Call for papers: Collaboration across Boundaries: New Perspectives on Global Virtual Teams

Journal of International Management

CALL FOR PAPERS

Collaboration across Boundaries: New Perspectives on Global Virtual Teams

• Submission Deadline: (March 8, 2016)
• Guest Editors: Alfredo Jimenez, Dirk Boehe, Vasyl Taras, Dan Caprar

Information and communication technologies drive globalization and have radically changed the organization of work structures within organizations. The organizations have responded by progressively shifting from traditional collocated teams to global virtual teams (GVTs) (Webster and Wong, 2008; Zakaria, 2008). The effective use of GVTs has become an indispensable prerequisite to implementing global strategies of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and independent firms working together in international networks (Lovelace et al., 2005). Several authors report that more than 60% of managers work regularly in virtual teams (de Lisser, 1999; Kanawattanachai and Yoo, 2002; Hertel, Geister, and Kondradt, 2005).

Global virtual teams can be defined as “temporary, culturally diverse, geographically dispersed, and electronically communicating work group[s]” (Jarvenpaa and Leidner, 1999). GVTs are not constrained by traditional geographic and time boundaries and can offer many advantages if properly managed. As Duckworth (2008) points out, through GVTs MNEs can economize on travel, immigration, expat relocation costs and save time. GVTs help improve efficiency by seamlessly distributing workload across different time zones. Importantly, the different backgrounds, local networks and knowledge resources of locally embedded team members create new opportunities to leverage complementarities, creativity and innovation.

However, to live up to their full potential, MNEs need to address crucial challenges of GVTs, such as time-zone differences (Sutanto, Kankanhalli and Tan, 2011), work styles (Liu, Magjuka and Lee, 2008), communication via low-context and low-media-richness channels across cultures (Butler and Zander, 2008) and leadership as well as technological-related issues hindering effective communication (Flammia, Cleary and Slattery, 2010).

This new phenomenon entails several important repercussions for management theories regarding the boundaries of the firm, principal-agent relationships, organizational learning, appropriability and social networks, among others. The growing importance of GVTs is also affecting the contents of the business curriculum, as many universities and business schools are implementing activities to teach and train students how to effectively work in this type of teams and how to cope with challenges mentioned above (Taras et al. 2013). As the crucial role of GVTs is only expected to grow more in the years to come, we encourage scholars to examine GVTs from different theoretical perspectives and empirical approaches in order to achieve implications relevant both for academics and practitioners.

This Special Issue aims to attract contributions that offer a fine-grained analysis of the distinct aspects that affect the behavior and performance of GVTs. Specifically, how can MNEs benefit from the several potential advantages that a smart management of this kind of team may provide? How can MNEs avoid the common pitfalls of GVTs? We welcome theoretical, empirical, methodological and case studies submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following issues:

• Advantages and disadvantages of GVTs vis à vis traditional collocated teams. 
• Determinants and characteristics of successful GVTs. 
• Knowledge-creation, dissemination and leakages in GVTs. 
• Open collaboration and GVT-headquarters relationships. 
• The process of creation and development of GVTs over time. 
• Differences in GVTs composition and performance across industries. 
• Leadership and team-dynamics in GVTs. 
• Improving inter-personal communication, team cohesion and trust among GVT members. 
• The impact of cross-cultural differences among GVT members on the team performance. 
• Language-related issues in GVTs. 
• Information and communication technologies and GVTs. 
• The multifaceted role of distance (geographical, institutional, psychic, cultural, etc) in GVTs. 
• Training employees and students how to effectively work in a GVT. 
• The relationship between the use of GVTs and firm performance. 
• GVTs and employee satisfaction. 
• Reducing shirking and cheating in GVTs 
• Trends in the use of GVT around the world – who makes use of them, who does not, and why? 
• The role of GVTs in global business strategy. 

Submission information

The deadline for manuscript submission is March 8, 2016. Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with Journal of International Management’s Style Guide for Authors: http://www.elsevier.com/journals/journal-of-international-management/1075-4253/guide-for-authors and submitted through the Journal’s submission website.

