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JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT (JIM)

CALL FOR PAPERS SPECIAL ISSUE

Global Connectivity in a World of Disruptions

**Deadline for submissions: May 1st 2022**

Guest Editors:

Snehal Awate, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India - [log in to unmask]

Ram Mudambi, Temple University, USA - [log in to unmask]

Vittoria G. Scalera, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands – [log in to unmask]

Andreas Schotter, Ivey Business School, Canada - [log in to unmask]

Full CFP available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-international-management/about/call-for-papers#call-for-papers-global-connectivity-in-a-world-of-disruptions-journal-of-international-management

BACKGROUND TO SPECIAL ISSUE

It is obvious that human connectivity is the basis of all civilization. A simple thought experiment, considering the standard of living any one of us would obtain in a Robinson Crusoe like situation on a desert island, is enough to establish this. Yet the very obviousness of the crucial nature of connectivity leads us to take it for granted, much like the air we breathe. And like any essential requisite, it is only through disruption that we recognize its true nature.

Examining extant data illustrates that human capital and energy generate exponential returns when reinforced by inter-personal connectivity (Galperin and Viecens, 2017). Technology-based infrastructural networks have been the prime driver of connectivity since the industrial revolution. It began with transportation technologies of the 19th and 20th century (ships, railroads, aircraft, containerization), and continues in the 21st century in the form of IT and digital based technologies. Widespread technology diffusion has underpinned the hockey stick association between enablers of human connectivity and human prosperity (McCloskey, 2013).

In this context, it is important to distinguish between the fundamentally different aspects of technology – (a) speed; (b) quality; and (c) reliability.

AIMS AND SCOPE OF THIS SPECIAL ISSUE

These new scenarios represent challenges for existing theories adopted in the International Business literature and should stimulate scholars to assess, and eventually revise, current models and their assumptions to predict and explain MNEs’ decision and performance. MNEs that can leverage information and knowledge from ideally anywhere in the world are exposed to disruptions that can originate far from their centers of operation. Local disruptions can rapidly become global and involve different actors and organizations across global value chains. While disruptions have been widely studied, their link to connectivity largely remains underexplored (Jackowska and Lauring, 2021; Lorenzen et al., 2020; Schotter, 2021).

On the one hand, connectivity spreads disruptions and poses a challenge to MNEs. On the other hand, connectivity may help ride over the disruptions. Increased virtual communications, enabled by the internet connectivity, has helped several kinds of MNE activities to continue during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the disruptions to normal human based face-to-face contact. Work-from-anywhere is becoming a new normal in some professions where it does not affect worker productivity (Choudhury et al., 2020).

POTENTIAL RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This special issue solicits research that analyzes the concept of connectivity from different perspectives and level of analysis (e.g., individuals, teams, organizations, global value chains, industries, countries, cities, clusters) (e.g., Breman et al., 2020; Lorenzen et al., 2020). We are particularly interested in studies that focus on the links between the generic forms of human connectivity, through organizational pipelines, personal relationships (Goerzen, 2018; Lorenzen and Mudambi, 2013; Perri et al., 2017; Schotter et al., 2017), geographic and technological networks (Awate and Mudambi, 2018), and the diverse forms of global disruptions across different worldwide locations characterized by heterogenous quality of institutions and infrastructures (Kumar et al., 2013). Global disruptions include public health (for example, pandemics - Asian flu, SARS, COVID19), geopolitics (for example, regime changes - both electoral and coups, populist policy changes, wars), as well as technologies (for example, the rise of social media, 3-D printing, AI), and many others.

In addition, we are interested in research that examines implications of these forms of disruptions on two action items - MNE strategy and public policy. Typically, the MNE's strategic response must be to maximize the resilience of firm performance metrics, while the public policy response must be to maximize the resilience of social processes.

SUBMISSION PROCESS AND DEADLINES

Authors can submit their paper between March 15th and May 1st 2022 to JIM for review.

All papers will be reviewed following the JIM double-blind review process and should be prepared using the JIM Guidelines, which can be reviewed at

https://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/601266?generatepdf=true.

Authors should submit an electronic copy of their manuscript via the journal’s online submission system via https://www.editorialmanager.com/intman/default.aspx.

The editors welcome informal enquiries related to proposed topics.

Manuscript Development Workshop:

The guest editors of the Special Issue will hold a manuscript development workshop, which will be online or hyflex. Details will be communicated to submitting authors. Authors of manuscripts who receive an invitation to revise and resubmit for a second round of review will be invited to attend this workshop. Presentation at the workshop does not guarantee acceptance of the paper for publication in JIM. Conversely, attendance is not prerequisite for publication in the special issue.