The project design is explained in detail. Despite the typical limits of online assignments, this project allows student interaction and prevents shirking, it supports networking (also at an international level), the use of project management tools, and peer-learning regarding value differences about sustainability, leadership decisions and consequences, and cross-industry processes and content. Due to the idiosyncratic nature of peer-based real-world cases, the project design prevents the misuse of AI tools or the plagiarism of Internet sources. The results include comments by several students following an online MBA course in which the proposed design was used in six-person student teams.

Entry mode theory is a prominent field in IB research, with numerous empirical studies exploring the impact of factors proposed by the theory on the entry mode decision. However, they could not find conclusive results on the roles of cultural distance and international experience, due to difficulties in measurement or conflicting results. These empirical studies only observe correlations and therefore cannot capture causalities, analyze the decision-making process or evaluate the optimality of entry mode choices. We suggest a computer simulation to address these limitations and thus complement existing research: A simulation provides a controlled setup that allows testing of specific hypotheses through which we can establish causal links, avoid difficulties in measurement and tie entry mode decisions to profits. Our simulation is based on previous empirical research and will be validated against known relationships to ensure external validity. In the context of entry mode decision making, this approach uniquely allows the exploration of “what-if” scenarios, interaction of multiple effects and the link between entry mode choice and profitability. Propositions developed from the simulation can then be empirically tested and feed back into the simulation, providing a dynamic, innovative and powerful new research tool for IB research.

Prior research offers diverse empirical findings regarding the relationship between conflict and performance of the international joint ventures (IJVs), pointing to positive, negative, and no effects. To reconcile these contradictory empirical findings, we utilize social exchange and transaction cost theories to investigate the moderating effects of conflict resolution strategies on the conflict-performance relation in IJVs. Our key argument is that the impact of conflict on IJV performance is dependent on how IJV partners resolve their conflicts. Analyzing 89 IJVs of Nordic firms, we find that conflict enhances IJV performance while using problem solving strategy, neither enhances nor reduces IJV performance while using compromising strategy, and reduces IJV performance while using forcing strategy. We discuss the theoretical contribution and implications of these results.

This paper explores how French business schools use international branch campuses (IBCs) as a strategic tool to remain competitive in both domestic and global markets. It highlights the impact of recent economic challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation, on higher education institutions (HEIs) and how accreditation alone is no longer sufficient for differentiation. Using John Dunning's Eclectic (OLI) paradigm as a theoretical framework, the research focuses on the strategies of top French business schools, particularly within the Grandes Ecoles system. Through qualitative analysis of interviews, it finds that these schools primarily leverage IBCs to enhance their domestic reputation while building international visibility and partnerships.

This research explores how multinational enterprises (MNEs) can mitigate and

adapt to climate change through the use of smart mobility technologies in

tourism-dependent, protected natural areas. Using the EDIL (Integrated Local

Development Strategies) project in Barranco de Poqueira, Spain, as a case

study, this study examines how MNEs can balance economic growth with

environmental sustainability by utilizing real-time data and machine learning.

The research highlights the pivotal role MNEs play in addressing global climate

challenges while advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),

particularly Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities), 13 (Climate Action), and 17

(Partnerships for the Goals).

By leveraging smart mobility systems, MNEs can reduce their environmental

impact and foster collaboration with local communities and governments. The

study also addresses the gap in current research on how digital tools and

partnerships can contribute to global sustainability efforts. Combining theoretical

frameworks such as stakeholder theory and adaptive systems theory, the

research provides a scalable model for MNEs to integrate sustainability into

their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies and global operations.

We examine the relationship between SMEs' innovation and internationalization by analyzing the role of two firm-level variables. First, we analyze the extent to which SMEs' innovative climate is related to their export performance. We argue that an innovative climate has a behavioral effect on SMEs' managers and employees that favors the openness and recognition of new knowledge existing in foreign markets. Second, such knowledge must be effectively used and transformed into valuable innovations, which requires not only the creation of a new value proposition but also its delivery and capture. For this reason, we examine the role that the different dimensions of Business Model Innovation (BMI) - value creation, internal and external value delivery, and value capture - play in the relationship between the innovation climate and the export performance of SMEs.

We test our hypotheses in a sample of 112 Spanish manufacturing SMEs, where we collected survey data from two different respondents (CEO and Innovation/R&D Manager). Our preliminary results confirm the importance of SMEs linking their commitment to an innovative work environment with the innovation in their business models in order to increase their export performance.

