Dear AIB colleagues,

 

I am delighted to let you know about a paper award, sponsored by the Aalto University School of Business, which will be given at the upcoming AIB conference in Minneapolis. The Aalto University School of Business “That’s Interesting!” Award recognizes the AIB conference paper that most effectively pushes the boundaries of our existing knowledge in the field. The criteria for the award are based on the extent to which the paper crosses boundaries, challenges taken-for-granted assumptions in the field, denies old “truths”, attracts the reader’s attention, and/or makes an original argument.

 

This is the seventh year in which the award has been given. The award, which includes a plaque and US$1000, has been named after Murray S. Davis’ seminal article about how to define what is interesting in social sciences.* Nominations are made by the AIB conference track chairs, and the winning paper is selected by a committee on which I have the pleasure of working with Eleanor Westney and Udo Zander.

 

The winner of this year’s Aalto University School of Business “That’s Interesting!” Award will be announced, on Thursday, 28^th June, at the morning coffee break (10.15-10.45, in the Exhibits Hall). The nominated papers are listed below, with their associated sessions:

 

Economic Distance and Foreign Divestment: The Case of Nordic FDIs in BRICs (Session 2.5.6, 16:15-17:30, Greenway J)

Pratik Arte, University of Vaasa

Jorma Larimo, University of Vaasa

 

Global Cities: A New Perspective on Cultural Differences at the Sub-National and Supra-National Levels (Session 2.3.5, 13:00-14:15, Mirage)

Anthony Goerzen, Queen's University

Torben Pedersen, Bocconi University

Valerio Veglio, Bocconi University

Frank Elter, Telenor

Paul Gooderham, NHH / Middlesex University

 

Towers of Babel: The Influence of Linguistic Diversity on Knowledge Transfers Within the MNE (Session 2.5.8, 16:15-17:30, St. Croix)

Komal Kiran Kalra, University of Victoria

Wade Danis, University of Victoria

 

Multi-Colocation as Network: Types and Performance Implications of Structural Positions in Competitive Colocation Network (Session 1.5.8, 16:15-17:30, St. Croix)

Minyoung Kim, University of Kansas

Chang Hoon Oh, Simon Fraser University

 

How Important is Value for Money for Customer Satisfaction? - A Cross-cultural Study in the Airline Services Industry (Session 3.4.5, 14.30-15.45, Mirage)

Wolfgang Messner, University of South Carolina

 

Patterns and Determinants of Postwar Foreign Direct Investment Recovery (Session 3.3.9, 13.00-14.15, Skyway A)

Robert James Moore, University of Hawaii at Manoa

 

Pro-Market Reforms and the Outsourcing Tradeoffs: A Multi Country Study (Session 2.1.4, 09:00-10:15, Lakeshore C)

N Nuruzzaman, Rutgers University

Debmalya Mukherjee, University of Akron

Deeksha Singh, Rutgers University

 

International Managers Working at French MNCs: Culture Standards and Their Implications for International HRM (Session 3.3.8, 13:00-14:15, St. Croix)

Stefan Zagelmeyer, University of Manchester

Yasmina Jaidi, Université Panthéon-Assas

Frank Burnois, ESCP Europe

 

Warmest congratulations to all of the nominees for the 2018 Aalto University School of Business “That’s Interesting!” Award! Please join us on Thursday, when the winning paper will be announced.

 

Best regards – and safe travels to all who are heading to Minneapolis,

Beth

 

*Davis, M.S. (1971) That’s interesting! Towards a phenomenology of sociology and sociology of phenomenology. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 1: 309-344.