International Business and Development Hub

Drawn from a need to reinforce our appreciation of how businesses not only can best respond to the variant institutional challenges and global crises, but also how they can have a meaningful impact upon them, the International Business and Development (IBD) Group supports research on both (a) the impact that the institutional environments in home countries have upon firm strategies and (b) how firms’ strategies impact on, and interact with, host countries.

Our Group conducts research on the interactions between large multinational enterprises (MNEs), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), their partners in global value chains (GVCs), and the institutional environments within which they operate. We are one of the top centres of International Business research in the United Kingdom (Global Research Performance Database, 2017), while drawing upon the reputation of the University of Sussex as a renowned location for research on development studies (1st in the world for Development Studies, QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022).

 

• Members
  • Vassiliki Bamiatzi
  • Steven Brieger
  • Tom Buckley
  • John Da Silva Luiz
  • Stephan Manning
  • Marianna Marra
  • Rishika Nayyar
  • Ha Nguyen
  • Makafui Kwame Kumodzie-Dussey
  • Eleni Piteli
  • Vikrant Shirodkar
  • Roger Strange
  • Yong Yang
  • Dr Rana Zayadin
• Research Projects

  We conduct research on the interactions between large multinational enterprises (MNEs), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), their partners in global value chains (GVCs), and the institutional environments within which they operate. We undertake both quantitative and qualitative research, employing a full range of research methodologies and theoretical perspectives accordingly.

• Research themes

  Our current research embraces three distinct and interrelated areas of research on:

  International Business Strategies and Governance

  Acknowledging that MNEs and SMEs are major players in international business, our work highlights the evolution of internationalization strategies, entry mode and location decisions, as well as divestment motives in countries at different levels of economic development. The strategies developed in non-market environments, their performance implications and key ethical issues are also examined. Additional work focuses on how ownership structures (e.g. State, family, institutional) and corporate governance (including Board) characteristics impact upon firm strategies.
  Discover more about MNE Governance and Strategy

  Institutional Contexts and Development

  The increasing significance of the “emerging economies” and of “emerging economy multinationals” (EMNEs) in the global economy has brought into focus the importance of the institutional environments in MNEs’ home countries in hindering and/or facilitating the international strategies of those MNEs. Our work addresses the potential economic and social developmental impacts of MNEs on host countries, and broader issues related to corporate social responsibility (i.e. MNEs and corruption), as well as host countries’ institutional impacts on firm strategies.
  Discover more about Institutional Context and Development

  Global Value Chains and Networks

  Most contemporary goods and services generally involve value-creating activities located in several countries, with these activities linked together through global value chains (GVCs) and networks. Some of these GVCs are internalized within MNEs, but others may be externalized (outsourced) and involve many independent partners. Our work considers how these organizationally-fragmented and geographically-dispersed GVCs are coordinated, and by whom. Additionally, we look at knowledge transfers, reverse knowledge transfers, and lateral knowledge transfers within MNEs.
  Discover more about Global Value Chains and Networks

• Information on related courses

  The academic faculty in the Group are fully involved in the teaching activities of the Business School and contribute primarily to the International Business BSc (and related undergraduate degrees), International Business and Development MSc and the International Management MSc.

• News and events

  The Group members have been the recipients of several major awards and prizes in recent years including three Temple/AIB Best Paper Prizes in the past six years. Most recently, Palitha Konara was funded by the UK Department for International Trade (2020) for his project on “Causes and impact of foreign direct disinvestment in the UK.”

  There have also been a number of events run by the group including the following conferences, seminars and workshops:

  • 24^th October 2021 - The IBD Research Hub in collaboration with the International Business group of the University of Surrey Business School has organised a Webinar on Publishing in IB Journals. The event aimed at stimulating a discussion on the challenges and best practices in publishing in IB journals. Guest Speakers included: Professor Roger Strange, Editor-in Chief of IBR, Professor Tazeeb Rajwani, Associate Editor for MBR & JIM, Professor Stephan Manning, Senior Editor for MOR and Professor John Luiz, Editorial Board of JIBP.
  • 19^th May 2021 - Joint Sussex-Surrey Panel Discussion on “Female Leaders in Global Firms”, with Professor Vassiliki Bamiatzi, Dr Zahira Jaser, Mrs Gabriele Zedlmayer, HP, and Mrs Natalia Baldizzoni, KFC.
  • 10^th March 2021 - Joint Sussex-Surrey Panel Discussion on “International Business in Africa”, with Professor Helena Barnard and Professor Anastacia Mamabol, University of Pretoria, and Dr Pamela Mreji, Technical University of Kenya.
  • 28^th February 2021 - Joint Sussex-Surrey Webinar on “IB, Climate Changes and Energy Transition”, with Professor Ans Kolk, University of Amsterdam.
  • 25th February 2021 - Joint IBD-RBG Webinar on “Impact measurement in an emerging social sector”, with Professor Pablo Munoz, University of Liverpool Management School.
  • 10^th February 2021 - Joint Sussex-Surrey on “Post-Covid debates on Global Strategy and Business”, with Professor Mike Peng, University of Texas.
  • 2^nd December 2020 - Panel Discussion on “Digitalization and Global Technologies”, with Professor Antonello Zanfei, University of Urbino, Dr. Vittoria Scalera, University of Amsterdam, and Dr Marianna Marra.
  • 4^th November 2020 - Internal Methodological Training Workshop, with Professor Piers Steel, University of Calgary, and Dr Hadi Fariborzi.
  • 21^st October 2020 - Joint IBD-RBG Webinar on “Business Responses to Change: An ethical perspective”, with Dr Terry Herron, Professor of Accounting at the University of Montana, Dr Vikrant Shirodkar and Professor Vassiliki Bamiatzi.
  • 14^th July 2020 - The IBD Research Hub in collaboration with the Responsible Business Research Mobilizer Group has organised a 2020 Zoom Workshop “Research After COVID-19”. The event aimed at stimulating a discussion on various implications of Covid-19 for business and research.
  • April 2019 - A highly successful international conference (more than 500 attendees), the 46^th UK & Ireland Chapter of the Academy of International Business (AIB-UKI). The conference theme was focused on “Multinational Enterprises and their Non-market Social and Political Strategies”, and Chaired by Dr. Vikrant Shirodkar (IBD)

  The IBD Hub hold regular research seminars with internal and external speakers. Find out about the group's most recent seminars.

For any enquiries, email Vasiliki Bamiatzi: v.bamiatzi@sussex.ac.uk