To ensure that all manuscripts are correctly identified for consideration for this Special Issue, it is important that authors select ‘SI: Global Virtual Teams’ when they reach the “Article Type” step in the submission process.

Please direct any questions regarding the Special Issue to Alfredo Jimenez (ajimenez@ubu.es), Dirk Boehe (dirk.boehe@adelaide.edu.au), Vasyl Taras (v_taras@uncg.edu), and Dan Caprar (dan.caprar@unsw.edu.au).

References

• Butler, C., Zander, L. 2008. The business of teaching and learning through multicultural teams. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 19(2), 192-218. 
• de Lisser, E. 1999. Update on Small Business: Firms with Virtual Environments Appeal to Workers. Wall Street Journal, October 5, 1999.
• Duckworth, H. 2008. How TRW automotive helps global virtual teams perform at the top of their game. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 28, 6-16.
• Flammia, M., Cleary, Y., Slattery, D. M. 2010. Leadership roles, socioemotional communication strategies, and technology use of Irish and US students in virtual teams. IEEE Transactions of Professional Communication, 53(2), 89-101. 
• Hertel, G., S. Geister., U. Kondradt. 2005. Managing virtual teams: A review of current empirical research. Human Resource Management Review, 15, 65-95.
• Jarvenpaa, S.L., Leidner, D.E. 1999 Communication and Trust in Global Virtual Teams, Organization Science 10, 791–815.
• Kanawattanachai, P., Yoo, Y. 2002. Dynamic nature of trust in virtual teams. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 11(3-4), 187-213.
• Liu, X., Magjuka, R.J., Lee, s. 2008. An examination of the relationship among structure, trust, and conflict management styles in virtual teams. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 21(1), 77-93.
• Lovelace, K., Shapiro, D. L., Weingart, L. R. 2001. Maximizing cross-functional new Product teams’ innovativeness and constraint adherence: A conflict communications perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 44(4), 479-493.
• Sutanto, J., Kankanhalli, A., Tan, B. C. Y. 2011. Deriving IT-mediated task coordination portfolios for global virtual teams. IEEE Transactions of Professional Communication, 54(2), 133-151.
• Taras, V., Caprar, D., Rottig, D., Sarala, R., Zakaria, N., Zhao, F., Jimenez, A., Wankel, C., Lei, W.S., Minor, M., Bryła, P., Ordenana, X., Bode, A., Schuster, A., Vaiginiene, E., Froese, F., Bathula, H., Yajnik, N., Baldegger R., Huang V., 2013. A global classroom? Evaluating the effectiveness of global virtual collaboration as a teaching tool in management education. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(3), 414-435.
• Webster, J., Wong, W. 2008. Comparing traditional and virtual group forms: Identity, communication and trust in naturally occurring project teams. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(1), 41-62. 
• Zakaria, N. 2008. Using computer mediated communication as a tool to facilitate intercultural collaboration of global virtual teams. In M. Pagani (ed.) Encyclopedia of Multimedia Technology and Networking, (1115-1123), 2. New York: Information Science Reference.

About the Guest Editors

Dr. Alfredo Jiménez is Assistant Professor at the University of Burgos (Spain). His research interests are focused on the process and the determinants of success in the internationalization strategy of firms including political risk, cultural and psychic distance and corruption. In addition, he is also working on a research line devoted to virtual team and multi-cultural team management and dynamics. He has previously published several papers in several international relevant journals, including Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, Management International Review International Business Review and European Journal of International Management. He has also been a visiting scholar in different institutions in Australia, Norway, Italy, Germany, Ecuador and Mexico.

Dr. Dirk Boehe is Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide Business School (Australia). His research interests focus on multinational corporations, corporate social responsibility and corporate governance in emerging markets. His scholarly articles have appeared in The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of International Management, Journal of Small Business Management, Management International Review, Journal of World Business, World Development, Business and Society, Studies in Higher Education, among others. Before joining the University of Adelaide, he held full-time positions at Brazilian business schools. Before joining academia, Dirk gained professional experience in related areas such as market research, foreign trade and international consulting projects in Colombia, England, Germany and Venezuela.

