48th AIB UK & Ireland Conference
organised jointly with
8th Reading IB Conference
Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK
Contemporary Issues in International Business:
Inequality, Geography and GVCs
8-9 April 2022
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IMPORTANT DATES Submission deadline main conference: 11 February 2022 Submission deadline doctoral colloquium: 25 February 2022 Presenter registration deadline: 07 March 2022 Standard fee conference registration deadline: 23 March 2022 Doctoral Colloquium: 07 April 2022 Main Conference: 08-09 April 2022 VENUE
Henley Business School at the Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading |
Call for Papers48th Academy of International Business UK & Ireland Chapter Conference,
organised jointly with the 8th Reading Conference 8 – 9 April 2022, Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK Contemporary Issues in International Business: Inequality, Geography and GVCs .
As we enter 2022, the economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have made even more obvious the growing economic inequalities between geographic locations and individuals. MNEs are key actors in globalization, not only through trade and investment, but also as coordinators of GVCs. By both passive and active means, MNEs can influence opportunities for workers, both within their hierarchies as well as those of their suppliers and customers. However, it is often argued that MNEs are primarily responsible to their stakeholders, and as such social injustices are not always within this remit, despite the talk of corporate social responsibility and SDGs. MNE-coordinated GVCs face challenges in enforcing higher labour standards, working conditions, and environmental protection of contractual, lower-tier suppliers. In some instances, this has seen a return to internalization and a resultant increased vertical integration. We will focus on two related questions: First, to what extent is reinternalization a ‘good’ outcome, and second, to what extent can MNEs really help to reduce inequalities within GVCs? MNEs have also a role to play in spatial inequalities. Cities have become prominent locations for MNE investment, especially in knowledge-intensive activities and this has contributed to the process leading to a winner-take-all economic geography. It has been observed that MNEs can substitute local connections with international ones. This can exacerbate the local disconnectedness between the city and its surroundings. However, MNEs are also known for their potential contribution to local spawning engaging with the local entrepreneurial ecosystem to create and renew local connectedness. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely hit cities and could bring about a series of social changes in the structure and morphology of cities, suburbs and metropolitan regions which might affect its attractiveness to MNEs. Could this lead the way to the emergence of intermediate cities and contribute to reducing the inequality between cities? Our panelists will discuss the role of the MNE for inequality and the limitations of GVCs. We have three wonderful, Reading-style debates with stellar panel members, a mix of senior and junior scholars from around the world. Our opening panel asks: ‘Can MNEs really play a role in reducing inequality?’, with Rajneesh Narula, Farok Contractor, Anne Jacqueminet, Aloysius Newenham-Kahindi, and Irina Surdu. The second panel brings in an economic geography flavour to the debates, on ‘MNEs and urban inequality’ with Davide Castellani, Andreas Schotter, Andrés Rodriguez-Pose, Katiuscia Lavoratori, and Luisa Gagliardi This being Reading, our third panel asks (rather cheekily) if we are coming back in fashion: 'Internalization strikes back: the limits of GVCs' with Ari van Assche, Stephanie Wang, Valentina de Marchi, Vivek Soundarajan, and Pavida Pananond. The Conference welcomes theoretical and empirical papers which respond to the main theme of the Conference. As in previous years, paper submissions that go beyond the Conference theme are welcome and can encompass all areas of international business. The AIB UK & Ireland Chapter organises the doctoral colloquium for PhD students doing research in the area of International Business. The Doctoral Colloquium provides doctoral researchers in international business with the opportunity to present and discuss their research with a panel of distinguished scholars in interactive sessions that are open to all conference delegates. IMPORTANT DATES 17 December 2021: Submission of papers/extended abstracts opens 11 February 2022: Submission for Main Conference deadline 25 February 2022: Submission for Doctoral Colloquium and panel proposals deadline 1 March 2022: Notification of submissions review decisions 7 March 2022: Presenter registration deadline 15 March 2022: Publication of the conference programme 23 March 2022: Standard fee conference registration deadline Doctoral Colloquium: 07 April 2021 Main Conference: 08-09 April 2021 Please see below the links for the conference site and the submission site: https://www.aib-uki.org/conference.html We are looking forward to welcoming you at Whiteknights and we do hope that you will join us. 
For conference related queries, please email: dunning@henley.ac.uk
Telephone number: +44 (0)118 378 7667 (Jana Oslejova) | ||