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Call for Papers

Academy of International Business Western USA Chapter

2017 Annual Conference

February 23-25, 2017

San Jose, California, USA
Hosted by San Jose State University

Conference Theme: “The Role of Technology and Innovation in International Business”

Submission Deadline: November 7, 2016

AIB US-West announces its 2017 annual conference, to take place at San Jose State University, in the beautiful Silicon Valley of San Jose, California. This venue evokes the conference theme, the role of technology and innovation in international business. In addition to the main theme, the conference will feature a wide range of tracks for competitive sessions and panels, as well as keynote speakers from academia and business, a paper development workshop, a teaching workshop, and opportunities for networking. The conference seeks to enhance knowledge development of global trade and investment and superior performance in organizations that operate internationally. Papers that explain the nature or improve the international competitiveness of firms and non-profit organizations are welcome.

The conference welcomes a variety of participants, including master’s and PhD students, professors of all ranks, and members of the practitioner community. The conference is an opportunity to present scholarly papers and obtain critical feedback in a professional setting. Submitted papers can range from works-in-progress to complete articles aimed for journal publication. Awards will be given to the Best Paper and the Best Student Paper.

AIB-US West is one of 18 worldwide chapters of the Academy of International Business (AIB), the leading academic organization for scholars and practitioners of international business. The AIB-US West annual conference emphasizes presentation to an international audience of the latest ideas in international business scholarship and practice. The conference’s professional development focus provides a collegial and supportive platform to discuss and develop ideas, and an opportunity for mentoring authors to enhance their papers for publication. Although based in the Western United States, the AIB-US West annual conference is open to, and welcomes participants from, around the world.

Conference Venue

The 2017 Conference will take place on the beautiful campus of San Jose State University, in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, just south of San Francisco. The region is home to large multinationals and innovative firms in a wide range of high technology industries. Cradled by beautiful Yosemite National Park and the Pacific Ocean, San Jose has beautiful landscapes and a rich historical heritage. The city is a unique cultural hub, with a rich nightlife, museums, art, and easy access to wine country. For more information on Things to Do in San Jose, visit

Conference Highlights

AIB US-West is committed to professional development. The 2017 conference will feature a Paper Development Workshop (PDW) for doctoral students and junior faculty and a teaching/pedagogy workshop, as well as competitive paper sessions, and panels on leading issues in international business.

Paper and Panel Submissions

Paper and panel submissions for AIB US-West 2017 can explore the main conference theme by focusing on the role of technology and innovation in international business. In addition to the main theme, submissions are organized under the following topical tracks. Please submit your paper or panel proposal to just one track. Please select the track that best fits your submission from the list below:

1. Culture, Culture Theory, and Cultural Distance

Theory, constructs, measurement of culture, and the role of culture are critical issues in international business environments. We welcome both empirical and conceptual papers. The track is open to micro and macro perspectives, to unique levels of analysis, and to different levels and conceptualizations of culture (e.g., national culture, organizational culture, professional culture, global communities) in an international business context.

2. IB Theory, FDI, and Entry Mode Strategies

The nature of foreign direct investment (FDI) is evolving in a world characterized by the growing importance of emerging markets and developing economies as both sources and destinations for FDI. Global economic, institutional, and cultural environments pose important challenges for FDI and the multinational enterprise (MNE). This track invites papers that investigate FDI and MNEs in terms of investment motivations, location choice, entry mode decisions, or how headquarters interacts with and affects host-country firms, governments, and institutional environments.

3. Global Strategy and Competitiveness

Strategy is a critical dimension of organizational performance. This track invites conceptual and empirical papers that examine the relationship between organizational strategies and their effect on firms’ competitiveness and performance. We encourage papers that focus on innovation, knowledge management, and cross-border learning and collaborations as key components of global corporate strategy.

4. International Marketing

This track addresses the role of marketing as a conduit for entering and growing in foreign markets and interacting with diverse customers. Papers are encouraged that offer new conceptual and empirical insights into the nature and processes of cross-border marketing, and that emphasize issues such as cross-cultural consumer behavior, segmentation, product development, branding, and the digitization of markets. Papers that examine marketing approaches for emerging economies and base of the pyramid markets are also welcome.

5. International Economics, Finance, and Accounting

Papers in this track should be based on economics and/or finance and accounting literature and research methodology, but should address questions of interest to IB scholars and practitioners. Relevant topics in this track might include M&As, valuation, capital flows, transfer pricing, exchange rates, international political economy, regional economics, and others. Papers that examine questions on international trade and development are also appropriate.

6. Global Value Chains

This track emphasizes the upstream side of international value chains, including suppliers in global sourcing. The international marketplace particularly impacts supply chain management, bringing substantial risk or uncertainty. We welcome submissions that offer important conceptual and empirical insights on the nature and processes of channel development, and on the management and logistics of global supply chains.

7. Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

This track invites papers on successes, failures, and challenges of incorporating sustainability and CSR in the internationalizing firm and the business curriculum. Topics could include governance, international social entrepreneurship, cross-sectoral partnerships, resource management, poverty alleviation, and fostering business understanding and practice that promote environmental health or stewardship.

8. Entrepreneurship, SMEs, and Born Globals

Large numbers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are participating in international trade, investment, and collaboration. Born globals represent an important trend and portend the future of international trade and investment. Research submitted in this track can explore, for instance: how resource-constrained SMEs succeed in complex international environments; how global environments affect international activities of entrepreneurs and SMEs; and how SMEs evolve with growing global commitment.

