Chapter: Africa
Theme: Making Africa Work
Location: University of Kigali (Kigali, Rwanda)
Focus Areas: Government partnerships, public policy, social justice
More Info: aibssa.org
- Diverse regional representation: 106 participants from across the African subcontinent came to take part in this year’s conference. Some of the schools represented included the Gordon Institute of Business Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the Lagos Business School, and Riara University, Kenya.
- Supporting effective government: This year’s conference theme, “Making Africa Work,” encouraged attendees to explore how IB scholarship can support the policy goals outlined in the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Participation by representatives from the Rwandan government and an opening address by former Minister of Finance and current University of Kigali Vice Chancellor, Nshuti Manasseh, reinforced this vision of cross-sector collaboration.
Attendees at the AIB Africa Chapter conference prepare for a special session.
- Envisioning a more equitable business environment: The 2018 AIB Africa Chapter Conference included a particularly engaging panel session on women in business. This event was chaired by Professor Kevin Ibeh of the Birkbeck University of London, together with Iruka Ndubuizu, a negotiation practitioner.
- Building local talent: As part of the chapter’s ongoing drive to encourage the development of young scholars, undergraduates and masters students from local universities were invited to participate in the conference poster session. This early-career support was complemented by a special paper development workshop, facilitated by AIB Fellow Elizabeth Rose and Vice President Administration Helena Barnard.
Chapter: Central and Eastern Europe
Theme: International Entrepreneurship
Location: Cracow University of Economics (Krakow, Poland)
Focus areas: Modeling and estimation methods, research design
More info: bit.ly/aib-cee
- Fifth anniversary festivities: At five years old, Central and Eastern Europe is still a young chapter, but this year’s conference featured detailed discussions led by some of AIB’s most seasoned scholars, including Arnold Schuh, William Newburry, Thomas Steger, and James Nebus.
- Record reach and attendance: With 128 submissions by scholars from 31 different countries, 2018 was the biggest AIB-CEE conference ever. Attendees came from across the chapter’s core region and from as far off as Australia, Colombia, and Japan.
AIB’s Central and Eastern Europe Chapter celebrated its fifth birthday this year with a special treat for conference attendees.
- Elegant estimation methods: This year’s most prominent initiative was a special methodology session, led by Keynote Speaker Joe F. Hair. This workshop focused on partial least squares structural equation modeling as well as the use of advanced statistical software to conduct IB research.
- Creating quality research: A special session on crafting articles for top journals featured insights from seven experienced editors in the IB field. Panelists shared past experiences, current best practices in publishing, and tips for assessing the quality of scholarly works.
Chapter: US-Northeast
Theme: Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Location: Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA, USA)
Focus Areas: Collaboration, information-sharing, entrepreneurship in research and education
More Info: bit.ly/aibusne
- Helping IB educators share ideas: Representatives from the Consortium of Undergraduate IB Education shared information on their current global initiatives, designed to help member schools benchmark their programs and facilitate the sharing of pedagogical best practices.
- Better revisions, less rejections: Editors from the Journal of International Business Policy, Journal of World Business, Global Strategy Journal, and the New England Journal of Entrepreneurship hosted a special session, providing behind-the-scenes insights on the publication process. Attendees received strategies for avoiding common pitfalls like desk rejection.
Participants in the AIB US-Northeast Chapter Conference gather together for a group photo.
- International entrepreneurship explained: AIB Fellow John Cantwell moderated a special panel on the topic of entrepreneurship in international business research and education. Panelists included a number of thought leaders in this subject area: Sharon Alvarez, Donna De Carolis, and Elizabeth L. Rose.
- See you again in spring: conference participants are set to receive even more value from their chapter membership at next year’s Spring Symposium, which they will be able to attend free of charge. The event will be held in early April at Quinnipiac University, in Hamden, Connecticut. Further event details will be made available on AIB US-Northeast’s website.
Chapter: US-Southeast
Theme: Intellectual Property
Location: Belmont University (Nashville, TN, USA)
Focus Areas: Ethics, outreach, leadership
More Info: aibse.org
- Presidential presence: In this year’s keynote address, distinguished scholar and AIB President-Elect, Marjorie Lyles, shared key insights from her research on organizational learning. She was later joined onstage by two other AIB leaders for an informal panel session: Past President Lorraine Eden and current President Chuck Kwok.
- Practicing responsible research: Anne Tsui, co-founder of Responsible Research in Management and Business led an interactive panel which engaged the concepts of “relevance” and “credibility” in academic research. This was complemented by a special ethics workshop led by Lorraine Eden, co-author of The Ethical Professor.
Our US-Southeast Chapter Conference featured a special panel with three AIB Presidents.
- Cross-cultural collaboration: Nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate students from around the world participated in a special workshop where cross-cultural teams developed international strategy recommendations for Soles4Souls, a Nashville-based non-profit which collects new and gently worn shoes for distribution to entrepreneurs in developing economies.
- Recognizing research excellence: award-winning researchers from the 2018 chapter conference include Lance Brouthers, Victor Marshall, and Dawn Keig, who received the Best Conference Paper Award; Irina Stoyneva, who received the Best Conference Theme Paper Award; and Clark Johnson and Brittany Bauer, who received the William J. Ziegler Best Ph.D. Student Paper.
Chapter: US-West
Theme: Emerging Markets
Location: University of Denver (Denver, CO, USA)
Focus Areas: Pedagogy, professional development, globalization
More Info: aib-w.org
- Global reach, local focus: 15 US states and 9 countries were represented among this year’s conference attendees, including Australia, Brazil, Ghana, Malaysia, and Norway. This diverse group got to interact with executives from locally based firms Molson Coors, Western Union, and Newmont, getting a practitioner’s perspective on the risks and opportunities that currently characterize international markets.
- Expert perspectives on emerging markets: Dr. Ilan Alon of the University of Agder delivered an engaging keynote presentation on the globalization of Chinese multinationals. This topic was a perfect complement to this year’s conference theme: Emerging markets.
Ilan Alon delivered a keynote presentation on Chinese multinationals at AIB’s US-West Chapter Conference.
- An editor’s take on the publication process: a special ‘Meet the Editor” session, led by executive leadership from the European Journal of International Management and the International Journal of Emerging Markets, was another conference highlight. Ilan Alon and US-West Chapter Chair Gary Knight outlined strategies early-career scholars can use to improve their publication acceptance rates.
- Engaging major issues in IB education: a series of special panels explored best practices for researching and teaching the topics of international entrepreneurship and gender equity within the IB field. Special thanks go out to this year’s panelists: Patricia McDougall-Covin, Manuel Serapio, Dawn Keig, and Tanvi Kothari.
