Global Business Activities Research Articles

Strategies Adopted by Employees Toward Meeting the Requirements of International Company Needs and Developing Global Efficiency

"In the modern world, the international company cultivates a culture on a global scale. Employees face challenges in adapting to critical international cultural levels. Employees need to develop skills, language proficiency, and cultural understanding based on the needs and requirements of international company strategies for the work culture. Employees must develop communication skills to interact with colleagues and clients worldwide. Employees are encouraged to learn multiple languages to engage with different cultures for global business activities. They can leverage technology to bridge geographical gaps. With the rise of virtual collaboration tools, employees can now work seamlessly across borders. By embracing digital platforms and staying up-to-date with the latest technology trends, employees can enhance their productivity and contribute to global efficiency. They can seek training opportunities that specifically address the challenges of working in an international context, such as cross-cultural communication or global project management. By embracing cultural intelligence, enhancing language skills, leveraging technology, and investing in continuous learning, employees can play a vital role in driving the success of international organizations in today's interconnected world. To achieve these goals, employees can adopt several strategies that help them navigate the challenges of working in a global setting."

The 21 most practiced RE-s of circular economy from LinkedIn company profiles on a global scale

LinkedIn is a social media networking platform that provides users with publicly available data related to user and company profiles, job advertisements, groups, events, services, etc. The main feedback on the organizational trends around the Circular Economy (CE) has been mostly based on corporate reports and survey analytics while there are huge data volumes available online. This article aims to deliver valuable insights regarding global CE business activities. Those insights arise from data extracted οut of 7533 companies’ profiles on LinkedIn, containing the term CE in any profile section. Some significant findings include the companies’ geographical distribution (headquarters), the different industry sectors, each company's number of employees, followers, and foundation year. The last shows a significant increase in new CE companies over the last decade. Additionally, our work focuses on companies’ specialties and descriptions, which provide each organization's business activities and specialization. Finally, we investigated the presence of already studied and new Re- strategies, complemented by their most important interactions which undeniably indicate the dominance of the reuse-reduce-recycle triptych.

Periphery, uncertainty, and legacy: networks of global service firms within the former Soviet Union space

ABSTRACT This paper discusses intercity networks within the former Soviet Union (FSU), a semi-periphery of the global economic system of interactions. Intercity networks are constructed following an assumption that interaction between offices of the same corporation indicates connectivity between cities. In the FSU global corporations operate against a backdrop of continuous uncertainty. Consequently, it is possible to estimate temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of uncertainty by looking at the evolving structures of global companies with the example of global advanced producer service (APS) companies. These companies are regarded as brokers, integrating the region into the global business activities. The dataset comprises structures of the APS firms within the region in 2015 and 2018. A comparative analysis of networks in 2015 and 2018 demonstrates temporal dynamics of network reconfiguration and unequal spatial distribution of corporate offices in uncertain conditions. Through the lens of the network transformation, we reveal the continuous restructuring and peripheralization of the region.

Research on the coordinated development of cross-border e-commerce and logistics under the background of big data

Abstract Cross-border electronic platform trade is an important embodiment of the digitalization of international trade, with much attention and response to national policies. This is a global business activity in which traders from different countries negotiate and conclude deals online, and the flow of goods is realized through international transportation. Taking the effectiveness of the coordinated development of cross-border trade and international transportation as the direction of exploration, we study the development mechanism of the harmonious, proper coordination, and virtuous cycle of both from the digital background. According to the established model assumptions, based on the principles of science, objectivity, operability, and representativeness, the evaluation system of coordinated development level is constructed, and the subsystem sequential covariate efficacy function and the composite system coordination degree are calculated. From the results of correlation and coordination degree analysis, it shows that the total volume of transactions in this form of trade grows from $1.4 trillion in 2013 to $8.7 trillion in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 32%. The orderliness of the cross-border logistics subsystem keeps increasing between 2013 and 2020, and the growth rate reached an average of 15.84 %/year. On the whole, the orderliness of each of the two subsystems steadily increases year by year. The resulting coordinated development trend of electronic trade between countries and international transportation coincides with the electronic trade between countries stepping into a brand-new development period, which is sufficient to verify the science and reasonableness of the evaluation system.

Sustainability Topics Integration in Supply Chain and Logistics Higher Education: Where Is the Middle East?