9. Organizational Issues and Talent Management

MNEs manage substantial complexity and tensions inherent in their activities through the firm’s most important resource–managers and other personnel. This track explores ways in which MNEs operate across diverse international contexts, and how they configure themselves internally and externally. We will consider research on novel organizational forms such as virtual teams, internal knowledge networks, and offshored divisional headquarters. Papers on topics related to leadership, diversity issues in management, and recruitment and retention of talent in the context of global firms are also welcome.

10. Emerging Markets and Developing Economies

The growing importance of emerging economies as destinations and sources of FDI has given rise to important research questions. We invite papers that examine how institutional and environmental factors in emerging economies influence the behavior and performance of MNEs entering these markets. Also of interest are papers that examine the growing importance of South-South trade and investment; the strategies and performance of emerging market multinationals (E-MNEs); and the country and firm specific advantages of E-MNEs. We welcome submissions that bridge the gap between theory and practice, and explore links among complementary disciplines (e.g., political science, economics) and international business. This track is also appropriate for research on NGOs and non-profits operating in emerging markets and developing economies.

11. Governments, NGO’s, Global Institutions and State-Owned Enterprises

This track accepts papers that examine how regulatory or political environments might influence internationalizing firms, NGOs, and state owned enterprises. Appropriate for this track are papers that address institutional and political risk including regulation, policy and trade relations. Papers that offer conceptual and empirical insights on global issues, such as the impact of terrorism, pollution, and human rights are welcome as well.

12. Research Methods, Cross-Cultural Measurement, Analytics and Metrics

This track seeks submissions whose primary goal is to advance international business research methods or measurement. Papers can be from any topical area but should focus on measurement development, methods, or issues specific to the rigors of conducting international and cross-cultural comparative research. Papers can be submitted on qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods, and emic or etic approaches and techniques.

13. International Business Education

This track invites submissions on innovative approaches to teaching international business. This includes insights on teaching IB with cases, experiential learning exercises, the use of technology to enhance IB courses, developing study abroad programs, and other curricular issues. Business cases with an IB focus can also be submitted.

Conference Submission Guidelines

All submissions will be handled through the AIB US-West online submission system (). All manuscripts and panel proposals must be submitted by November 7, 2016. For up-to-date information about the conference and related events, please check the chapter website at . Any questions regarding this call for papers should be addressed to Conference Program Chair Nila Wiese (nwiese@pugetsound.edu).

All submissions must conform to the following guidelines:

• The document must be stripped of all identifying information. Do not include a cover page. The ‘File Properties’ for the document should be cleared of all identifying information. You will have the opportunity to input the author(s) names and affiliation(s) in a separate screen at the online submission system site.
• Each manuscript should be accompanied by an abstract, not to exceed 200 words.
• Panel proposals should have 3-5 scholars and/or students as well as a chair/discussant. Proposals should be no more than 2,000 words, and describe the topic, session format, its importance to IB research or education, and all panel participants and their qualifications. Panels typically emphasize new topics in IB on which extant research is sparse.
• Submissions must be formatted as follows: Letter sized page (8.5?x11? or 215×280 mm), with one-inch (2.5 cm) margins, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font.
• Competitive papers are not to exceed 10,000 words, and must comply with the JIBS style requirements:

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• We recommend you submit your paper in PDF format to ensure reviewers see it as intended. Microsoft Word files are also acceptable. Check all files for viruses using updated anti-virus software before submission. Free virus scanners are available at and .

After Submission

Authors will be sent an automatic e-mail confirmation message upon successfully uploading their paper via the AIB US-West online submission system. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 24 hours of submitting your manuscript or proposal, please inform the conference chair. All submissions will be blind reviewed and evaluated based on relevance to IB research, teaching and/or practice, as well as rigor, methods (if applicable), innovativeness, and significance of findings. Authors of papers selected for presentation will be notified by December 9, 2016. At least one author of an accepted paper must register for the conference no later than January 13, 2017 to secure a place on the program.

Any questions regarding this call for papers should be addressed to the AIB-US West Conference Chair Professor Nila Wiese, nwiese@pugetsound.edu.

Registration Fees

                      AIB Member      Non-Member

Registration Rates for Faculty and Practitioners 

By January 13             $200	 		    $300

January 14 – February 10	$250			    $350

After February 10 	    	$300			    $400
Registration Rates for Students, Low Income, and Emeritus Faculty  By January 13			        $125			    $175 
January 14 – February 10	$175			    $225 
After February 10			    $225			    $275

More Information on the AIB

The Academy of International Business (AIB; aib.msu.edu) is the leading association of scholars and practitioners in the field of international business. Established in 1959, the AIB has more than 3,000 members, across 18 chapters in 84 countries. We welcome conceptual and empirical papers, as well as teaching case studies and symposia from scholars, business professionals, and policy makers.

Nila Wiese AIB-US West Conference Chair Director Business Leadership Program
Professor of International Business & Marketing
School of Business & Leadership
University of Puget Sound

Tanvi Kothari
AIB-US West Local Host & Chapter Treasurer
Assistant Professor
School of Global Innovation & Leadership
Lucas College and Graduate School of Business
San José State University

Gary Knight
AIB US-West Chapter Chair
Professor of Global Management Helen Jackson Chair of International Management
Willamette University

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