Management International Review
http://www.mir-online.de
Call for Papers
Focused Issue: INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATION AND COORDINATION IN MNEs - IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT
Rudolf R. Sinkovics, Anthony S. Roath & S. <st1:personname w:st="on">Tamer Cavusgil</st1:personname>
Guest Editors
About MIR – Management International Review
Management International Review publishes research-based articles that reflect significant advances in the key areas of International Management. Its target audience includes scholars in International Business Administration. MIR is a double-blind refereed journal that aims at the advancement and dissemination of applied research in the fields of International Management. The scope of the journal comprises International Business, Cross-cultural Management, and Comparative Management. The journal publishes research that builds or extends International Management Theory so that it can contribute to International Management Practice.
About the focused issue
MIR invites the submission of articles which fit the theme "International Integration and coordination in MNEs - Implications for International Management". The International Business literature has a rich tradition of examining large multinational enterprises (MNEs) strategic development of structural and organizational issues associated with orchestrating their boundary spanning business activities (Ghoshal and Bartlett 1990). Traditionally, MNEs have developed structures that resembled federative rather than unitary organizations (Yamin and Forsgren 2006), implying that a significant degree of autonomy was retained for nationally focused subsidiaries (Birkinshaw and Hood 2000). However, globalization forces and environmental drivers, including increasing market liberalization and advances in information and communication technologies (Yamin and Sinkovics 2007) have changed the realities of conducting international business (Cavusgil, Knight, and Riesenberger 2008). There are now shifts in the strategies and structures of MNEs. The core thrust is on global integration of operational and functional activities (Buckley and Ghauri 2004) while managerial decision making, both on a strategic and operational level, is slowly shifting back to the level of company headquarters or regional centers (Rugman 2005).
Global dynamism is forcing global organizations to reassess their processes of integration and coordination while updating the tools necessary to accomplish these "tasks." One of the primary results of these activities is a redefinition of firm boundaries, restructuring of the global supply chain (Buckley and Ghauri 2004) and a redefinition of headquarter power; a demonstration of what Yamin and Forsgren (2006) call the 'demise of the federative MNE'.
In this call for papers we specifically look at contributions which highlight changes in the following operational areas; arguably, these areas represent "tools" or vehicles of integration and coordination in MNEs:
§ Global supply chain management
§ Global logistics
§ Global account management
§ Global teams and human resource practices
§ Global product development
§ Global branding
§ Global IT platforms and/or ICT systems
We are interested in how management processes (e.g., tools) associated with each of the aforementioned areas either facilitate or hinder global integration and coordination. In other words, how and to what extent have global teams (for example) changed the landscape of MNEs' integration and coordination mechanisms given the dynamics of the international market? It will also be of significant value to contribute to the special issue theme by examining to what extent experiences in different geographic/cultural contexts are different (e.g., US/Japanese and EU firms). While we invite conceptual and theory-building papers, empirical studies are favored.
Submission information
- All papers will be subjected to double-blind peer review.
- Authors should follow MIR guidelines, http://www.mir-online.de
- Authors should submit an electronic copy of their manuscript as a word-file which does not reveal their identity in the document (remove personal information from file properties in the tools-options-security tab).
- Submit your papers via e-mail attachment to
- Submission deadline: November 30, 2009. However, earlier submissions are encouraged.
- The review process will take approx. 4-5 months
- CFP document in .pdf Format: http://www.personal.mbs.ac.uk/rsinkovics/research/CFP-MIR-2009.pdf
About the Guest Editors
Rudolf R. Sinkovics is Reader in International Business at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Manchester Business School</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.K.</st1:country-region></st1:place> He received his PhD from Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration (WU-Wien), <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Austria</st1:country-region></st1:place>. His research is on inter-organizational governance mechanisms and the role of ICT in firm internationalization and coordination. His work has been published in journals such as Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, and International Business Review.
Anthony S. Roath is Associate Professor in Marketing and Supply Chain Management. He received his PhD from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Michigan</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place> and his primary research stream is focused on the structuring and management of global supply chains. His research has been disseminated in journals such as Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, International Business Review, or Business Horizons.
S. Tamer Cavusgil is AIB Fellow and PhD from the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Wisconsin</st1:placename></st1:place>. Professor Cavusgil's teaching, research and administrative activities have focused on international business and marketing. His specific interests include the internationalization of the firm, global marketing strategy, and emerging markets. Currently, he is involved in projects which investigate common features of the MNCs, and governance issues in international marketing channels. Professor Cavusgil has authored more than a dozen books and over one hundred refereed journal articles. His work, published in such scholarly journals as the JAMS, JM, JIBS, JMR, and JBR is among the most cited contributions in international business and marketing. He has recently joined the faculty at <st1:placename w:st="on">Georgia</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">State</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> as Fuller E. Callaway Professorial Chair and Director, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Institute</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">International Business</st1:placename></st1:place>.
References
Birkinshaw, Julian and Neil Hood (2000), "Characteristics of Foreign Subsidiaries in Industry Clusters," Journal of International Business Studies, 31 (1), 141-154.
Buckley, Peter J. and Pervez N. Ghauri (2004), "Globalisation, Economic Geography and the Strategy of Multinational Enterprises," Journal of International Business Studies, 35 (2), 81-98.
Cavusgil, S. Tamer, Gary Knight, and John R. Riesenberger (2008), International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Ghoshal, Sumantra and Christopher A. Bartlett (1990), "The Multinational Corporation as an Interorganizational Network," Academy of Management Review, 15 (4), 603-625.
Rugman, Alan M. (2005), The Regional Multinationals: MNEs And "Global" Strategic Management. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Yamin, Mo and Rudolf R. Sinkovics (2007), "ICT and MNE Reorganisation: The Paradox of Control," Critical Perspectives on International Business, 3 (4), 322-336.
Yamin, Mohammad and Mats Forsgren (2006), "Hymer's Analysis of the Multinational Organization: Power Retention and the Demise of the Federative MNE," International Business Review, 15 (2), 166-179.
Dr. Rudolf R. Sinkovics
Reader in International Business
The University of Manchester
Manchester Business School, United Kingdom
E-Mail: Rudolf.Sinkovics@manchester.ac.uk
WWW: http://www.personal.mbs.ac.uk/rsinkovics/