The Review of International Business and Strategy is pleased to present its new special issue:

Gender differences in developing global digital marketing strategies.

The globalisation of markets and production presents challenges for managers due to the growing intensity and complexity of global competition. Thus, many companies are increasingly recognising the important role of efficient international marketing activities and innovation in reaching growth and prosperity (Leonidou and Hultman, 2019).

Digital marketing technologies have revolutionised the way international business firms operate and market their products and/or services at a global scale. In the era of new digital technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and big data, managers need to be aware of emergent technological trends and focus on the innovative capacity in marketing their products and/or services on a global scale. Digital marketing allows businesses to reach a wider segment of customers in developed and developing economies and provides opportunities to build brand loyalty and provide a more personalised shopping experience. The advancement in digital marketing and the introduction of new advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and chatbots provides new opportunities and challenges for international companies (Ng and Wakenshaw, 2017; Huang and Rust, 2018). However, previous studies have highlighted the lack of focus on examining the future of the digital context in international business (Watson et al., 2018).

According to the recent International Business Report by Grant Thornton (2018), the percentage of businesses around the world with at least one woman in senior management has increased significantly, rising from 66% in 2017 to 75% in 2018.  Women comprise the bulk of the marketing industry workforce (Duggan, 2018). Previous studies showed significant gender differences in the use of technology for business-related purposes (Ameen and Willis, 2016; Ameen et al., 2018). However, despite the significant role women play in international business and developing global strategies, the topic of gender is generally marginalised in international business research (Bullough et al., 2017; Eden and Gupta, 2017; Frenkel, 2017). Furthermore, while gender differences in international business have been studied in the context of expatriation, or human resources and talent management, they have not been studied sufficiently in other areas such as marketing, decision-making and digital skills (Koveshnikov et al., 2019). With (slowly) declining gender-related barriers to promotion to senior management levels, there is a greater scope for women to work as senior marketers in international business firms (Gundlach and Sammartino, 2019). Nevertheless, there is a gap in the existing literature in examining, analysing, and understanding gender differences among marketers in developing global digital marketing strategies. Hence, addressing this issue will advance knowledge and contribute to the research in the areas of international business and global strategy.

We welcome empirical, conceptual and review papers that advances the theoretical knowledge on how gender differences among marketers might challenge some of the theories and assumptions in digital marketing and international business and how this is or will be translated to the firm level. Specific topics may include, but are not limited to:

•    Cross-national and cross-cultural issues in gender differences among marketers in developing global digital marketing strategies.
•    Challenges faced by male vs female marketers in managing digital marketing technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, big data, social media and mobile marketing in developing and emerging markets to develop global marketing strategies.
•    Gender differences in using different digital marketing channels for global marketing strategies.
•    Knowledge sharing and knowledge management in using technologies to develop global digital marketing strategies among male and female marketers
•    Gender differences in developing global digital marketing strategies for start ups
•    Gender differences in approaches to mobile marketing at a global scale
•    The gender gap in digital skills among marketers and its implications for the theory and practice of international business
•    How contemporary issues in global digital marketing strategies such as digital and social performance are viewed by female marketers across the globe.

Deadline and Submission Details:

Submission deadline: 30 October 2020

Submission Guidelines:

Submissions should follow the manuscript format guidelines for RIBS found here.  

All manuscripts should be submitted through the RIBS online submission system.
 
This special issue is guest edited by Dr. Ali Tarhini, (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman), Dr. Nisreen Ameen (Royal Holloway, University of London, UK), Professor. Cihan Cobanoglu, (University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, USA)
  

For more information on this special issue, or to contact the guest editors, please view the call for papers webpage.