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CALL FOR PAPERS: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT

Special Issue on the Role and the Use of the Internet in
Shaping and Advancing International Management

Submission Deadline: (June 30, 2017)

Special Issue Editors: Saeed Samiee and Brian C. Chabowski

The University of Tulsa

Since the public introduction of the Internet some 25 years ago, it has become ubiquitous in how people and organizations function and related activities are managed. Today, the Internet is at the center of virtually all business, government, and many personal activities, and is increasingly being used in new ways, such as managing places of business (e.g., 24/7 gym facilities), objects (e.g., equipment and machinery; home appliances). Although the Internet's penetration and general use across countries vary considerably, by virtue of necessity, it is used by firms practically everywhere in one form or another. 

Researchers have embraced the use of the Internet in business activities, especially with respect to its use in e-commerce and marketing, resulting in a growing body of scholarship in these domains. Common international themes of interest among researchers include electronic supply chain management, e-commerce, exporting, and the internationalization of firms. Among early conceptual contributions to this line of research are Hamill (1997) and Samiee (1998) who provide conceptual frameworks for the role of the Internet in exporting activities of the firm. These efforts were complemented and extended with empirical contributions by Bennett (1997) and Hamill and Gregory (1997). Internationalization has also received a fair amount of attention with much of the focus directed at small- and/or medium-sized firms.  Davis and Harveston (2000), for example, investigated the impact of Internet usage and technology involvement on internationalization in family businesses. Other contributions to internationalization of small and/or medium enterprises (SMEs) include Lituchy and Rail (2000), Moini and Tesar (2005), Morgan-Thomas and Bridgewater (2004), Mostafa, Wheeler, and Jones (2005), and Petersen, Welch, and Liesch (2002).

Though the common belief in the 1990s regarding the power of the Internet was to make firms global overnight, evidence seems to indicate that the Internet has been less impactful in internationalizing firms. Still, it can complement the internationalization activities of firms, including those of Internet-based firms. For example, Kotha, Rindova, and Rothaermel (2001) reported on the internationalization of U.S.based Internet firms and found that intangible assets can be developed during their internationalization process. 

The use of the Internet for performing management functions seems to be uneven. Some areas of management, such as human resource functions, have fully embraced and leveraged the Internet. However, the impact of the Internet on some important aspects management, for example, strategy and strategic planning, has received little attention. Since global market intelligence is a critical step in strategy development, have international firms' strategies benefitted from the Internet so far as their planning processes are concerned? Have MNCs embarked on automating routine and time consuming components of strategic planning? Has the Internet shortened the planning cycle, the implementation, or control of various plans? Do some MNCs invest in proprietary software or processes to accommodate aspects of their strategy? Similar questions can be extended to narrower aspects of firms' global operations. For example, do global strategies evolve differently with the advent of the Internet? How has the Internet influenced human resource management strategies in large global firms versus SMEs with a local or regional focus?  Does Internet use in management vary across countries and cultures? Does it differ across emerging and developed markets?  Which conditions would most likely explain these types of differences?  How has the adoption of the Internet altered the competitive landscape?  To what extent have interactive processes changed both within and outside the firm among employees, managers, and stakeholders?  Furthermore, how do the cultural imperatives in management interact with increased use of the Internet by firms?  At the operational level, do legal and political forces limit efficient global leveraging of the Internet?

The goal of this special issue is to motivate research that explores and uncovers the influence of the Internet across a wide range of management activities, including strategy and planning at the firm level. Manuscripts addressing ways in which the Internet influences and shapes international management functions, particularly where the primary purpose is one of achieving a competitive advantage (as opposed cost reduction as the primary reason for deploying the Internet), are especially welcome. The role of the Internet in the internationalization of small and medium-sized firms as well as the extent to which they would not have been able to internationalize in the absence of the Internet are also research issues of interest for this Special Issue.

We encourage submission of both conceptual and empirical papers. All papers should incorporate a solid theoretical and/or conceptual component, including those aimed at augmenting or modifying current theories and models. Case studies that offer in-depth insights as to how firms have or are using the Internet to achieve international and internationalization goals are also welcome. In general, all papers oriented toward an international management theme that leverage the Internet are encouraged for submission.

Submission information

and submitted through the Journal’s submission website.

To ensure that all manuscripts are correctly identified for consideration for this Special Issue, it is important that authors select ‘SI: Internet and International Management’ when they reach the “Article Type” step in the submission process.

Please direct any questions regarding the Special Issue to: Saeed Samiee

([log in to unmask]) and Brian C. Chabowski (b[log in to unmask])

References

Bennett, R. (1997). Export marketing and the internet: Experiences of web site use and perceptions of export barriers among UK businesses. International Marketing Review, 14(5), 324-344.

Davis, P. S., & Harveston, P. D. (2000). Internationalization and organizational growth: The impact of Internet usage and technology involvement among entrepreneur-led family businesses. Family Business Review, 13(2), 107-120.

Hamill, J. (1997). The Internet and international marketing. International Marketing Review, 14(5), 300-323.

Hamill, J., & Gregory, K. (1997). Internet marketing in the internationalisation of UK SMEs. Journal of Marketing Management, 13(1-3), 9-28.

Kotha, S., Rindova, V. P., & Rothaermel, F. T. (2001). Assets and actions: Firm-specific factors in the internationalization of US Internet firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 32(4), 769-791.

Lituchy, T. R., & Rail, A. (2000). Bed and breakfasts, small inns, and the Internet: The impact of technology on the globalization of small businesses. Journal of International Marketing, 8(2), 86-97.

Moini, H., & Tesar, G. (2005). The internet and internationalization of smaller manufacturing enterprises. Journal of Global Marketing, 18(3-4), 79-94.

Morgan-Thomas, A., & Bridgewater, S. (2004). Internet and exporting: Determinants of success in virtual export channels. International Marketing Review, 21(4/5), 393-408.

Mostafa, R. H., Wheeler, C., & Jones, M. V. (2005). Entrepreneurial orientation, commitment to the Internet and export performance in small and medium sized exporting firms. Journal of Iinternational Entrepreneurship, 3(4), 291-302.

Petersen, B., Welch, L. S., & Liesch, P. W. (2002). The Internet and foreign market expansion by firms. Management International Review, 207-221.

Samiee, S. (1998). Exporting and the Internet: A conceptual perspective. International Marketing Review, 15(5), 413-426.

About the Guest Editors

Saeed Samiee is the Collins Professor of Marketing and International Business at The University of Tulsa. His research is focused on marketing-related facets of international business. He has published on a range marketing issues, including the application of the Internet in international marketing, exporting, and brand-related issues and his publications have appeared in such journals as the Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Journal of International Business Studies. He is an incoming marketing editor for the Journal of International Business Studies and serves as an Associate Editor for international marketing for the Decision Sciences Journal.

Brian R. Chabowski is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Tulsa. He has published research in the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of International Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and other academic journals. In addition, he is on the editorial review board for the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Research, and other outlets. His research interests include technology and international business, the interdisciplinarity of international business, and international marketing strategy.

-- 
Masaaki "Mike" Kotabe
The Washburn Chair Professor of International Business and Marketing
President, Academy of International Business;
Editor, Journal of International Management
Temple University
The Fox School of Business
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