This poster aims to provide an overview and progress update of my doctoral research. The aim of this study is to better understand the role and impact of external stakeholders on foreign multinational enterprises (MNE) in the context of civil war conflict. Intrastate conflict is a unique typology of political violence often overlooked in extant IB research, which has primarily focused on interstate conflict. Further, the role, impact, and influence of external stakeholders on MNEs operating in civil war conflict environments presents a unique area of investigation, paring IB and political violence research with stakeholder theory. This research includes 40+ semi-structured interviews with various MNE stakeholders active during the civil wars in Syria and Iraq (2011-2017). At the time of writing, 20 participants have been interviewed, and preliminary findings and discussions will be presented in poster format. An interpretivist methodological position has been adopted for this study, alongside an abductive theoretical approach. The policy benefits of this external stakeholder focus will present new insights for IB scholarship, supranational governance policy, and MNEs. This research will also benefit external stakeholder groups, providing them a voice that can influence both practice and theory.

This research proposes a transformative pedagogy for international business education, centering Indigenous water wisdom to foster ethical and sustainable business practices. Motivated by limitations in dominant sustainability paradigms and the recognized critical role of water in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, this study integrates Indigenous knowledge systems with posthumanist philosophy. By acknowledging water's intrinsic value and relationality, the pedagogy challenges anthropocentric assumptions and promotes reciprocal stewardship. Employing Two-Eyed Seeing, decolonizing methodologies, and incorporating Indigenous pedagogical practices like circle work, water walks, and storytelling, the research aims to cultivate ethical leadership and intercultural competency among students. Through experiential learning encompassing case studies, simulations, and community engagement, students will develop the business acumen and ethical compass necessary to address the global water crisis and contribute to a more just and sustainable future, drawing inspiration from Indigenous principles of reciprocity and responsibility.

The concept of Industry 4.0 involves the adoption of advanced transformative technologies that are being implemented to varying degrees across global markets. However, developing economies may encounter unique challenges in integrating Industry 4.0 and reaping its benefits. China's rapid embrace and integration of these technologies, coupled with its government policies, present am interesting subject for exploration in light of the country's burgeoning influence as a global power. However, the extent of Industry 4.0 implementation in China remains unclear, creating a gap in understanding whether China qualifies as an emerging or advanced market within this new industrial era (Lin, Wu & Song, 2019). This study examines China's position within Industry 4.0, focusing on whether it should be considered an emerging or advanced market within Industry 4.0. A narrative literature review, supplemented by interviews with industry professionals and academics, forms the core methodology. The preliminary findings suggest that China's significant investments in technology and digital infrastructure, alongside its growing influence in global markets, position it closer to an advanced market within Industry 4.0. The study's insights will aid businesses and policymakers in making informed decisions regarding technological investments and strategies to enhance China's competitiveness further.

This study examines the impact of geopolitical risk on US Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), integrating perspectives from International Relations (IR) and International Business (IB). It highlights the moderating roles of US hard power (geopolitical risk), China's soft power, and US diplomatic ties with MENA countries. Through panel data analysis, the results show that increased US geopolitical risk can influence the relationship between regional risks and US FDI, often discouraging investment in areas with heightened instability. Similarly, China's geopolitical risk negatively impacts US FDI when interacting with regional risks, illustrating its effect on investment decisions. Diplomatic ties generally support FDI, but in high-risk environments, these relationships can deter investment. The study emphasizes the complex interactions between hard and soft power dynamics, along with diplomatic relations, in shaping US FDI strategies in MENA, which are essential for advancing US economic interests and global influence.

One area of international business (IB) analysis is the strategic interactions between economic actors in different countries. For this reason, game theory has been used to analyze some of these actions. However, a research gap still exists in investigating the internal relations between headquarters (HQ) and foreign subsidiaries (FS) within multinational enterprises (MNEs), particularly in the context of sustainability. Thus, game theory may be an approach to analyze them. Defining internal strategies is fundamental for establishing effective external plans, especially within complex entities such as MNEs. Therefore, the poster presents the untapped potential of game theory in IB research, particularly between HQ and FS within MNEs. Accordingly, the poster combines the theoretical underpinnings of IB with the game theory literature, illustrating HQ and FS as players, their strategies of conflict and cooperation, and the dilemma of global and individual rationality. Secondly, the author presents an exemplary game between HQ and FS concerning the strategies for sustainable practices within MNEs. The poster ends with conclusions on the effectiveness of global rationing, which features high vertical integration and local responsiveness in MNEs.

This study aims to explore the role of gender in influencing the factors (both motives and risks) that shape the acceptance of Augmented Reality technologies among young international e-commerce consumers. Using a qualitative research design, six focus groups were conducted across three diverse countries: Poland, South Korea, and the United States. The qualitative analysis was carried out using MAXQDA software.

The findings underscore the significant role of gender as a differentiating factor in consumer behaviour. Gender was found to shape the motivations and risks associated with AR in online shopping decisions. Moreover, the study revealed that cultural factors moderate the acceptance of AR technologies, further emphasizing the critical role of gender and culture in the international e-commerce landscape.

From a practical standpoint, the research underscores the importance of tailoring marketing strategies to align with the preferences of different gender groups. This approach can significantly enhance marketing effectiveness and boost sales. On a theoretical level, the study contributes to models concerning technology acceptance, demonstrating the crucial role of gender and cultural factors as moderators.

