ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍø

The Role of Technological Innovation

Introduction

In Support of B2B International Trade, Special issue of Industrial Marketing Management; Deadline 30 Nov 2018

 

Industrial Marketing Management

Call for Papers

The role of technological innovation in support of B2B international trade

Deadline for submission: November 30th, 2018

Overview and Purpose

In the current business climate, the opportunities for B2B international trade are growing. They are often facilitated by the international trade initiatives such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (Hutt and Speh, 2013). Established in 1994, NAFTA aimed at removal of trade barriers between Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and it resulted in the increase in wealth and competitiveness of this trilateral trade bloc in North America (Villarreal and Fergusson, 2017). Similarly to NAFTA, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which involves 10 Southeast Asian countries, is a regional inter-county trade and economic deal which incentivises the emerging market in the South East Asia providing greater market access to the region’s economic community (Gupta et al., 2015). Recently signed Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is yet another example of the international trade initiative. Signed by 11 Trans-Pacific nations, CPTPP aims to eliminate 98% of trade barriers, opening up access to a combined marketplace worth close to US$13.7 trillion (McDonald 2018). The "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI), which overall objective is to accelerate global economic growth by creating business opportunities throughout Asia, Africa and Europe for international trade and capital flows, is the most recent endeavour B2B firms can benefit from. Currently, the consultations with over 65 countries involved in BRI are taking place, as this up to US$8 trillion investment aims to not only further integrate China into the world economy, but other participating countries can also ‘benefit considerably’ from the BRI (Garcia Herrero and Xu, 2017).

In order for the initiatives, such as NAFTA, CPTPP, BRI, and others, to have meaningful impact on the 21st century global economy, effective and efficient cooperation of businesses of all types and sizes in regional as well as international trade is required. This is particularly vital in the B2B sector were manufacturers, raw goods suppliers and logistics providers as well as financial and professional service providing firms can generate profit from cross-border trade, enhance B2B relationships and develop new business leads (Pagani and Pardo, 2017). Yet, many B2B firms operating in developed or developing countries lack resources and/or capabilities to fully benefit from opportunities these initiatives present. Furthermore, available literature highlights the existence of numerous risks and barriers, which can hinder the success of international B2B trade (Klose and Pepermans, 2017; Rinallo et al., 2017; Weerawardena et al., 2017). One possible solution to overcome these deficiencies is the implementation and use of digital technologies, and in particular Internet-enabled technologies, which can streamline business operations and international trade, as well as aid competitive advantage in the global marketplace (Samiee, 2008; Walters, 2008). This is because technological innovations have been found to enhance B2B firms’ capabilities, which can subsequently lead to the successful execution of the initiatives aiming at B2B international trade escalation (Berthon et al, 2008; Gregory et al, 2017; Weerawardena et al., 2017). Yet the literature sheds little light on the question how international B2B firms employ and use digital technologies to enhance their performance and cross-border exchanges. This calls for research into ways how by the means of technological innovations B2B firms can overcame the challenges, and yield from opportunities arising?

This special issue aims to gather academics across all disciplines to engage with inter- disciplinary research perspectives on the role of technological innovation in support of B2B international trade. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Cross-border trade issues (e.g. cultural and economics exchanges, multimode infrastructures, network of free trade zones, and so on) and their impact on B2B firms and digital technologies use;
  • Adoption of technological innovations by international B2B firms (e.g. different forms of cross-border e-commerce, digital economy, and so on) and its effect on international exchanges;
  • Barriers B2B firms face in international trade, and solutions enabled by the Internet- enabled technologies to overcame them;
  • The use of digital technologies by B2B firms in communication, relationship building, international marketing strategy development and its impact on international trade performance;
  • Case studies and best practices of technological innovations for B2B international trade;
  • Inter-firm learning in technological innovation with different types of organizations in a B2B setting;
  • How do technological innovations change B2B companies’ supply chain and business model

Manuscript Preparation and Submission

Manuscripts should comply with the scope, standards, format and editorial policy of the Industrial Marketing Management. All papers must be submitted through the official IMM submission system. When you get to the step in the process that asks you for the type of paper, select SI: Technology in B2B international trade. All papers will be reviewed through a double-blind peer review process. In preparation of their manuscripts, authors are asked to follow the Author Guidelines closely. A guide for authors, sample articles and other relevant information for submitting papers are available at:

All queries about the special issue should be sent to the Guest Editors (see below).

Guest Editors

References

Berthon P., Pitt L., Berthon J., Campbell C., Thwaites D., (2008) e-Relationships for e- Readiness: Culture and corruption in international e-B2B. Industrial Marketing Management, 37(1), 83-91

Hutt M.D., and Speh T.W. (2013) Business Marketing Management; B2B. South-Western Cengage Learning

Garcia Herrero A., and Xu J (2017) China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Can Europe Expect Trade Gains? China Word and Economy 25(6), 84–99

Gregory G., Viet Ngo L., Karavdic M., (2017) Developing e-commerce marketing capabilities and efficiencies for enhanced performance in business-to-business export ventures. Industrial Marketing Management, (in press)

Gupta, S., Balmer, J. M. T., Low, B., (2015) Brands in, from and to emerging markets: The role of industrial relationships, Industrial Marketing Management, 51, 4-10.

Klose, Stephan and Pepermans, Astrid and Wang, Leia (2017) An uphill struggle? Towards coordinated EU engagement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. EPC Policy Brief No. 48 November 2017

McDonald T., (2018) Asia-Pacific trade deal signed by 11 nations, BBC news, accessed on 13/03/2018

Pagani M., and Pardo C., (2017) The impact of digital technology on relationships in a business network. Industrial Marketing Management, 6, 185-192

Rinallo D., Bathelt H., and Golfetto F., (2017). Economic geography and industrial marketing views on trade shows: Collective marketing and knowledge circulation. Industrial Marketing Management, 61, 93-103.

Samiee S., (2008) Global marketing effectiveness via alliances and electronic commerce in business-to-business markets. Industrial Marketing Management, 37(1), 3-8

Villarreal M.A., and Fergusson I.F., (2017) The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Congressional Research Service, May 24, 2017

Walters P., (2008) Adding value in global B2B supply chains: Strategic directions and the role of the Internet as a driver of competitive advantage. Industrial Marketing Management, 37(1), 59-68

Weerawardena J., Sullivan Mort G., and Liesch P, W., (2017) Capabilities development and deployment activities in born global B-to-B firms early entry into international markets. Industrial Marketing Management (in press)