Theme & Tracks

The challenges defined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have moved the traditional development agenda forward. The UN’s 2030 Agenda implies a radical shift from prior approaches; economic, political, and social actors have all been called to action, given that potential solutions are to be executed globally. Business firms in particular – along with governments, NGOs, universities and other social actors – should take a more active role in contributing to sustainable development.

The presiding theme for EIBA 2021 is ‘Firms, Innovation and Location: Reshaping International Business for Sustainable Development in the Post-Pandemic Era’. The rationale is to discuss local actions that can be applied to global solutions and flows of information to and from the IB community. Firms are no longer limited to responsibility for the correction of negative effects in terms of sustainable development; they are also active players and solution providers, being a major channel for investment and innovation. This is particularly true in view of the assumption that innovation is a problem-solving process in a wide range of fields, from the technical and economic to social and environmental issues. Aspects such as energy, infrastructure, or urban mobility, among others, necessarily require the establishment of local and international partnerships alike, to advance the SGDs in a way that will involve individuals (business leaders, policymakers, scholars), institutions, and international organizations.

MNEs have a dominant position from the perspective of IB, because they act locally (whether at home or in host countries) and yet are international in nature, through FDI and trade. The distributional impacts of their activity in terms of (for example) inequality or the gender gap can be addressed from both local and transnational angles, in consideration of the spatial heterogeneity between different levels and the consequences for sustainable development. Sustainable entrepreneurships and small and medium firms are also relevant, entering into the scene via global value chains. At the same time, academic activity entails the discussion of research that ultimately results in scientific outputs, while case studies on firms and data collection from national and international organizations directly feed IB research, becoming important inputs for stakeholders.

The advance of academic knowledge results from collective efforts, and the theme of the EIBA 2021 Madrid conference will be operationalized through a selection of topics traditional to IB, along with parallel and panel sessions devoted to specific issues that seek to further integrate local actors (business leaders and policymakers) into the discussion. We encourage the submission of panels with interdisciplinary perspectives to enhance the inclusion of new approaches to global challenges such as climate change, migration, poverty, and peace.

Description of Tracks

1. International Business and the 2030 Agenda [conference theme track]
Elisa Giuliani, University of Pisa, Italy
Anne Jacqueminet, Bocconi University, Italy

2. Economic Geography and International Business
Luisa Gagliardi, Bocconi University, Italy
Davide Castellani, University of Reading, UK

3. Innovation and Knowledge Management
Grazia Santangelo, Copenhaguen Business School, Denmark
Marcelo Cano-Kollmann, Ohio University, USA

4. Intersections between International Business and Public Policy
Ana Teresa Tavares-Lehmann, University of Porto, Portugal
Ari Van Assche, École des Hautes Études Commerciales Montréal, Canada

5. Global Value Chains
Ram Mudambi, Temple University, USA
Valentina De Marchi, University of Padova, Italy

6. SMEs and International Entrepreneurship
Alex Rialp, Autónoma University of Barcelona, Spain
Natasha Evers, Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Arild Aspelund, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway

7. Emerging Markets
Shlomo Tarba, University of Birmingham, UK
Ilan Alon, Universitetet i Agder, Norway

8. Business History
Teresa da Silva Lopes, University of York, UK
Mark Casson, Reading University, UK

9. MNE Organization and Global Strategy
Jens Gammelgaard, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Paloma Miravitlles, University of Barcelona, Spain
Cristina Villar, University of Valencia, Spain

10. International Finance, Accounting and Corporate Governance
Jakob Müllner, Vienna University, Austria
Igor Filatotchev, King’s College London, UK

11. International Marketing
Ulrike Mayrhofer, IAE Nice | Université Côte d’Azur, France
Eric Milliot, Université de Nantes | Atlas-AFMI President, France

12. International Human Resources Management and Cross Cultural Issues
Dana Minbaeva, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Haeseen Park, King’s College London, UK

13. International Business Networks
Ulf Andersson, Malardalen University, Sweden

14. New Approaches and Methods in IB Research and Teaching in the 2020s
Bo Nielsen, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark | University of Sydney, Australia
Catherine Welch, University of Sydney, Australia

15. The New International Business Landscape Following the Emergence of Covid-19
Philippe Gugler, University of Fribourg, Switzerland