Dr. Vasyl Taras is Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (United States). He has published several papers on culture and global virtual teams in leading International Business and Psychology journals such as Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of World Business, Journal of International Management, Academy of Management Learning and Education, International Journal of Human Resource Management and Management International Review. He is also Associate Editor of the International Journal of Cross Cultural Management and Editorial Review Board Member of Journal of International Business, Journal of International Management and Management Research Review. He has recently co-edited a book about Experiential Learning and has plenty of experience as a business consultant.

Dr. Dan Caprar is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Management of the UNSW Australia Business School. His research, teaching, and consulting work are in the area of cross-cultural management, leadership, and self-development. Dan has published several papers on culture and global virtual teams in top journals including Journal of International Business Studies, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Journal of Business Ethics, Personnel Psychology, and the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. In addition, his work on the culture of MNC local employees, published in the Journal of International Business Studies, was the runner-up for the Academy of Management HR Division Scholarly Achievement Award in 2011. Dan is currently a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of International Business Studies and a Regional Associate Editor for the International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management.

Call for papers: Globalization of Capital Markets

Journal of International Management Special Issue Call for Papers

GLOBALIZATION OF CAPITAL MARKETS: IMPLICATIONS FOR FIRM STRATEGIES

GUEST EDITORS

• Igor Filatotchev, City University London and Vienna University of Economics and Business
• R. Greg Bell, University of Dallas
• Abdul A. Rasheed, University of Texas at Arlington

Submission Deadline: May 15, 2015

The increasing integration of global capital markets now makes it easier for firms to access capital outside of their home countries. Firms access international capital markets through a variety of means such as initial public offerings (IPO), seasoned equity offerings (SEO), cross-listings, depository receipts, special purpose acquisition companies (SPACS), shelf offerings, private equity and other informal equity capital channels. Firms can also access debt resources outside their market through bank loans, and foreign bond issues. Finally, cross border flows of venture capital (VC) continue to increase rapidly. The objective of this Special Issue will be to explore the challenges firms face in capital markets beyond their domestic boundaries, be it equity, debt, or VC markets.

While IB research continues to evaluate the challenges facing firms in foreign product markets, IB scholars have yet to adequately address the underlying reasons why firms face challenges in foreign equity markets. These include underpricing, higher underwriting and professional fees, higher listing fees, audit fees (Bronson, Ghosh, and Hogan, 2009), and greater risk of lawsuits (Bhattacharya, Galpin, and Haslem, 2007), and home bias on the part of investors (French and Poterba, 1991). Further, research suggests the existence of a “foreign firm discount” relative to host market firms (Frésard and Salva, 2010).

Venture capital and private equity have truly become global phenomena and take many forms such as cross-border investment, foreign acquisitions, VC firms opening offices overseas, and influencing their portfolio firms to enter and exit international stock exchanges. Foreign firms raise significantly more debt than equity in the U.S.. Indeed, the largest component of the international capital market is the bond market.

Research on the motivation, the processes, the supporting mechanisms, and the range of outcomes that firms experience as a result of entering international capital markets is extremely limited so far. We believe such research can draw from a variety of theoretical perspectives and research traditions in international business. The choice of whether to access financial resources outside of the firm’s home market, how to select the appropriate foreign market, and the manner in which to raise resources are all relevant questions that parallel prior IB research market and entry mode choice. IB scholars consider LOF as the “fundamental assumption driving theories of the multinational enterprise” (Zaheer, 1995: 341). Yet, the conceptualization and research on LOF solely based upon product market may be inadequate today given the increasing integration of capital markets (Bell, Filatotchev and Rasheed, 2012).

In addition to the main theoretical perspectives in international business, the Special Issue welcomes scholars and perspectives from diverse disciplines such as finance, economics, and sociology.

