The leading association of International Business scholars in the UK and Ireland.
Professor Pavlos Dimitratos Eulogy
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We have lost a great scholar, colleague and friend. Professor Pavlos Dimitratos, Chair of the AIB UK&I Chapter passed away peacefully on January 6, 2021. He was only 53 years old.
Pavlos was a rare scholar and a genuinely nice person who loved supporting and interacting with others. He was always the kindest friend and we are grateful for the many memorable and cheerful moments and good laughs we shared with him. He loved the international business conferences. He was happy connecting with familiar faces and welcoming newcomers to our community. Pavlos was a passionate supporter of AIB UK&I over the years. As Chair of the AIB UK&I Chapter, we are indebted to Pavlos for his stewardship, initiatives and leadership that strengthened and progressed the Chapter within the IB community and the AIB family. Working with him was a pleasure. Pavlos was a highly regarded and prolific scholar, publishing widely in the area of international entrepreneurship and SMEs. His work on micro-multinationals was pioneering. His research has been very influential and received several thousand citations, significantly advancing our knowledge of phenomena at the intersection of IB and IE. However, Pavlos stood out for his modesty, not seeking accolades for himself but sharing the credit with others. Furthermore, his passion for, and support and guidance of, doctoral students and early career researchers has made a major contribution to the development of the next generation of IB/IE researchers. We will organize an event in the forthcoming AIB UK&I conference to celebrate the achievements of Pavlos as well as a remembrance book to enable colleagues to write their memories of Pavlos, which will be treasured by his wife Lyudmyla and his young daughter Jorcina, and all who knew him. We will never forget Pavlos. His memory will live on and he will always have a special place in our hearts. AIB UK&I Board |
Call for Applications
The AIB UK & Ireland Chapter is seeking expression of interests to fill vacancies in the following positions as Chapter Officers: Chair, Membership Secretary, Communication Strategy Officers. Individuals for these positions are elected for a period of three years (but can be renewed). All elected officers to these positions must be AIB members in-good-standing, working or residing within the United Kingdom or Ireland and whose primary AIB affiliation is with the United Kingdom and Ireland Chapter.
The appointment of the new Executive Committee members will be confirmed during the General Assembly meeting at the Annual Conference to be held online on 15-16 April 2020. Expression of interests should be sent to the Chapter’s Secretary, Professor Mario Kafouros (marios.kafouros@manchester.ac.uk), together with a short (3-page) CV, by Friday 9 April 2021.
The appointment of the new Executive Committee members will be confirmed during the General Assembly meeting at the Annual Conference to be held online on 15-16 April 2020. Expression of interests should be sent to the Chapter’s Secretary, Professor Mario Kafouros (marios.kafouros@manchester.ac.uk), together with a short (3-page) CV, by Friday 9 April 2021.
AIB UKI Seminar Series:
Heterogenous Externalities: Evidence from foreign multinationals in the UK
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Join us for this seminar
Date and time: Wednesday 17th March, at 13:00 (GMT) Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/96378078691 Passcode: 626209 Presenter: Nigel Driffield, Professor of International Business, Warwick Business School Co-authors: D. Castellani (Henley Business School) and K. Lavoratori (Warwick Business School) Moderator: Mario Kafouros, Professor of International Business and Innovation, University of Manchester |
Abstract
The activity of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and their Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) have the potential to generate externalities for the host economies. The extensive literature on this has found mixed evidence on the extent of such productivity effects of MNE activity in host countries. There is a certain consensus that these effects are not automatic and are contingent on a number of contextual conditions. This paper explores the links between inward investment and host country productivity at the firm level, allowing for a wide range of moderating circumstances, ranging from sectoral, regional and firm characteristics. In particular, we introduce a novel empirical methodology that allows to flexibly account for many sources of heterogeneity in the effect of MNE activity on host country productivity. In our empirical analysis, based on 11,000 UK firms over the 2012-2018 period, we find that the effect of MNE activity on host country firms is relatively small, but highly heterogenous across firms. Fine grained industry (NACE 2-digits) and regional (NUTS 3) characteristics explain only a small portion of this heterogeneity. Our results are consistent with the idea that, within industries and regions, different firms are able to reap different benefits from the activity of MNEs. Firm productivity - which can be thought as a proxy for firm absorptive capacity – is the single most important factor that enables firms to benefit from MNE-generated externalities. Most notably, once accounted for the importance of firm productivity, we show that small and young firms are bound to benefit the most from the activity of foreign MNEs. We discuss the rationale for these results based on international business and economics literature and the implications for public policy. |
25th Anniversary of the AIB UKI Book Series
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The Academy of International Business – AIB-UKI Chapter book series is dedicated to publish cutting-edge research in International Business (IB) that is of contemporary relevance and at the cusp of conceptual and empirical development.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series, access selected chapters for free until 28 February 2021.
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2021 JIBS Decade Award
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Congratulations to Catherine Welch, Rebecca Piekkari, Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki, and Eriikka Paavilainen-Mantymaki for receiving the JIBS Decade Award! The paper entitled “Theorising from case studies: Towards a pluralist future for international business research”investigates methods of theorising from case studies. The focus is on understanding how case researchers theorise and how this can be translated for IB research. Based on a content analysis of case studies from three top journals, the authors construct a typology of theorising from case studies and distinguish four methods of theorising – inductive theory-building, interpretive sensemaking, natural experiment and contextualised explanation. The authors further encourage the researchers to go beyond inductive theory-building and adopt the other methods of theorising to enhance the case study’s explanatory power and potential for contextualisation. Read a copy of the award-winning article here: https://rdcu.be/cbFJR
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Apply for the Henley International Business Masterclasses
Nominations are invited for PhD students and post-doctoral scholars to attend the Autumn 2020 Session of the Henley International Business Masterclasses
The Henley International Business Masterclasses are intensive courses on current debates and conceptual issues in International Business to give broader learning opportunities to PhD students and post-doctoral researchers. Each masterclass offers the opportunity to engage in key International Business topics taught by notable intellectual figures in the field.
The new AIB UK&I book is out!
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This book, edited by Shirodkar, Strange, and McGuire, provides theoretical and empirical insights into non-market political and social strategies that firms use when conducting international business. Political strategies include activities such as lobbying, campaign contributions, and using political ties and connections as a means of influencing policy making. Likewise, firms also engage in various social responsibility activities to maintain a good image in society and to improve their legitimacy and reputation when operating globally. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) face various challenges in implementing non-market strategies due to institutional differences between their home and host contexts. Presenting fresh perspectives from a cast of international contributors, this book offers academics, students, and practitioners a greater understanding of how non-market strategies can be effective in international business.
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Congratulations to Prof. Rajneesh Narula
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Professor Rajneesh Narula has been invited to become a fellow of the Distinguished International Faculty Council at the Jack Austin Centre (JAC) for Asia-Pacific Business Studies at the Beedie School of Business. He has also made his guest editor debut for the Transnational Corporations academic journal. It fed into United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s flagship 2019 World Investment Report, for which he was a senior advisor. It can be downloaded here: https://hly.ac/2neLIAK
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