BACKGROUND

Since the turn of the century, it has become a digital era. In addition to traditionally multinationals from an advanced world (aMNCs), the expansion of emerging market multinationals (eMNCs) in a digital world has been remarkable. In other words, aMNCs, eMNCs and ebusiniess linking to information systems (IS) and Information and communications technology (ICT) have ventured since the 1960s, but it is only after the turn of the century that this global expansion increased significantly.

The eBusiness from eMNCs is giving tough competition to developed world aMNCs. The eMNCs' power and impact has increased considerably and many of them have become household names involved with a digital world. The eMNCs play an important role in global eBusiness and economy. eBusiness, eMNCs and aMNCs have become a popular subject of research.

Featured by the digitization and digitalization largely from aMNCs and eMNCs, scholars argue that we are at the fourth technology revolution, along with industrialization and globalization. With a mixture of eBusiness from aMNCs and eMNCs, Asia Pacific has become the global leader with the Internet users and digital consumers. This links to studies on digital infrastructure and effective regulations.  

CONFERENCE

The rise of eMNCs in the digital era has been meteoric. There is no doubt that the escalation of eMNCs overall is capable of upending the hitherto dominant position enjoyed by the G-7 multinationals. To looking into eMNCs in the digital world, Cornell University Emerging Markets Institute (EMI) and partners — The University of Texas at Dallas Center for Global Business (CGB), Northeastern University Center for Emerging Markets (CEM), and the University of Miami Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) — are preparing for an annual Global Strategy and Emerging Markets (GSEM) Conference in May 2020.

Previous GSEM conferences have been held in Miami (2016), Boston (2017), Miami (2018) and Dallas (2019). This 2020 conference, along with a celebration of the EMI Cornell for its ten year anniversary, provides a platform to bring together senior and junior scholars, doctoral students, and practitioners in the fields of international business, strategic information management, cross-cultural management, technology strategy, and global entrepreneurship from around the world. Transnational Corporations Council of Studies and China Academy of Cross Border E-Commerce of Zhejiang University are invited to collaborate with the Emerging Market Institute at Cornell University in the United States for the 2020 conference on emerging multinationals in the digital world.  

ISSUES TO RESEARCH

In response to a digital era, an important body of literature has grown over the past decades. Such literature has focused in particular on understanding the internationalization process of these firms and on assessing the applicability of prevailing theoretical frameworks. The field of eBusiness from eMNCs and aMNCs is still in its infancy and invites further study. In this spirit, supported by China Academy of Cross-Border E-Commerce at Zhejiang University, Transnational Corporations Review (TNCR), an international journal published by Taylor & Francis Group, considers a special issue to further stimulate research in this area. This special issue aims looking into various issues on a macro level related to a digitalization world. These include but not limit to:

• The use, impact, and management issues of MNCs at organizations, such as the use of ICT for business competitions, the impact of ICT on multinationals, esp. eMNCs, and related management such as innovations, global strategies; and ICT economics.
• ICT at Industry levels, such issues as changes of industry and how multinationals cope with the (IS and ICT) technological changes;
• ICT and its impact on society, including issues related to social impact and environmental impact, that is, the triple bottom lines; how multinationals use and manage IS/ICT from the perspectives of social good, green IT and IT for green.

For those who may be interested in IS/ICT for development, such issues as ICT and emerging markets, research is welcome in looking into how eMNCs are continuing their ascension as active global pursuers of further brand and product market differentiation. These may include but not limit to:

• Examining concrete case analyses and theoretical reflections on MNC-driven catch-up growth linking to digitization and digitalization.
• Encouraging the papers take help of existing literature and digital industry examples, as well as the success of MNCs from EMs.
• Investigating the implications of the drastic changes in the global economy and explore the growing soft power of emerging economies.

For your attention, all submissions for this special issue will be going through the Taylor & Francis’ online system at www.tandfonline.come/rncr, along with a peer review process from experts in the field. We encourage potential contributors to submit their research proposal and draft paper to the email contacts below for initial comments and suggestions.

DATES IN MIND

• Abstract/proposal encouraged to submit: October 31, 2019
• Submission deadline for full paper: January 31, 2020
• Author notification of acceptance to Cornell conference: March 4, 2020
• Submissions peer review: May to August 2020
• Acceptance for publishing: August 31, 2020
• Special publication release: December 2020

Conference Dates:

• Registration starts Friday, February 1, 2020
• Registration deadline Friday, March 29, 2020 (one author for each accepted paper/proposal must register by this deadline for the paper/proposal to be included in the program)

• Wednesday, May 13, 2020 (evening reception)
• Thursday, May 14, 2020 (full day)
• Friday, May 15, 2020 (full day, concluding at 4:00 p.m.)

For more information about the conference and special issue, please contact Dr. Badar Iqbal at badar.iqbal@fulbrightmail.org and tncr.special@gmail.com (Overseas, Ms. Jen Ma); For additional information about the conference and paper submission, please contact: hzhang30@163.com (China, Dr. Hongsheng Zhang @ Zhejiang University).

References