TOPICS

The interaction between product market and capital market strategies
Prior research shows that the decision to list abroad has implications on the success of the firm’s products. What are the implications of capital market strategies for product market strategies and vice versa?

• Culture and capital markets

There is a growing body of research that investigates how culture affects both economic exchange and outcomes by affecting expectations and preferences (Guiso, Sapienza, and Zingales, 2009). How does culture affect cross-border transactions in formal or informal capital markets?

• The role of distance

Even in a world where technology has shrunk distance and time, spatial costs are non-trivial. Do spatial costs exist in financial markets? Moreover, do spatial costs impact capital market strategies, and the choice of foreign capital markets?

• The role of innovation

Financial markets are continuously producing new vehicles through which firms can acquire capital resources. What are the antecedents of innovations in global capital markets? How do firms take advantage of these innovations?

• Institutional environments and their implications on capital market strategies

New exchanges in Europe and Asia with vastly different listing and disclosure requirements thank New York and London. How has the competition among stock exchanges impacted the international capital raising strategies of firms?

• Liabilities of Foreignness

What are the sources of Liabilities of Foreignness (LOF) that firms face in formal or informal capital markets and what are the strategies that enable firms to overcome them?

• Informal capital market strategies

Private equity represents an innovation in the ability to provide capital to unquoted firms. What are challenges that private equity firms face in international markets? Likewise, what are the challenges that private equity portfolio firms face?

• Governance and capital market strategies

To what extent does internationalization of capital markets lead to convergence of governance practices across countries??

• The role of trust

Trust has been found to affect the international investment choices of private equity firms (Bruton, Ahlstrom, and Puky, 2009). How does trust impact the international capital market strategies of firms?

• Third parties and capital market strategies

Capital markets are mediated markets in that sense that participants rely greatly on key third parties, such as investment banks, brokers, and investment analysts for information production. How do third parties impact the choice of foreign capital markets? What are the internationalization strategies that these third parties pursue?

• Processes

What are the top management and board factors that impact capital market strategies? Both individual and team level factors hold considerable promise providing greater insights into the reasons why firms choose capital resources outside of their home market, and the manner in which these resources are accessed.

• Performance

What accounts for success in foreign capital markets? How do strategies for firms seeking debt capital differ from those seeking equity? How do home and host country factors determine the outcome of these strategies?

While many of the firms that make their initial public offerings go on to succeed, what is often overlooked is the fact that more than half of these firms actually delist within the first few years (Doidge, Karolyi, and Stulz, 2010). What are the factors that account for the delisting of firms on foreign exchanges?

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

The deadline for manuscript submission is May 15, 2015. Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with Journal of International Management’s Style Guide for Authors:http://www.elsevier.com/journals/journal-of-international-management/1075-4253/guide-for-authors and submitted through the Journal’s submission website. A paper development workshop will be held at the 2015 Academy of Management conference in Vancouver. Final Drafts are due February 28, 2016.
Please direct any questions regarding the Special Issue to Igor Filatotchev (Igor.Filatotchev@city.ac.uk), Greg Bell (gbell@udallas.edu) and Abdul Rasheed (abdul@uta.edu).

REFERENCES

Bell, R. G., Filatotchev, I., Rasheed, A. 2012. The liability of foreignness in capital markets: Sources and remedies. Journal of International Business Studies, 43(2): 107-122.
Bhattacharya, U., Galpin, N., Haslem, B. 2007. The home court advantage in international corporate litigation. Journal of Law and Economics, 50: 625-659.
Bruton, G., Ahlstrom, D., Puky, T. 2009. Institutional differences and the development of entrepreneurial ventures: A comparison of the venture capital industries in Latin America and Asia. Journal of International Business Studies, 40: 762-778.
Doidge, C., Karolyi, A., Stulz, R., 2010. Why do foreign firms leave U.S. equity markets? Journal of Finance 65, 1507-1553.
French, K., Poterba, J. 1991. Investor diversification and international equity markets. The American Economic Review, 81(2): 222-226
Frésard, L., Salva, C. 2010. The foreign firm discount. Working Paper, HEC School of Management, HEC Paris.
Guiso, L., Sapienza, P., Zingales, L. 2009. Cultural biases in economic exchange? Quarterly Journal of Economics, 124(3): 1095–1131.
Schmeisser, B. 2013. A systematic review of literature on offshoring of value chain activities. Journal of International Management, 19(4), 390-406.
Zaheer, S. 1995. Overcoming the liability of foreignness. Academy of Management Journal, 38(2): 341-363.

