This year’s conference theme: “Sustainable International Business in the Digital Era” encompasses a wide range of topic areas in fields of IB contributing to sustainability, digitalization, or the intersection of all three. However, we accept papers in all areas of IB from a wide range of viewpoints and methodological approaches, including keywords such as:

• Sustainability in International Business
  • Environmental sustainability; Sustainability development goals (SDGs); Sustainable global value chains; Sustainable innovations; Economic inequality; Social welfare; Business ethics; Circular economy; Corporate social responsibility (CSR); Bottom-of-the-Pyramid (BoP); Value Creation in Poverty and Crisis Markets; Climate change.
• Knowledge, Innovation & Digitalization in a Global World
  • Digital transformation; International R&D; Reverse innovation; Open innovation; Digital platform business; Industrial Internet; Internet of Things; Cloud computing; Digital business models; AI & robotics; Disruptive technologies; Blockchain; Internationalization of Born Digitals; Data security & regulations; Analytics; Big Data.
• International Entrepreneurship and Internationalization Pathways
  • Exporting; Gradual/Rapid internationalization; Early internationalization; De(/Re)- internationalization; International entrepreneurship; Migrant entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurial networks; SME exporters; International new ventures; Born-global firms; Entrepreneurial decision-making; Entrepreneurial behaviour
• International Marketing Strategies and Customer Relationships
  • Cross-cultural marketing; Marketing channels; Distribution channels; Standardization/Adaptation; Brand management; Customer relationships; Customer Experience; Cross-cultural consumer behaviour; Country-of-origin effects; Digital marketing; Social media marketing; Global retailing; Relationship marketing
• Global Strategy, Leadership, and Management in Organizations
  • Global value chains; Global operations; Outsourcing; Offshoring; Mergers and acquisitions; Joint ventures and alliances; Parent-subsidiary relationships; Organization of international operations; Cross-cultural management; International human resource management; Global leadership; Expatriate management; Talent management; Training and development; Global staffing; International mobility;
• Emerging Markets and Emerging Market Multi-National Enterprises (EMNEs)
  • Emerging market opportunities; Transition economies; Colonialism; Economic development & well-being; Emerging market institutional environment; Foreign versus indigenous MNEs; State-owned enterprises in emerging markets; Family conglomerates; Privatization; Internationalization of EMNEs

The conference is chaired by Professor Peter Gabrielsson and Assistant Professor Tiina Leposky and it will be held in memoriam of the late Professor and Vaasa IB Conference founder Jorma Larimo. The conference board consists of leading scholars in the field of IB

The Vaasa IB Conference is the largest conference in its field in the Nordic countries with some 120 participants, and throughout its history it has attracted scholars from all over the world. We offer the participants the chance to present their own research in sessions, as well as attend panel discussions. The moderate size of the conference as well as the local facilities provided the university have always encouraged lively discussions and networking among peers.

The conference fee includes participation in a doctoral seminar for doctoral students on August 15, 2023. For KATAJA member universities in Finland, the tutorial is free of charge. Students are allocated two renowned scholars as discussants from the conference board or from distinguished professors attending the conference, who will provide comments and feedback on their research proposals.

We accept competitive and work-in-progress papers. Submission deadline for all papers in the conference and doctoral tutorial is 8 May 2023.

Submission and further information is available at the conference website:

https://sites.uwasa.fi/internationalbusinessconference/

We’re looking forward to hosting you in Vaasa!