**APOLOGIES FOR CROSS POSTING**
2007 EAMSA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The Rise of the Asian Multinational Firm: Implications for Corporations, Governments and International Institutions
UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
Leeds
United Kingdom
28 - 30 November 2007
INVITATION
AND
CALL FOR PAPERS
Friends and colleagues,
The Euro-Asia Management Studies Association (EAMSA) will hold its 24th Annual Conference from Wednesday 28th to Friday 30th November 2007 at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. Jointly-hosted by the Centre for International Business University of Leeds (CIBUL), Leeds University Business School, and the Department of East Asian Studies, the special topic of this year's conference will be The Rise of the Asian Multinational Firm: Implications for Corporations, Governments and International Institutions. The EAMSA-24 committee will organize special sessions around this theme, with invited keynote speakers and discussion panels.
All members of EAMSA and those who would like to participate in the discussion are invited to submit papers for both competitive and workshop sessions and to suggest panels around the conference theme. EAMSA also wishes to encourage PhD candidates and young scholars to submit papers, which will be presented in special tracks. All papers will be published in the conference proceedings. Conference papers of high quality will be selected for publication either in the Asian Business & Management Journal or in a special volume edited by the Organizing Committee of the conference.
KEY THEME
As UNCTAD's most recent World Investment Report reveals, the bulk of the recent surge in foreign direct investment from developing and transition economies is accounted for by Asian firms. In 2004, East and South East Asia was home to seventy-seven of the top 100 developing country multinational enterprises (MNEs), five of which were ranked among the world's leading 100 MNEs. Of the major Asian source countries for FDI, the Newly Industrialized Economies (NIE) predominate, most notably Hong Kong SAR, but China and Malaysia are also steady performers. Further new sources of Asian FDI are emerging, especially Indian firms that are fast targeting Europe, North America and other developing countries as investment locations.
As the 'new Asians' increasingly extend their operations into foreign markets, a number of implications for established companies, especially for European and Japanese MNEs, as well as for governments (both home and host) and international institutions, are becoming apparent. The following is an indicative list of research questions and themes on which we would welcome contributions:
1 - Interactions between firms, environment and institutions (Track chair: Adam Cross)
What are the interactions between institutions, institutional change, national government policy and the internationalization of Asian firms? How do imperfections in domestic and international markets influence the growth of the Asian MNE? What is the relationship between inbound and outbound FDI? How do ethnicity/culture/institutional affinity, spillover effects, growth and productivity levels impact on the international strategies of these firms? To what extent do Asian firms pursue regional or global strategies and how does regional integration in Europe (especially in relation to economic and monetary union) and SE Asia influence strategy formulation and perceptions of business opportunities? How have established European and Japanese MNEs responded to the 'new Asians'? And how has their investment portfolio evolved in response to emerging economies, most notably China and India?
2 - Ownership structure, corporate structure, strategy and internationalization (Track chair: Nicolas Forsans)
Does ownership matter? Do the strategies, performance and behaviour of publicly listed, family and privately-owned conglomerates differ to those of State-owned Asian firms? To what extent are the objectives of the State and its State-owned enterprises aligned? How do the internationalization processes of Asian firms differ by ownership type? What are the pressures for Asian conglomerates to reorganize and decentralize operations as markets become more efficient? How have established European MNEs contributed to this process? What are the sources of competitive advantage to Asian firms and to what extent can these be sustained in international markets? How important are relational assets to the internationalization of Asian firms? What influence do relationships and network effects, within and beyond the diaspora, have on the decision-taking of Asian firms?
3 - Internationalization mode and theoretical issues (Track chair: Peter Buckley)
Acquisition has clearly offered Asian firms the opportunity to quickly augment ownership advantages and establish positions in foreign markets. However, how effective are Asian firms in integrating management structures post-acquisition? Can Asian FDI be modeled using the stages theory of internationalization and the eclectic theory of international production? How well do European models of the 'born global' apply to equivalent Asian firms? What are the locational determinants of Asian FDI in Europe and do these differ by source country?
4 - Cross-cultural and human resource management issues (Track chair: Sierk Horn)
What key cross-cultural management challenges arise when Asian and European human resources policies, brand management practices, corporate cultures, business models and production methods are combined? What have Asian and European MNEs learned from each other? Is there a "pan-Asian management" model? Do prior and current Japanese and Korean globalization strategies act as a role model here?
Papers are invited to address these and other relevant aspects of the internationalization strategies and behaviour of multinational firms from developing Asia or established MNEs, including any form of collaboration or interaction between them. Submissions may focus on any function of international business including, but not limited to, export and import strategies, international licensing, foreign direct investment, international strategic alliances, marketing, international corporate strategy and the cross-border management and transfer of processes and knowledge in relation to HRM, operations, sourcing, logistics, R&D and E-business. Submissions on other topics relevant to the ongoing research interests of EAMSA members are also welcome, but may receive a lower level of priority in the final paper selection process.
Both empirical and conceptual papers are welcome. In addition to plenary sessions, we have reserved ample time for discussions on papers or research in progress in panel sessions or workshops.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
There are three types of sessions for individual paper submissions. Please select the most appropriate type of session format from the following:
Competitive Papers: The most polished papers should be submitted for inclusion in competitive sessions.
Workshop Papers: Less finished papers should be submitted for workshop sessions.
PhD-track: We explicitly invite PhD candidates and young scholars to present and discuss their research ideas and work in progress.