This research provides unique insights into the intersection of gender, AR, and young international consumers, adding value to academic and industry discussions on e-commerce and technology adoption.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that multinational enterprises may be more likely to engage in corporate social irresponsibility overseas than at home. We complement stakeholder theory with the Upper Echelons perspective to examine the role of CEO patriotic orientation as a driver for this overseas bias in multinational enterprises’ engagement in corporate social irresponsibility. Drawing on our theoretical basis, we further suggest that this effect is likely to be contingent on the international diversity of a multinational enterprise’s Board of Directors. Our analyses of a sample of 500 S&P firms from 2010-2022 suggest that a multinational enterprise’s overseas bias in corporate social irresponsibility varies with the CEO’s patriotic orientation, and that the international diversity of the board of directors affects the strength of this effect. Our findings contribute to improving our understanding of corporate wrongdoing in multinational enterprises and to developing stakeholder theory in the international business domain.

This study applies a microfoundations perspective to consider the influence of individuals’ attitudes and behaviors on M&A outcomes like synergy. Adopting a single case design, we examine a cross-border acquisition completed in 2019 through three surveys issued from 2020 to 2022, in addition to organizational documents on firm performance. Our objective is to develop and test an M&A performance outcome model that answers the research question: how does the cross-border M&A affect acquisition performance (e.g., synergy) by influencing individual behavior? We estimate our model’s hypothesized relationships using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Overall, the study adds an empirically supported microfoundational layer to synergy evaluations of M&As in a global strategy context, shedding light on the impact of individuals’ reactions on acquisition outcomes. The study contributes to understanding micro-level mechanisms that underlie M&A strategies and their performance, thus providing valuable insights for cross-border M&As and addressing calls for microfoundational research in this field.

The expansion of BRICS represents a significant shift in global geopolitics and economics. With the inclusion of six new members as of January 1, 2024, it has become essential to analyse the resulting impacts. This study addresses an important research gap by examining the criteria for BRICS membership and the implications of its expansion on global geopolitics and economics. The research uses critical analysis and desk-based methodologies to assess the structural and strategic transformations within BRICS using frameworks of economic integration, South-South cooperation, and global governance fragmentation. Preliminary findings suggest that adding Middle Eastern and African members strengthens BRICS' ability to counterbalance Western-dominated institutions, such as the G7 and the European Union. However, this growth introduces challenges in aligning diverse economic and political agendas.

Additionally, the expansion has a significant impact on the global oil market by increasing the power of major oil producers. Despite these challenges, the growth of BRICS offers chances to support a multipolar world order and create fairer global institutions that better represent developing countries. This research provides insights into the effects of BRICS' growing membership and its role in changing global politics and the economy.

Multinational oil and gas firms are facing increasing pressure to respond to the global energy transition. Some have responded by investing in renewable energy sources such as offshore wind. While renewables industry has been gaining momentum, bottlenecks such as underdeveloped policy and insufficient supply chain capacity remain in many markets, creating further complexities for firms and hindering their ability to succeed. These bottlenecks point to the lack of markets and ecosystems and the need to develop these. My study thus aims to address how multinational oil and gas firms work to create markets and ecosystems, using the dynamic capability perspective as theoretical lens. I conducted a case study of a Norwegian multinational oil and gas firm investing in offshore wind through its subsidiaries in South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. The preliminary findings show a variety of actions taken by not only the firm but also other actors such as the embassies and business associations to address key challenges facing the offshore wind industry. I contribute to the discussions in dynamic capabilities literature by highlighting the crucial role of knowledge sharing. Additionally, my study underlines the importance of collaboration among key actors in addressing global challenges such as the energy transition.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in marketing raises ethical concerns that require multidisciplinary exploration to be fully addressed. While AI ethics has gained public attention in recent years, little focus has been placed on understanding the perspectives of key stakeholders responsible for its development and deployment in marketing particularly from a moral character lens. This study seeks to address this gap by using a virtue ethics lens to explore the perspectives of two critical stakeholders at the intersection of technology and marketing: AI developers and marketers as key individuals responsible for the successful implementation of AI guidelines. Empirical data will be collected through semi-structured interviews with marketers and AI developers in Finland. The interviews will focus on how these individuals within an organisation perceive, process, and approach ethical issues in AI-driven marketing. The findings of this study aim to provide insights that could contribute to future academic research in AI ethics for marketing, and provide insights for policymakers, and organisations seeking to improve ethical standards in AI-driven marketing strategies.

