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Academy of Management Meeting, Philadelphia
Sunday, August 5, 2007 10:30 to 12:00
Philadelphia Marriott Room 401 & 402

Presenters:

• Donald Lessard, Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Sigrid Quack, Research Fellow, Social Science Research Center, Germany, and Chairperson, European Group for Organization Studies (EGOS)
  
• Joseph Ofori-Dankwa, Professor of Management, Saginaw Valley State University

Discussants:

• Henry Mintzberg, Cleghorn Professor of Management, McGill University
• Rick Molz, Professor of Management, Concordia University, and member, Montreal Local-Global Research Group
  

The Montreal Local-Global Research group has assembled this group of scholars to continue a discussion begun in a Professional Development Workshop at last year's Academy of Management meeting.

The 2007 PDW is centered on several issues: the wealth and income divide between the richest and poorest nations, the unequal wealth distribution within the nations, the reality that MNCs provide 87% of the income flows from the high income to the developing and transitional countries, the growing interdependence between MNCs and developing and transitional countries.

The Montreal Local-Global Research Group grounds its investigation of  these issues institutional theory. Buckley and Lessard (2005) have called the scholar's attention to the usefulness of institutional theory in examining issues relating to emerging markets and the MNCs  influence on host economies. Djelic and Quack (2003) point out there can be increasing layering of institutional logics through globalization, and this layering may, but need not, lead to conflict. The Montreal Group seeks input from participants in this PDW to further research into these questions, using a protocol suggested by  Ofori-Dankwa and Julian (2005) to move from thought to theory to school.

The PDW will examine two issues: First the perception that developing and transitional economies are dependent on MNCs, while the MNCs are not dependent on developing and transitional economies. Yet MNCs have a growing dependence on emerging countries for manufacturing sites, sources of scarce raw material (such as oil) and, as the income of these nations grows, the potential for markets. For the developing and transitional economies this growing dependence is in the form of capital inflows, economic growth and development, technology transfer and stimulus for infrastructure development.

Second is the existence of different dominant logics of how the world works. The Montreal Local-Global Research Group argues nations in their early stages of economic development have their dominant rationality based in tradition, human, community, clan and social objectives. As the nation develops economically, the dominant rationality become less tradition based, more global and more likely to define human value in economic terms, rather than in spiritual or theological terms. Today, in the developed OECD countries the global economic rationality dominates, and the traditional human and spiritual values are less central to strategic concepts used in Multinational Corporations.  The developing and transitional countries, while valuing economic development, often find the emphasis on pure economic objectives at odds a more traditional local rationality, where more basic human, community, clan and social objectives receive heavier weight.

The 2007 PDW will include three presentations centering on these issues, comments from the discussants and PDW participants. We anticipate reserving half the PDW time to interactive discussion.

Please forgive cross postings.

--   Rick Molz Professor of Management John Molson School of Business Concordia University http://jmsb.concordia.ca/~rmolz/   

Academy of Management Meeting, Philadelphia
Sunday, August 5, 2007 10:30 to 12:00
Philadelphia Marriott Room 401 & 402

Presenters:

• Donald Lessard, Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Ravi Ramamurti, Professor of International Business and Bornstein Fellow, Northeastern University
• Joseph Ofori-Dankwa, Professor of Management, Saginaw Valley State University

Discussants:

• Henry Mintzberg, Cleghorn Professor of Management, McGill University
• Rick Molz, Professor of Management, Concordia University, and member, Montreal Local-Global Research Group
  

The Montreal Local-Global Research group has assembled this group of scholars to continue a discussion begun in a Professional Development Workshop at last year's Academy of Management meeting.

The 2007 PDW is centered on several issues: the wealth and income divide between the richest and poorest nations, the unequal wealth distribution within the nations, the reality that MNCs provide 87% of the income flows from the high income to the developing and transitional countries, the growing interdependence between MNCs and developing and transitional countries.

The Montreal Local-Global Research Group grounds its investigation of  these issues institutional theory. Buckley and Lessard (2005) have called the scholar's attention to the usefulness of institutional theory in examining issues relating to emerging markets and the MNCs  influence on host economies. Djelic and Quack (2003) point out there can be increasing layering of institutional logics through globalization, and this layering may, but need not, lead to conflict. The Montreal Group seeks input from participants in this PDW to further research into these questions, using a protocol suggested by  Ofori-Dankwa and Julian (2005) to move from thought to theory to school.

The PDW will examine two issues: First the perception that developing and transitional economies are dependent on MNCs, while the MNCs are not dependent on developing and transitional economies. Yet MNCs have a growing dependence on emerging countries for manufacturing sites, sources of scarce raw material (such as oil) and, as the income of these nations grows, the potential for markets. For the developing and transitional economies this growing dependence is in the form of capital inflows, economic growth and development, technology transfer and stimulus for infrastructure development.

Second is the existence of different dominant logics of how the world works. The Montreal Local-Global Research Group argues nations in their early stages of economic development have their dominant rationality based in tradition, human, community, clan and social objectives. As the nation develops economically, the dominant rationality become less tradition based, more global and more likely to define human value in economic terms, rather than in spiritual or theological terms. Today, in the developed OECD countries the global economic rationality dominates, and the traditional human and spiritual values are less central to strategic concepts used in Multinational Corporations.  The developing and transitional countries, while valuing economic development, often find the emphasis on pure economic objectives at odds a more traditional local rationality, where more basic human, community, clan and social objectives receive heavier weight.

The 2007 PDW will include three presentations centering on these issues, comments from the discussants and PDW participants. We anticipate reserving half the PDW time to interactive discussion.

Registration is not required, but please send an EMail to info@localglobalresearch.org to indicate your anticipated attendance.

Visit the Montreal Local-Global Research Group website for more information at http://www.localglobalresearch.org/

--   Rick Molz Professor of Management John Molson School of Business Concordia University http://jmsb.concordia.ca/~rmolz/