Call for papers: Globalization of Capital markets

Journal of International Management

Special Issue Call for Papers

GLOBALIZATION OF CAPITAL MARKETS: IMPLICATIONS FOR FIRM STRATEGIES

Guest Editors:

• Igor Filatotchev, City University London and Vienna University of Economics and Business
• R. Greg Bell, University of Dallas
• Abdul A. Rasheed, University of Texas at Arlington

Submission Deadline: May 15, 2015

The increasing integration of global capital markets now makes it easier for firms to access capital outside of their home countries. Firms access international capital markets through a variety of means such as initial public offerings (IPO), seasoned equity offerings (SEO), cross-listings, depository receipts, special purpose acquisition companies (SPACS), shelf offerings, private equity and other informal equity capital channels. Firms can also access debt resources outside their market through bank loans, and foreign bond issues. Finally, cross border flows of venture capital (VC) continue to increase rapidly. The objective of this Special Issue will be to explore the challenges firms face in capital markets beyond their domestic boundaries, be it equity, debt, or VC markets.

While IB research continues to evaluate the challenges facing firms in foreign product markets, IB scholars have yet to adequately address the underlying reasons why firms face challenges in foreign equity markets. These include underpricing, higher underwriting and professional fees, higher listing fees, audit fees (Bronson, Ghosh, and Hogan, 2009), and greater risk of lawsuits (Bhattacharya, Galpin, and Haslem, 2007), and home bias on the part of investors (French and Poterba, 1991). Further, research suggests the existence of a “foreign firm discount” relative to host market firms (Frésard and Salva, 2010). 

Venture capital and private equity have truly become global phenomena and take many forms such as cross-border investment, foreign acquisitions, VC firms opening offices overseas, and influencing their portfolio firms to enter and exit international stock exchanges. Foreign firms raise significantly more debt than equity in the U.S.. Indeed, the largest component of the international capital market is the bond market. 

Research on the motivation, the processes, the supporting mechanisms, and the range of outcomes that firms experience as a result of entering international capital markets is extremely limited so far. We believe such research can draw from a variety of theoretical perspectives and research traditions in international business. The choice of whether to access financial resources outside of the firm’s home market, how to select the appropriate foreign market, and the manner in which to raise resources are all relevant questions that parallel prior IB research market and entry mode choice. IB scholars consider LOF as the “fundamental assumption driving theories of the multinational enterprise” (Zaheer, 1995: 341). Yet, the conceptualization and research on LOF solely based upon product market may be inadequate today given the increasing integration of capital markets (Bell, Filatotchev and Rasheed, 2012).

In addition to the main theoretical perspectives in international business, the Special Issue welcomes scholars and perspectives from diverse disciplines such as finance, economics, and sociology.

Topics

The interaction between product market and capital market strategies

• Prior research shows that the decision to list abroad has implications on the success of the firm’s products. What are the implications of capital market strategies for product market strategies and vice versa? 

Culture and capital markets

• There is a growing body of research that investigates how culture affects both economic exchange and outcomes by affecting expectations and preferences (Guiso, Sapienza, and Zingales, 2009). How does culture affect cross-border transactions in formal or informal capital markets?

The role of distance

• Even in a world where technology has shrunk distance and time, spatial costs are non-trivial. Do spatial costs exist in financial markets? Moreover, do spatial costs impact capital market strategies, and the choice of foreign capital markets?

The role of innovation

• Financial markets are continuously producing new vehicles through which firms can acquire capital resources. What are the antecedents of innovations in global capital markets? How do firms take advantage of these innovations?