With their global reach and substantial resources, multinational corporations (MNCs) are bound to make a significant contribution to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the variation in commitment to environmental SDGs significantly differs across national contexts. This study explores how institutional pressures shape MNCs' engagement with environmental SDGs. Drawing on institutional theory, we present a quantitative analysis of 400 sustainability reports from the top 20 MNCs selected by market capitalization in 20 of the world's largest economies. Our analysis explores the role that regulatory, normative, and cognitive pressures-represented via policy instruments such as carbon pricing, funding for environmental disclosure, and education grants-play in driving attention to the environmental SDGs of MNCs. Thus, the potential findings of this study will provide valuable insights for policymakers, suggesting that targeted regulatory adjustments, stronger environmental policies, and enhanced government measures can foster greater corporate contributions to the SDGs.

The paper explores the intersection of disruptive innovation and international expansion, focusing on how new market entrants and incumbents interact in driving or hindering disruption. Disruptive innovations—radical products, business models, or technologies—challenge existing markets by introducing alternatives that initially perform poorly in traditional metrics but excel in secondary areas. These innovations often target niche markets before advancing to threaten mainstream incumbents. The study highlights that internationalization can amplify the potential of disruptive firms by allowing them to exploit non-location-bound advantages, enhancing technological development and growth. The authors propose that incumbents can leverage multinational-specific assets to adapt to disruptive forces, while disruptors might use internationalization to solidify their competitive edge. Through a mixed-method research design involving semi-structured interviews and quantitative data analysis, the study seeks to investigate the relationship between disruptive innovation and internationalization strategies across three industries: autonomous vehicles, cultured meat, and a third sector. The paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on how global strategies can be informed by disruptive innovations to create sustainable competitive advantages in various markets.

This paper investigates the role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in driving the twin transition to sustainability and resilience in Italy. MNEs can accelerate the adoption of digital technologies and promote sustainable practices, but their influence can also intensify the enlargement of national funding. The study examines the extent to which MNEs influence local firms to adopt digital technologies for environmental sustainability and the role of policymakers in facilitating the twin transition. Using a nested case study approach, the research analyzes MNE investments in Italy and their contributions to sustainable manufacturing. Preliminary findings suggest that while MNEs may not prioritize the twin transition, they often implement digital and technological solutions that reduce environmental impacts. Policymakers play a crucial role in aligning MNE objectives with national interests and providing funding opportunities. The study highlights the importance of tailoring FDI attraction policies to consider social and environmental impacts and prior experience in a location.

Addressing global health problems requires complex coordination and collaborations between actors, often through the process of Global Health Diplomacy (GHD). Historically, GHD was conducted between governments and facilitated by global institutions, but since 2000 these actors expect MNEs will also directly engage in GHD. This study aims to improve the understanding of the motivations and concerns of GHD practitioners, while contributing to GHD as an interdisciplinary field of research. We explore GHD from practitioners’ views of knowledge acquisition, capacity building, and developing network for those who coordinate and orchestrate global policy solutions. To address these topics, we interviewed 54 experienced GHD practitioners working across this multilateral space. Given the multi-sectorial nature of this field, we explore the nature and characteristics of a community of practice (CoP) amongst GHD practitioners, and, based on our findings, we also theorize on further capacity building and the development of next-generation leadership for stronger GHD. Our findings indicate that MNEs are typically marginalized or excluded from GHD based on perceived differences of agenda, language, and timeline. Further, we found that MNEs accepted their participation may have conflicts of interest with their commercial strategies, but they were were willing to compromise profit for social improvement.

Recent environmental disruptions, such as the global pandemic, have prompted employees to reevaluate whether their work and employment experiences align with their personal values and beliefs. In this context, corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices have gained prominence as a potential source of signals from which employees derive insights into their organization’s values and character. While prior research has shown that CSR plays a role in both attracting and retaining talent, little is known about whether and how job seekers’ initial CSR-related expectations affect subsequent work attitudes and behavior once they have become organizational insiders. Drawing on sensemaking research, this study explores how (un)met expectations concerning CSR relate to individual-level employee outcomes. By integrating insights from CSR and human resource management research, this study deepens scholarly understanding of the role of CSR expectations in shaping employee work experiences. Initial data collected among an international sample of young professionals suggests that CSR expectations have more nuanced relationships with work outcomes than anticipated. Study findings offer implications for management practice concerning recruitment, retention, and employer branding through CSR.

Research Gap: While the potential of Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) in international business education is recognized, there is a notable scarcity of empirical research exploring their efficacy in real-world entrepreneurship integration and international stakeholder collaboration. This study addresses this gap by evaluating how BIPs can serve as transformative platforms for global business education and multi-stakeholder engagement.

Theoretical Basis: The study is anchored in the Triple Helix model, which illustrates the interactive potential of university-industry-government relationships in fostering innovation and educational advancements. By extending this model, the research examines the role of universities in leveraging international collaborative projects (BIPs as one example) as the connector of different triple helixes to enhance educational outcomes and societal impacts across regional boundaries.

Methodology: The research employs a qualitative case study approach, analyzing an Erasmus+ BIP. Data collection involves a mix of surveys, interviews, and participant observations to capture insights from students, faculty, and program partners.