The global logistics industry has grown significantly in the last decade and has become essential to global business activities. In addition, the logistics industry is vital in transportation, urbanization in the Middle East, and transshipment through the Middle East. Due to their increasing importance and size, there is an increasing demand for adequately qualified people capable of managing the logistics systems and supply chains holistically and sustainably to avoid problems caused by unsustainable practices in mobility, transport, and supply chains. However, it is unclear whether the logistic and supply chain education of future leaders, managers, and engineers will follow SDG goals, the rise of new trends, and green technologies or lag behind. This paper pioneered a systematic approach and analyzed Middle Eastern countries regarding their sustainability integration into higher education programs related to supply chain management and logistics studies. It revealed enormous differences among countries and a lack of sustainability topics in most studied countries. Some countries are also significantly more oriented toward partial logistics challenges such as transport efficiency instead of sustainable supply chains, which are becoming critical challenges for the near future and must be accompanied by formal and life-long learning on sustainability-related topics. The circular economy and corporate social responsibility are especially neglected. It was also revealed that sustainability integration in higher education does not correlate with sustainability scores and the ranking of countries within the sustainability index.

ПОДАТКОВІ МЕХАНІЗМИ ДЕТІНІЗАЦІЇ ГЛОБАЛЬНОЇ БІЗНЕС-ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ

The high level of shadowing of the world economy and its highly destructive impact on all spheres of human life make the diversified toolkit of de-shadowing of business activities one of the priority mechanisms for stimulating global economic development. Its strategic goals are primarily related to the formation of favorable organizational, economic, institutional and tax conditions for compliance by economic entities of various countries with strict requirements regarding the transparency of financial and economic activities and the movement of funds in bank accounts, combating the illegal withdrawal of funds abroad and "laundering » of the tax base, laundering of "dirty" money and shifting of corporate profits to low-tax jurisdictions, as well as manipulation of transfer prices for intra-company supplies of goods and services. At the same time, a full-fledged and systematic detinization of the global economy is impossible without the simultaneous implementation by countries of a diversified toolkit of interstate cooperation in this area with the aim of improving the mechanisms of taxation of extraterritorial activities of companies and firms, including with the use of digital technologies. In our opinion, it is the set of measures mentioned in the article that can bring the system of detinization of global business activity to a qualitatively higher level of development and eliminate its inherent methodological flaws and shortcomings. At the same time, the highest effect of detinization can be achieved exclusively on the basis of the comprehensive implementation by countries of organizational and economic, institutional and tax instruments at the national and supranational levels with the simultaneous application of moral and reputational influence on fiscally dishonest economic subjects. At the same time, the extraterritorial nature of the activities of modern multinational companies and their widespread use of digital technologies also brings to the fore the issue of a deep qualitative reorganization of the current system of global tax management in order to counteract the "erosion" of the tax base and cross-border financial speculation, as well as to ensure a fairer distribution of global tax revenues between states and world regions.

РОЛЬ ЕКОЛОГІЧНИХ СТАНДАРТІВ У ФОРМУВАННІ КОРПОРАТИВНОЇ ВІДПВІДАЛЬНОСТІ ГЛОБАЛЬНОГО БІЗНЕСУ

The article emphasizes that one of the trends in the development of modern global business is compliance with environmental requirements. At the same time, it has been noted that the complex process of "environmentalization" of corporate responsibility draws the attention of scientists and politicians to the problem of determining directions and models of successful implementation of its role in creating conditions for sustainable development. It has been also emphasized on the existing risks of global business activity, which is demonstrated by the accumulated experience of unfair competition of transnationalized business. The author notes that it is the business giants of the global industry all over the world in the implementation of their production and commercial activities that consume the largest volumes of natural, raw and fuel-energy resources, and also pollute the largest water areas. Emphasis is also placed on the gradual destruction of national ecological systems based on close interaction and mutual influence of all parameters of ecological activity of specific states on their territory. In addition, one of the main components of the policy of the welfare state has been violated: guaranteeing the protection of environmental rights and human freedoms. The author believes that the significant expansion of the environmental platform of corporate social responsibility, which makes it possible to organically combine both the goals of maximizing the profitability of business activities and the goals of social utility, plays the key role to ensuring a deep convergence of public and corporate economic interests and leveling environmental threats in society. The article presents empirical data that confirm the special role of the institute of corporate environmental responsibility in the development of a global green economy. It has been noted that one of the components of the implementation of corporate environmental responsibility mechanisms by business structures is their compliance with environmental standards. At the same time, it has been emphasized in the article that environmental standards, on the one hand, are developed by states and international organizations, and on the other hand, they are commonly initiated by the companies themselves as part of the implementation of corporate environmental management strategies. The most common environmental standards of corporate social responsibility have been demonstrated and characterized. A list of methodological foundations that unite environmental standards of global business has been proposed by the author.