Institutional environments and their implications on capital market strategies

• New exchanges in Europe and Asia with vastly different listing and disclosure requirements thank New York and London. How has the competition among stock exchanges impacted the international capital raising strategies of firms?

Liabilities of Foreignness

• What are the sources of Liabilities of Foreignness (LOF) that firms face in formal or informal capital markets and what are the strategies that enable firms to overcome them?

Informal capital market strategies

• Private equity represents an innovation in the ability to provide capital to unquoted firms. What are challenges that private equity firms face in international markets? Likewise, what are the challenges that private equity portfolio firms face?

Governance and capital market strategies

• To what extent does internationalization of capital markets lead to convergence of governance practices across countries?? 

The role of trust

• Trust has been found to affect the international investment choices of private equity firms (Bruton, Ahlstrom, and Puky, 2009). How does trust impact the international capital market strategies of firms?

Third parties and capital market strategies

• Capital markets are mediated markets in that sense that participants rely greatly on key third parties, such as investment banks, brokers, and investment analysts for information production. How do third parties impact the choice of foreign capital markets? What are the internationalization strategies that these third parties pursue?

Processes

• What are the top management and board factors that impact capital market strategies? Both individual and team level factors hold considerable promise providing greater insights into the reasons why firms choose capital resources outside of their home market, and the manner in which these resources are accessed.
• What accounts for success in foreign capital markets? How do strategies for firms seeking debt capital differ from those seeking equity? How do home and host country factors determine the outcome of these strategies?
• While many of the firms that make their initial public offerings go on to succeed, what is often overlooked is the fact that more than half of these firms actually delist within the first few years (Doidge, Karolyi, and Stulz, 2010). What are the factors that account for the delisting of firms on foreign exchanges?

Submission instructions

The deadline for manuscript submission is May 15, 2015. Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with Journal of International Management’s Style Guide for Authors: http://www.elsevier.com/journals/journal-of-international-management/1075-4253/guide-for-authors and submitted through the Journal’s submission website. A paper development workshop will be held at the 2015 Academy of Management conference in Vancouver. Final Drafts are due February 28, 2016.

Please direct any questions regarding the Special Issue to Igor Filatotchev (Igor.Filatotchev@city.ac.uk), Greg Bell (gbell@udallas.edu) and Abdul Rasheed (abdul@uta.edu).

References

Bell, R. G., Filatotchev, I., Rasheed, A. 2012. The liability of foreignness in capital markets: Sources and remedies.Journal of International Business Studies, 43(2): 107-122.

Bhattacharya, U., Galpin, N., Haslem, B. 2007. The home court advantage in international corporate litigation.Journal of Law and Economics, 50: 625-659.

Bruton, G., Ahlstrom, D., Puky, T. 2009. Institutional differences and the development of entrepreneurial ventures: A comparison of the venture capital industries in Latin America and Asia. Journal of International Business Studies, 40: 762-778.

Doidge, C., Karolyi, A., Stulz, R., 2010. Why do foreign firms leave U.S. equity markets? Journal of Finance 65, 1507-1553.

French, K., Poterba, J. 1991. Investor diversification and international equity markets. The American Economic Review, 81(2): 222-226

Frésard, L., Salva, C. 2010. The foreign firm discount. Working Paper, HEC School of Management, HEC Paris.

Guiso, L., Sapienza, P., Zingales, L. 2009. Cultural biases in economic exchange? Quarterly Journal of Economics, 124(3): 1095–1131.

Schmeisser, B. 2013. A systematic review of literature on offshoring of value chain activities. Journal of International Management, 19(4), 390-406.

Zaheer, S. 1995. Overcoming the liability of foreignness. Academy of Management Journal, 38(2): 341-363.




Dr. R. Greg Bell
Associate Professor
University of Dallas College of Business
Accredited by AACSB International
1845 E. Northgate Drive | Irving, Texas 75062 | USA
gbell@udallas.edu | 972-721-5167 |