Preliminary Results: Preliminary findings suggest that the BIP significantly boosts students' competencies in international business operations and enhances their ability to engage in cross-cultural teamwork. Additionally, the program has facilitated robust partnerships between the academic participants and external stakeholders from the private and public sectors.

This study explores the growing interconnectedness of global economies by examining the development of blockchain technology and its integration into international business operations. The new connectivity through digital technologies offers international businesses the means to cope with challenges and disruptions stemming from the complex business environment. These new technological possibilities have made distance and geography less important; however, in the global business environment, distances seem to grow and geography appears to matter increasingly more. Building on literature concerning trust in international business and the concept of "blockchain-based trust," the study questions whether blockchain technology can replace traditional trust mechanisms, allowing cooperation without reliance on geopolitical blocs. Empirically, our study will explore two emerging transformations: the use of blockchain technologies in state finances and in global value chains. The study will adopt the futures studies method, Causal Layered Analysis, which allows for the analysis of emerging phenomena. Our study will contribute to the emerging discussion on the contradictory developments of global interconnectedness by exploring the changing role of trust in the technology-enabled connectivity of businesses and economies.

This poster compares the gig economy in Europe and the United States, focusing on critical differences in labor regulations, worker protections, market size, cultural perceptions, and the impact of COVID-19. Preliminary findings indicate that Europe’s stronger social safety nets provide more security for gig workers, while challenges in platform governance and worker rights persist. In the U.S., gig workers face fewer protections but value the flexibility and autonomy of gig work, despite significant financial risks and lack of benefits. The poster highlights the need for both regions to address these vulnerabilities to ensure that the gig economy remains sustainable and equitable.

Despite the increasing prevalence of remote work, its broader social, economic, and spatial implications require further examination. In this article, we address the concerns from an interdisciplinary perspective by performing a systematic literature review of the various impacts of remote work. We also zoom in on specific regional cases to compare and contrast the multitude of ways in which remote work can shape societies depending on the geographical and cultural context. Findings from our systematic literature review indicate that remote work has wide-ranging impacts from mental health and well-being to economic impacts for both employees and employers and spatial and environmental impacts that are causing inequality and influencing urban and rural areas differently. Our regional comparison suggests that remote work from second homes provides opportunities for rural municipalities that are facing a shrinking and ageing population (Finland and Norway); digital nomadism can contribute to gentrification of local communities, the increase in rents, and possible changes in the financialization of housing (Spain and Portugal); and that empirical studies of cross-border remote workers and their use of satellite offices are needed because they face unique taxation and social security challenges which influence their work arrangements and mobility patterns (Greater Luxembourg Region).

Ambidexterity, the organizational capability to balance exploration and exploitation, creates an environment conducive to fostering intrapreneurial intentions within MNEs and their foreign subsidiaries. Much of the discussion that links ambidexterity to various types of innovative behavior, however, fails to capture the unique nature of the employee’s context in the MNC. Indeed, much of the research on ambidexterity neglects the psychological, emotional, and physical health of the person, which are factors we know influence employee-level outcomes. In this study, we expound on a theory that suggests that the relationship between ambidexterity and intrapreneurial intentions is significantly moderated by subsidiary employee well-being. Employee well-being, which includes psychological, emotional, and physical health and overall life satisfaction, plays a critical role in influencing how employees in subsidiaries respond to the opportunities and challenges presented by an ambidextrous environment. To test our theory, we leveraged a unique dataset of Swedish subsidiary employees of foreign MNCs collected in 2024. Preliminary results support our prediction that it is the interaction between ambidexterity and well-being that determines most variance in intrapreneurial intentions, rather than any one of them in isolation.

Fazer, a multinational corporation (MNC), had made plans to invest in a carbon neutral manufacturing facility in Lahti, Finland. While the investment was pending, the value added tax (VAT) rate for sweets jumped from 14 to 25,5 percent, and Fazer wanted to put the investment decision on hold. But why did this happen? Was it because of the tax, or because of the anger the tax caused? This delay of the investment process requires a deeper inquiry into the corporate investment decision-making, since these investments are urgent and critical for the green transition. They have been examined through tangible country-level characteristics related to institutions, country risk, infrastructure, as well as human and natural resources. Regulatory aspects have been examined in terms of “jurisdiction shopping” where MNCs choose to invest in countries with more generous policies. However, taxes and emotions, have been overlooked in IB research despite their prevalence in MNCs’ investments, and their combined effect in green investment decisions of MNCs has not been explored at all. We will expand IB research by conducting state-of-the-art research on the role of taxes and emotions in green investment process. This interdisciplinary project combines methods and theories from tax law, IB and psychology.

