1. What inspired you to pursue a career in academia, particularly in international business?
I have always wanted to work internationally, so after the practical side, the academic: When I joined Thames Polytechnic/University of Greenwich as an SL in International Marketing & Management, and Head of the Department of Marketing, it was after 12 years in IB at Unilever, where I was their first female management trainee / line manager, Bowater Europe [co-opted to the Board to look after international marketing and branding], and four years as policy adviser for a senior industry group member of the Economic and Social Committee in Brussels when the UK joined in 1973. Even as a student, after my BSc in Economics I switched to do two international Masters, a Masters in International Public Administration at Tilburg University, and thereafter a further international Masters in Turin studying East-West European economics, history and law. I also spent some time at the UN in Geneva as a board member of the International Student Movement for the UN. Hence, when I was offered this university career in international marketing / IB, I took it, and when Michael Z Brooke asked me to join AIB, I did. I have found that my academic work and interaction with students and colleagues has benefitted greatly from the experience, and particularly the insights, gained from working in the “real world” – though it has sometimes also led me to be dissatisfied with the narrower focus and insensitivity to practical issues of some academic work –something which happily is much less so now than 40 years ago. 2. Contributions to IB My research, which often was innovative, has focussed on three areas, starting with cross-cultural differences. I did a first ever study of Hofstede’s values for 8 CEE countries, with an EU grant, dubbed EVE: Evolving Values in Europe and a study of the impact of cultural differences when building the Channel Tunnel (the TransManche Link papers). My next focus was on emerging markets, looking at the factors mostly cultural and economic, that affected how they functioned and how they interacted with international business. This work, often in collaboration with Chong Ju Choi, while largely conceptual showed the strength of cross-disciplinary thinking bringing in economics, social sciences, ethics and legal studies, and starting from a recognition of current issues that were arising in these international markets and business areas. Later my interest in the softer values affecting international business increased and I made contributions in such areas as knowledge intensive institutions, tacit knowledge, especially in global leadership and global governance, international HR, etc. My wide-ranging interests brought me into contact with academics from a variety of disciplines and from many countries and institutions. This interaction became an IB contribution from 2000 from when I initiated and guest edited 16 Special Issues of major journals, publishing on current topics within one year of the CfP when most journal submissions took more than double that time to appear – thus allowing IB to address current topics effectively. The fast turnround and high quality benefitted IB and also benefitted from our AIB network as a source of excellent authors and fast quality reviews. The last one was on VUCA challenges, with California Management Review. This guest editing has kept me abreast of academic developments in the IB area and allowed me to make a contribution to progress even at the age of > 80. 3. One sentence academic legacy: I have shown that an international focus has many dimensions, in theory and in practice, allowing me to leave a decent corpus of IB publications from cultural, ethical and economic perspectives, to know a large group of both colleagues and students whom I mentored towards making deserved progress, to continue to use my organisational capability and to build a beautiful network of friends. 4. AIB Chapter contributions
5. Stay actively involved AIB UKI is the most dynamic and supportive AIB chapter I know. I enjoyed being a member of the board in those early days when Stephen Young was trying to widen AIB membership to outside the traditional FDI orientation, none asked my age, and I wanted to make a contribution. Yet, neither Greenwich where I was in the 80s nor City in the 90s was an AIB core research hub. Moving to the Netherlands in 2000 to be Dean of TSM Business School moved me out of sight of AIB UKI, and AIB W. Europe did not take its place. I moved back to the UK, to Ashridge for 10 years, in 2007 – again not a core AIB venue and though I continued researching and publishing, I was under the radar physically, research area wise, and did not often present at conferences; perhaps a reason why I was never elected AIB Fellow. I have always maintained contact with many AIB colleagues and when I discovered my ability in editing Special Issues of prominent journals, I had enjoyable engagement with AIB colleagues in canvassing and provoking them to extend their influence as authors and reviewers. 6. What does the award mean to me? The current award is a totally unexpected much appreciated form of recognition, first broached with me well before my current health condition was known. I appreciate it very much and thank everyone involved in the decision and support, especially Noemi. 7. What are some lessons you hope the next generation of scholars will carry forward? What advice do you have for early-career researchers looking to make a lasting impact in international business?
Carla Millar, 2025 Interviewer: Prof Noemi Sinkovics
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Scholars from the field of International Business and other related disciplines Archives
June 2025
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