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CALL FOR PAPERS

50th Anniversary Special Issue of the Journal of International Business
Studies

 

CHANGING THE WORLD: 

HOW IB RESEARCH MAKES A DIFFERENCE

 

 

Deadline for submission: July 20, 2018

 

Tentative publication date:   late 2019

 

The Academy of International Business (AIB) is a social community of
scholars dedicated to creating and disseminating knowledge on international
business (IB) challenges, with JIBS as its main, global conduit for
publishing leading research. 

 

In 2019, JIBS will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. The 50th year
anniversary issue of the journal will address the broad issue of 'Changing
the World: How IB Research Makes a Difference.' The anniversary issue will
include scholarly pieces that can be theoretical in nature, empirical, or
managerially oriented. Each paper will showcase how the research presented
has made a difference to changing the world in a tangible fashion
(retrospective work) or could do so in the foreseeable future (prospective
work). The 'world' can refer to an entire subfield of IB research and
teaching, or to mainstream managerial practice, or both. A few examples of
past IB research that clearly meets the 'changing the world' criterion,
include C. Bartlett and S. Ghoshal's work on the transnational solution; G.
Hofstede's work on culture's consequences; W.C. Kim and R. Mauborgne's work
on procedural justice in multinational enterprises; and S. Zaheer's work on
overcoming the liability of foreignness.

 

However, IB research making a difference should be interpreted generously,
especially for prospective work aimed at transforming contemporary academic
discourse or managerial practice. The work of IB researchers provides
insight on IB phenomena, but whether an entire subfield of IB research and
teaching, or mainstream managerial practice will be significantly altered by
this insight, is never guaranteed. For example, in the face of
well-researched, unambiguous conclusions on linkages between specific
managerial actions and performance (or the absence thereof), mistaken views
from the past might still reign for long periods of time, whether in
research and teaching, or in managerial practice. 

 

The JIBS Editors will consider work that includes how IB research is
affecting - or is constructively interacting with - functional fields in
management and other social sciences, so as to address more effectively
critical IB subject matter. The subject matter studied can range from
micro-foundational challenges to society's grand questions. The reference to
'critical' subject matter means that the work should have major implications
for our understanding of the governance, the strategy or the performance of
internationally operating firms. Of special interest is work on
internationally operating firms that goes against common perceptions, and
that provides balanced analysis of the costs and benefits of particular
managerial choices or courses of action. One example is analysis of the
vulnerability of MNE networks and value chains, rather than the supposed
market power thereof. A second example is integrative analysis of entry
strategy (including mode mixes and in-depth study of firms' entire
foreign-operations portfolios) and the effects of compounded distance,
seldom found in past research. A third example includes fact-based analysis
of the outcomes of firm-level, industry-level and macro-level decisions and
actions fostering globalization or de-globalization. Of particular interest
is also how IB research can make a tangible difference in the practice of
management, whether by increasing economic efficiency, creating better
outcomes for a variety of stakeholders, or even improving the welfare of
mankind broadly construed.

 

As regards theoretical papers, the JIBS Editors have a preference for
path-breaking work, rather than incremental contributions, though radical
new ideas should be solidly grounded in extant research. For empirical work,
the JIBS Editors would like to see submissions that build mainly on primary
data, rather than secondary data, in order to maximize the likelihood of
truly path-breaking work, and with the authors having an unambiguously
strong command of their data. Finally, papers with a distinct managerial
flavor have been a hallmark of JIBS since 1970. In keeping with this
tradition, the anniversary issue aims to include pieces that combine
'state-of-the-art' scholarly insight with important, evidence-based
recommendations for management. As noted above, retrospective work, credibly
documenting achievements of IB research in truly 'making a difference', will
also receive full consideration.

 

The JIBS Editors are inviting submissions aligned with the 'changing the
world' theme, and subject to the above qualifications, in three tracks. 

 

Track 1: Theory papers making distinct contributions to the 'changing the
world' theme, by recombining elements of IB theory with state-of-the-art
findings from functional fields in management and from other social
sciences. 

 

Track 2: Empirical papers making distinct contributions to the 'changing the
world' theme, by building mainly on primary data, and providing truly novel
insight into the critical subject matter covered.

 

Track 3: Managerial-practice oriented papers making distinct contributions
to the 'changing the world' theme, through evidence-based guidance on how to
improve the governance, strategy or performance of internationally operating
firms.

 

Submission Process and Deadlines

All manuscripts for the JIBS 50th Anniversary Issue will be reviewed as a
cohort. Manuscripts must be submitted during the period July 9-20, 2018, to:
<http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jibs> http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jibs.


 

All submissions will go through a first, fast-track evaluation round,
conducted by the JIBS Reviewing Editor and Editor-in-Chief, to assess the
suitability for the Anniversary Issue. Papers viewed as being sufficiently
aligned with the 'changing the world' goals will be assigned to a member of
the JIBS Editors team for further evaluation and subjected to double-blind
review. High-quality submissions insufficiently aligned with the anniversary
issue's goals will be reassigned to the standard evaluation process for
regular JIBS issues. 

 

It is anticipated that a formal workshop will be organized for the papers
that have passed the first round of double-blind reviews, in order to
provide editorial guidance for additional revisions. This workshop will
likely be organized in late 2018.

 

For more information about this Call for Papers, please contact the JIBS
Managing Editor ( <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
[log in to unmask]). 

 


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