With the spread of digitalisation in every area of our lives, not only new business models and modes of operation, but also new economic actors have emerged. In the digital(ised) markets, a relevant new phenomenon is the platform. We can find platforms in many sectors and markets, ranging from operation systems and search engines to e-commerce, accommodation, or travel services. Market regulation in the EU internal market is traditionally implemented through competition regulation. We show how platforms’ behaviour has lately been regulated in this framework. Nevertheless, with the launch of the Digital Single Market Strategy in 2015 and then, under the 2019-2024 Commission priority ‘A Europe fit for the digital age’, targeted regulation of the digital markets has also developed. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) are groundbreaking advancements in the evolution of EU-level market regulation. Our methodology consists of reviewing competition and DMA cases of digital platforms in the EU. Our results confirm the commitment of the European Commission as regulator to ensuring a fair and decent competition in the digital economy, similarly to traditional sectors.

The purpose of this research project is to contribute to international business research by studying factors that enable firms’ successful development and diffusion of healthcare innovations in international markets. In the healthcare sector, firms’ ability to manage innovation consistently is highly critical not only for firms’ growth but also for society at large. However, studies have shown that not only the adoption of new healthcare innovations but also their widespread diffusion within the industry proves to be highly challenging. This project addresses the need for more international business research exploring international firms’ ability to innovate and diffuse healthcare innovations on a widespread international scope. This project builds on the concept of absorptive capacity, and adopts a mixed-method research approach to explore the two research questions: How do firms utilize their absorptive capacity to successfully develop new healthcare innovations? What are the success factors and challenges in healthcare innovation concerning the diffusion of innovations in international markets? The project intends to contribute to international business by enhancing theoretical and empirical insights on factors influencing firms’ successful development and diffusion of healthcare innovation in international markets.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has precipitated a profound geopolitical crisis, fundamentally reshaping the current landscape of international business. Multinational corporations (MNCs) are at the forefront of this turmoil, grappling with the decision to either continue their operations in Russia or withdraw from the market. This decision-making process is far from straightforward, as it involves a complex set of factors. This study examines the factors influencing MNCs' market continuity decisions in Russia amidst this conflict. The purpose of the study is to offer strategic insights for policymakers, corporate leaders, and international business (IB) scholars. Focusing on the interplay between geopolitical factors and economic rationales, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of corporate behavior in conflict-affected regions.

This research examines the relation between firm resilience and circular economy (CE) legislation. MNEs face increasing pressures to adopt sustainable practices in response to geopolitical instability, such as in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and CO2 emissions legislation. CE is an essential strategy to counter these challenges by lowering emissions and resource depletion whilst potentially unlocking $4.5 trillion in economic opportunities. Using a comprehensive, hand-compiled dataset of key brands in the global auto industry from 2012-2021, the study investigates how the level of firm circular engagement mediates the relationship between CE legislation and resilience. It includes a comparison of CE policies in leading automotive manufacturing areas—primarily China, the USA, and the EU—to explain how differing legal frameworks influence firm resilience amidst the transition to CE. The research contributes to broader IB studies by investigating how formal institutional factors can catalyze sustainable economic transitions and advance firm resilience.

Despite the remarkably rapid rise in the popularity of GenAI technologies in higher education, most studies have focused on institutional, pedagogical, or technical perspectives. In particular, the lack of cross-national perspectives on students’ use and attitude poses risks of widening the existing digital divide when implementing guidelines established by leading universities, which often lack the voices of the Global South. In addition, the availability of GenAI tools depends on the country, and the universities have varying policies about the use of GenAI. Our cross-national study compares the use and attitudes toward Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) among university students in several countries, including China, the US, the UK, Italy, Sweden, Mexico, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. We have collected three sets of data so far, two from China and one from the UK. In addition, we will conduct focus groups for each country setting after analyzing survey results to understand the usage patterns and attitudes further. Our study will also apply models of cultural differences, such as cultural values, to understand the reasons behind the attitudes and use of GenAI technologies.

This study investigates the determinants, drivers, and motives (DDM) of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Slovakia within the context of the broader Visegrad Four (V4) countries and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Utilizing the UNCTAD modified DDM methodology, the research first identifies the capabilities and needs of the Chinese economy in relation to the EU market. It also considers Slovakia's economic status and investment policies amidst a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous global environment. The study highlights that despite the significant global investment expansion by China, its OFDI in Slovakia and the V4 countries remains relatively low. A comparative analysis from 2007 to 2021 of the Slovak economy and V4 countries provides insights into the macroeconomic and political drivers affecting these investments. The findings indicate a significant gap in research regarding the investment motivations of Chinese high-tech MSMEs in Slovakia, especially in light of recent geopolitical shifts and techno-nationalist policies in Europe. The study concludes that a nuanced understanding of these dynamics is essential for leveraging new investment opportunities in Slovakia, driven by evolving China-EU relations and the strategic importance of CEE countries in global value chains.