Each competitive and workshop sessions will have a chair person and emphasis will be placed more on discussion than presentation. Competitive and workshop papers will be subject to a double blind review process, whereas PhD-track papers will only be reviewed by the organizing committee.
In all cases, papers will be evaluated using the following criteria:
- relevance to the key theme
- analytical rigor
- methods applied
- quality and innovativeness
- significance of conclusions
- interest to EAMSA members
Submissions must be done electronically by email attachment. The preferred word processing program is MS Word. Documents can also be submitted in pdf format. Competitive papers should be less than 10,000 words inclusive of all material and be no more than 20 pages in total (size A4, line spacing 1.5) including title page, abstract page, text, exhibits (figures, graphs and tables), footnotes and references. The word limit for Workshop and PhD-track papers is 6,000 words.
When submitting your paper or proposal, please include on a separate front sheet:
- The title of the paper or proposal
- The name(s) of the author(s) and affiliation (indicating who will present the paper)
- Full mailing address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers of all authors.
- An abstract (up to 200 words)
- A brief statement that the submission contains original work which has not been published elsewhere
Submission of full papers and proposals for panel sessions (150 to 200 words) should reach us by 31 July 2007. Notification of acceptance will be sent to authors by 21st September 2007.
Papers and proposals should be sent exclusively by electronic means to the following email address
eamsa@leeds.ac.uk
CONFERENCE FEES
The conference fees of £180 for EAMSA members and £230 for non-EAMSA members covers registration, proceedings, lunches, conference dinners, refreshments and an excursion on the afternoon of Wednesday 28th November 2007 (details to follow). Non-members will receive an annual membership of EAMSA, with many benefits, including online access to the Asian Business and Management Journal, a membership directory and a complimentary copy of the published papers of the conference.
Young researchers (doctoral candidates and masters students) who are presenting a paper or contributing to a workshop or PhD track session are eligible for a 40% reduction on the conference fee. Proof of full-time study is required when registering for the workshop.
CONFERENCE VENUE AND TRANSPORT LINKS
Academic sessions of the conference will take place on campus at the University of Leeds, the largest single-campus University in the UK outside of London. The University is part of one of the fastest growing cities in the UK. Located near the geographical centre of the UK, Leeds is the regional capital of Yorkshire and the Humber with far reaching influence across the region and the UK.
With its continued commercial prosperity, especially in the fields of finance, business, law and media and a vibrant mix of culture, style and renowned shopping, Leeds has become the primary social and business hub of the North of England.
Readers of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler magazine voted Leeds the number one city destination in the UK in 2003, above more well known locations such as London and Edinburgh. Leeds was also named as the top city to visit in 2004 by the Good Britain Guide. Independent research conducted by OMIS concluded that Leeds is the best city in the UK to do business in, while the large variety of shops and leading retailers caused the Lonely Planet guide to recently dub Leeds 'the Knightsbridge of the North.'
Leeds is close to the impressive Yorkshire Dales with its awe-inspiring scenery and huge selection of outdoor activities and pursuits. Yorkshire is also home to the ancient city of York with historical attractions such as the Viking and Roman heritage, the Minster, Shambles and selection of Museums. Leeds enjoys convenient connections with international destinations through its dedicated Leeds/Bradford International Airport (LBA). Alternatively, Manchester International Airport (MIA) is located 60 miles away from Leeds with fast, reliable and direct train services. Leeds is a 2 hour train journey away from London with direct train services every half an hour.
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Prof. Peter Buckley (Director of the Centre for International Business, University of Leeds).
Adam Cross (Director, Centre for Chinese Business and Development, University of Leeds).
Nicholas Forsans (Director, James E. Lynch India and South Asia Business Centre, University of Leeds).
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sierk Horn (Director MA Japanese Business, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Leeds).
Hafiz Mirza (Chief, Development Issues Section, Division on Investment, Technology and Enterprise Development, UNCTAD and President, EAMSA).
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
The Centre for International Business University of Leeds (CIBUL) of Leeds University Business School is one of the world's premier research and teaching centres in the field of international business. It was recently ranked first in the world for its scholarly publications and sixth by the Financial Times for the quality of its teaching. Much of CIBUL's recent work focuses on China and India, through the research of the Centre for Chinese Business and Development (run jointly with the Department of East Asian Studies) and the James E Lynch India & South Asia Business Centre.
Established in 1963, the Department of East Asian Studies is one of Europe's largest teaching and research centres on the Asia Pacific Region. It offers a suite of programmes on Japanese Studies, Mongolian Studies, Asia Pacific Studies, and most recently, South East Asian Studies.
In 2006, the Department of East Asian Studies, in collaboration with the University of Sheffield and CIBUL, received an award of £4mn from the Higher Education Funding Council, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to establish the White Rose East Asia Centre (WREAC). This will undertake world-class research and will provide advanced research and languages training within two new constituent institutions, the National Institute of Japanese Studies and the National Institute of Chinese Studies.
For more information on these centres, see:
Centre for International Business University of Leeds (CIBUL)
http://lubswww.leeds.ac.uk/cibul/index.php
Department of East Asian Studies
http://www.smlc.leeds.ac.uk/eas/eas_content/home/home.asp
White Rose East Asia Centre
http://www.wreac.org/
Centre for Chinese Business and Development
http://www.smlc.leeds.ac.uk/ccbd/ccbd_content/home/home.asp
James E Lynch India & South Asia Business Centre
http://lubswww.leeds.ac.uk/ISABC/
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