THUNDERBIRD INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS REVIEW 

Call for Papers

Special Issue: “Market Entry into Africa: Acquisitions and International Joint Ventures. Studies of foreign firm’s market entry strategies, challenges, and performance in Africa."

Deadline for submission of Manuscripts: 1 October 2018

For the past 40 years, while international business (IB) studies have focused on explaining the internationalization of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and the globalization of markets, studies focused on Africa have thus far been limited. Extending IB studies to the African context will improve IB theories as it has been suggested that contextualized explanations improve theorizing in international business studies (Meyer & Peng 2005; Welch, Piekkari, Plakoyiannaki & Paavilainen-Möntymäki 2011). African markets provide a unique context to test IB theories empirically and develop context-specific theories (Van de Ven & Jing 2011). Similar contextualization has been done in transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe (Meyer & Peng 2005), China (Child & Tse 2001), and studies on strategies of emerging market MNEs (Cuervo-Cazurra 2012).

The aim of this special issue is to advance international business in Africa and specifically focus on how foreign firms enter African markets via acquisitions and international joint ventures. It will extend knowledge of these market entry strategies in Africa for research and for foreign firms intending to or currently doing business in Africa.

This issue will address two important entry mode choices for foreign firms seeking market entry into Africa: the choice of acquisitions (partial and full acquisitions); and international joint ventures. Acquisitions and international joint ventures are gaining importance in Africa (Boateng and Glaister 2003; Dadzie & Owusu 2015) partly due to an increasing consolidation of several industries and economic liberation policies implemented by many Africa countries (UNCTAD 2015).

We seek papers that explore and analyze why foreign firms opt for IJV and acquisition strategies in Africa, how they manage their African subsidiaries and their performance with these entry modes. Furthermore, we seek for mainly empirical research but also some conceptual papers that enrich the contextualization of Africa in international business. Specifically, we seek state-of-the-art empirical and conceptual papers on topics including, but not limited to the following:

Motives and formation of IJVs and Acquisitions in Africa

• Motives of IJVs and acquisitions in Africa
• Motives of regional M&A vs. other cross-border M&As.
• Partner selection in IJVs, targets search and due diligence in acquisitions in Africa
• How IJVs and acquisitions from western countries in Africa differ from those of emerging market countries such as the BRICS?
• What are the major trends in IJVs and acquisitions in Africa?

External factors that are affecting IJVs and cross-border M&As in Africa

• How have institutional changes in African countries affected IJVs and acquisitions in Africa?
• In which countries are foreign investors utilizing IJVs more than acquisitions and vice versa and why?
• How do the institutional frameworks in Africa affect IJV & M&A process?
• What are the obstacles to IJVs and cross-border M&A in Africa?

Entry and Ownership Strategies:  How do foreign firms choose their entry strategies in Africa?

• How do firms choose between partial, staged, full acquisitions and IJVs?
• Partial acquisition vs. joint ventures
• Partial  vs. Full Acquisitions 
• Staged acquisitions vs. full acquisitions
• Ownership and control mechanisms in IJVS in Africa

Management of IJVs and Acquisitions in Africa

• Knowledge transfer  in IJVS and Acquisitions
• Expatriate managers vs. local management team
• Local adaptation vs. absorption of foreign practices in IJVs and acquisitions in Africa

Organizational and Cultural Issues in Acquisitions and IJVs in Africa

• The impact of cultural and language diversity in Africa on effective integration of cross-border acquisitions in Africa
• The integration process in acquisitions in Africa
• The role of culture in integration management in cross-border acquisitions in Africa
• HRM practices in IJVS and acquisitions
• Integration strategies in acquisitions

Performance of IJVs and Acquisitions in Africa

• Lessons learned from unsuccessful acquisition deals  and IJV failure in Africa
• Determinants of performance of IJVs and acquisitions in Africa
• Survival and stability of IJVs in Africa.
• Divestments of IJVs and acquisitions in Africa

Guest Co-Editors:           

1.      Dr. Nnamdi Oguji

Researcher, University of Vaasa, Finland

Consultant & Business Analyst, KONE Corporation

Email: [log in to unmask]

+358449966229

2.      Dr. Owusu Richard

Associate Professor

School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, Sweden

Email [log in to unmask]

+358452749131

Guidelines and Submission Information:

All manuscripts should be submitted to the special issue at manuscript central:

https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tibr

Authors must follow directions for submitting manuscripts to TIBR:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1520-6874/homepage/ForAuthors.html

Papers submitted to the Special Issue will be subjected to double‐blind peer review in accordance with TIBR guidelines. Further questions about this special issue should be directed to either of the Guest Editors of this Special Issue.