Firms respond to polycentric institutional environments by incorporating a commitment to sustainable, ethical, and inclusive behavior. This theoretical-empirical article addresses how companies respond to polycentric institutional environments when adopting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices. It focuses on a company in the agribusiness sector and uses a single case study to explore CSR practices that respond to social, environmental, and governance problems. The results tend to show that the company develops Corporate Social Responsibility practices in the environmental, social, and governance areas, especially when catalyzing its actions aimed at the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN). The article addresses potential theoretical contributions to map practices that help companies respond to uncertainties in the institutional context, in addition to making it possible to improve companies' sustainable practices.

Capitalism has evolved from family to managerial and then institutional models, but Latin America has followed a unique path with hierarchical governance and strong family control. This region faces specific challenges hindering innovation, sustainability efforts and impacting economic well-being and job quality. Latin American businesses' traditional governance impacts SDGs related to poverty, decent jobs, and inequality. Integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) concerns can improve financial performance and attract investors. Employee Ownership (EO), sharing company ownership with employees, is proposed as a solution to enhance governance and achieve SDGs. This paper examines EO's success in Europe and its potential application in Mexico, aiming to provide strategies for Latin American firms to adopt EO and improve ESG performance.

Ambidexterity has garnered significant attention from international business (IB) scholars. It is widely acknowledged that ambidexterity comprises combined and balanced dimensions, with recognized distinctions between them. However, prior studies have predominantly focused on one dimension while paying scant attention to comparative analyses between the two. Moreover, empirical research examining the relationship between ambidexterity and firm innovation remains limited, yielding divergent conclusions among scholars. Thus, this paper, grounded in the resource-based view (RBV) and situated within the empirical context of China, simultaneously investigates both dimensions of ambidexterity, uncovering their differential impacts on firm innovation performance. Furthermore, we explore the contextual conditions influencing this relationship. Our findings challenge the prevailing notion that ambidexterity invariably leads to superior performance and hold implications for the internationalization strategies and innovation capabilities of Chinese multinational enterprises.

Our study investigates co-legitimation in innovation ecosystems, considering normative and cognitive legitimation elements on the intersection of the firm-, category-, and ecosystem-level. For empirically analyzing our theoretical framework and propositions, we apply a pattern matching technique. We analyze data using 34 different interviews and secondary data of nine innovation ecosystems in the 3D printing industry. We find that co-legitimation can develop a shared ecosystem prototype, regardless of the multiple category background of members and audiences located inside, outside, or hybrid of innovation ecosystems. Co-legitimation demands consensus and coherence between members, ecosystem, and category. Cognitive and normative legitimacy are in a complementary relationship. Dynamics occur when giants enter the ecosystem. Firms might follow three co-legitimation strategies: passive-adaptive, developmental-nurture, and a disruptive inflammational strategy.

This paper investigates the FDI attractiveness in East and South-eastern Europe for the 2015 period, a rather economic phase of stability in the aftermath of the 2007-2008 international financial crisis and the Eurozone debt crisis and until COVID-19. FDI remains an essential factor in economic growth and development. Understanding which factors significantly influence investment decisions in the region assists government policy makers in designing and implementing policies for attracting FDI and MNEs managers the decide the location of their investments.

The study employs a comprehensive approach, considering a wide range of determinants, including Market Size and Growth, Political Stability and Governance, Legal and Regulatory Framework, wage level, Taxation Policies, and the Quality of Institutions and Rule of Law.

Methodologically, the research utilizes descriptive statistics and the crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis method, drawing on data from international databases. Statistical analysis based on descriptive statistics has been utilized to support the first filtering out of the less relevant factors. The qualitative comparative analysis is applied after carefully choosing the independent variables, called conditions, to provide a deeper understanding of how specific factors and combination of factors contribute to FDI attractiveness.

Where people face immature or contested political institutions – a characteristic of many less-developed countries – the lack of access to the ballot box may result in political violence. Terrorism, uprisings, and other forms of individual or collective action to shift power may result in damage, fatalities, and, above all, uncertainty. How then do businesses respond to political violence? This paper argues that political violence can be an alternative way in which to understand business history in the absence of firm archives, less of a “rupture” in the history of the firm than a “structural break.” By triangulating around such events using stock prices and popular press, we can help scholars to establish the strategic responses of firms to political uncertainty. This theoretical framework is developed using the prevalence of political violence in one country, Russia, during the 19th century to show the effect of such violence on firms and how firm idiosyncrasies shaped firm responses.

This study investigates the early sensemaking of stakeholders in the shipping industry's ecosystem following the introduction of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). Using qualitative interviews, we find variation among different stakeholder groups perceptions of the policy introduction. These variations in perception are influenced by the stakeholders' roles and positions within the ecosystem, guiding their sensemaking and framing of the regulatory changes. We also discover tensions in the framing of different stakeholders that lead to varied strategic responses, highlighting the complexity of achieving cohesive regulatory implementation. The study underscores the importance of considering stakeholder sensemaking in policy design to ensure effective compliance across complex global ecosystems.

