This message contains a Call for Papers for the 7th Annual International
Business Research Forum titled "International Outsourcing of Services:
Expanding the Research Agenda" to be held at the Temple University,
Philadelphia on April 1, 2006.
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The 7th Annual International Business Research Forum
International Outsourcing of Services: Expanding the Research Agenda
Temple University, Philadelphia
April 1, 2006
Organizer: Arvind Parkhe
Several forces converged in recent years to generate exponential growth in
the international outsourcing of services (IOS): the Y2K scare; worldwide
spread of communications and computing technologies; increasing competitive
pressures to trim costs, improve quality, and shorten product development
cycles; tight labor markets in the west, coupled with a talented, motivated,
low-cost, highly-educated, almost bottomless pool of labor in certain
countries; and so on. This growth was applauded by many corporate
executives, business scholars, and free-trade economists, and opposed by
many unions, employees in affected industries, and politicians. Today, IOS
has grown beyond call centers and simple software coding, to include a broad
range of highly sophisticated IT operations, medical diagnostics and
treatment, legal work, computer animation, and other advanced activities.
Despite the manifest importance of this phenomenon for the service sector of
the 21st century, the discussion largely remains mired in anecdotal
evidence and political expediency, and surprisingly little academic research
has systematically addressed the economic, technological, financial,
political, and cultural aspects of IOS. It would be especially timely and
helpful to investigate the competitiveness implications of IOS. For the
overall U.S. economy, for particular industries, and for individual
companies, is IOS beneficial, harmful, or both? What policies must the U.S.
government promote to capture economic value through IOS, while minimizing
the downside? What IOS strategies must U.S. companies pursue in their quest
for global competitiveness?
In this research forum, we wish to foster a dialogue among scholars studying
issues related to IOS and international competitiveness, and their
implications for international business (IB) strategy and theory
development. Approximately twelve papers will be selected for presentation
at the 7th Annual IB Research Forum at Temple University, scheduled for
Saturday, April 1, 2006. Program sponsors will cover the presenters' travel
and lodging expenses for up to $500. Subsequently, select papers from the
research forum will be published in a Special Issue of the Journal of
International Management.
Manuscript Submission: All manuscripts should be submitted electronically
by December 16, 2005 to the Journal of International Management Office, at
jim@sbm.temple.edu. Alternatively, a disk copy may be submitted to the JIM
office, Fox School of Business & Management, Temple University, 349 Speakman
Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Additional information is available on
the Temple CIBER website,
http://sbm.temple.edu/ciber/ , or by contacting
Kim Cahill at 215.204.3778 or
kcahill@temple.edu. Manuscripts are submitted
with the understanding that they are original, unpublished works and are not
being submitted elsewhere.