Innovation efforts are crucial to securing competitiveness and long-term growth in today’s dynamic marketplace. However, scholars are expressing concern about the little attention given to process innovation compared to product innovation when explaining firm performance. This paper fills this research gap by answering the question: Does a firm’s ability to implement process innovation continuously serve as a boundary condition in the relationship between new product innovation, new product commercialisation, and superior performance? Using the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel Survey, this study employs the two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation technique to analyse a panel sample of 1,780 Spanish firms. We find support for our hypotheses. Thus, the study’s findings offer valuable insights for firms seeking to improve their innovation efforts and performance. Thus, by pursuing strategies that integrate continuous process innovation alongside product development and commercialisation, firms can position themselves for competitive advantage and sustainable superior performance.

Traditionally, discussions on sustainability have primarily centered around environmental and economic dimensions. However, our focus in this study is on the often overlooked yet highly relevant aspect of social sustainability. Consequently, we pose the following questions: How can multinational companies integrate social sustainability into their operations? And what are the key factors that influence the success or failure of social sustainability initiatives? To address these research questions, we draw on research from international business/marketing and sustainability literature, coupled with an examination of two cases of social sustainability integration and key factors concerning its implementation. This study's findings not only contribute to a theoretical understanding of social sustainability but also hold practical implications for multinational companies aiming to strengthen the social pillar within their sustainability practices. Furthermore, we advocate for a more holistic approach to sustainability that acknowledges the complex alignment of the environmental, economic, and social considerations in the global business landscape.

Although it is undeniable that fashion industry should become more sustainable and that consumers’ awareness towards conscious consumption is growing, less is known about the drivers, motives and incentives that trigger the adoption of sustainable practices by companies.

Therefore the objective of this study is to detect the drivers of change in fashion companies. This research problem may be investigated through three stage research method: integrative literature review, content analysis of Internet resources and audit of websites and other company materials.

It is possible to observe such motivations as: rising competition, threat from ultra-fast fashion, disruptive innovation, business model innovation, COVID 19 pandemic and its consequences in terms of changed consumer habits and expectations, supply chain alterations, slow fashion, laws and regulations, social movements and initiatives. Although some actions result from stakeholder pressure, fast fashion companies have noticeable freedom of choice and that makes the subject very controversial.

The research and managerial implications of the research include better understanding of the possibility of construction better incentives and rules for the companies to improve the process of transition and could lead to the creation of tailored incentives to change as well as developing more coherent and properly rigid architecture of regulations.

We use an exploratory research design involving multiple case studies in South Korea to explain how the use of social media facilitate opportunity exploration and exploitation in social entrepreneurial ventures. This study advances research on social media by proposing a novel categorisation of social media use in social entrepreneurial ventures for exchanging resources with external stakeholders. Specifically, we found that social media is used by social entrepreneurial ventures for the inbound transfer of resources through scanning, sourcing and acquiring as well as the outbound transfer of resources through revealing, signalling, selling and disseminating. Lastly, our findings also unveil some challenges for SEVs to use SM, understanding of which offer significant practical implications.

A quality job can be considered as a socially scarce value in that it directly affects the quality of life of an individual as people tend to rely highly on the income they gain from their job. Not only that, it conveys where an individual is classified within a social hierarchy.

Based on the status theory, a subject tends to aim higher status in order to increase the chance of survival. This stems from an idea that higher status guarantees better access to various values which may lead to the higher chance of survival. This idea can be applied to the recruiting market as well. With the same reason, for an individual to secure its living, they would target for a better job which is, at the end, a quality job.

Therefore, it is significant for a society not to discriminate job applicants. This is emerging as the employment of human resources with diversity is increasing. Yet, this research aims to focus on the perspective of coworkers of employees who have received advantages in the process of recruitment. Given this perspective when devising policy or method for recruiting, sustainability of such policy or method is expected to be strengthened.

Successful and sustainably responsible companies posting their staff abroad to provide services or to fulfill other duties in connection to the company’s business often take into consideration the motivation of their staff to proactively influence their willingness to accept international assignments and work abroad (Cuhlova, 2017). In contrary to the motivation of such employees to work on behalf of the employer in the foreign country not only lies the company’s requirement to ensure the ongoing business operations abroad (Boies & Rothstein, 2002), but also create a competitive and meaningful assignment policy, that will be cost effective for all involved parties, attractive enough for the employee to perform the work abroad in a long term and last, but not least – eco-friendly and sustainable for a company in a long run.

Multinational company offers to its employees an opportunity for long-term international assignments including the relocation of the close family members not only to ensure the international operations, but also to develop the staff and due to strategic business reasons. There must be a comprehensive global mobility strategy in place in order to attract not only the actual staff, but also the talents on the labor market outside the company. The assignment policy must be not only competitive, but also should mind various scenarios which can occur during the assignment abroad. The usual assignment scenario modification is necessary by the change in size of the family – e.g. due to childbirth, marriage etc. and/or change in the dependent status. Multinational company as the employer should be therefore prepared to suppor the modifications in the assignment set up.