Electronic signature and attestation in conveyancing practice: A Malaysian legal perspective.

Background The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought about an unprecedented disruption to global business activities. Physical face-to-face activities must be restricted due to movement control order (MCO). The clients are required to sign the documents physically in the presence of the solicitor who must subsequently attest to the signature of the clients. The issue arises whether electronic signature (e-signature) and attestation are permissible under the laws of Malaysia.The aim of this research was to study the legality of e-signature and attestation in conveyancing practice in Malaysia and subsequently to propose recommendations to overcome these issues. Methods This is qualitative study and not an empirical study. The data was collected by library-based research from various primary and secondary data sources, including case law in Malaysia, written statutes, publication of journal and article. Results The Digital Signatures Act 1997 (DSA) and the Electronic Commerce Act 2006 (ECA) have legalised e-signatures. The DSA is the law that governs the digital signatures in Malaysia. ECA has listed a few documents which are not legally accepted if signed electronically, namely Power of Attorney, the Wills and codicils, the Trusts, and negotiable instruments. However, with regards to the issue of attestation of these documents, there are no clear laws which govern the attestation. The legal issue arises when the lawyers who have attested these documents are liable to be called as witness under the Evidence Act 1950 to testify their signature if these documents are tendered as evidence in any court proceedings. Conclusion Thus, it is suggested that there is a need for unique legal framework for e-signature and attestation in Malaysia due to the lack of specific laws which govern the issues of electronic signature and attestation.

The Role of Deliberative Mini-Publics in Improving the Deliberative Capacity of Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives

Multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs)—private governance mechanisms involving firms, civil society organizations, and other actors deliberating to set rules, such as standards or codes of conduct, with which firms comply voluntarily—have become important tools for governing global business activities and the social and environmental consequences of these activities. Yet, this growth is paralleled with concerns about MSIs’ deliberative capacity, including the limited inclusion of some marginalized stakeholders, bias toward corporate interests, and, ultimately, ineffectiveness in their role as regulators. In this article, we conceptualize MSIs as deliberative systems to open the black box of the different elements that make up the MSI polity and better understand how their deliberative capacity hinges on problems in different elements. On the basis of this conceptualization, we examine how deliberative mini-publics—forums in which a randomly selected group of individuals from a particular population engage in learning and facilitated deliberations about a topic—can improve the deliberative capacity of MSIs.

Electronic signature and attestation in conveyancing practice: A Malaysian legal perspective

Background The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought about an unprecedented disruption to global business activities. Physical face-to-face activities must be restricted due to movement control order (MCO). The clients are required to sign the documents physically in the presence of the solicitor who must subsequently attest to the signature of the clients. The issue arises whether electronic signature (e-signature) and attestation are permissible under the laws of Malaysia. The aim of this research was to study the legality of e-signature and attestation in conveyancing practice in Malaysia and subsequently to propose recommendations to overcome these issues. Methods This is qualitative study and not an empirical study. The data was collected by library-based research from various primary and secondary data sources, including case law in Malaysia, written statutes, publication of journal and article. Results The Digital Signatures Act 1997 (DSA) and the Electronic Commerce Act 2006 (ECA) have legalised e-signatures. The DSA is the law that governs the digital signatures in Malaysia. ECA has listed a few documents which are not legally accepted if signed electronically, namely Power of Attorney, the Wills and codicils, the Trusts, and negotiable instruments. However, with regards to the issue of attestation of these documents, there are no clear laws which govern the attestation. The legal issue arises when the lawyers who have attested these documents are liable to be called as witness under the Evidence Act 1950 to testify their signature if these documents are tendered as evidence in any court proceedings. Conclusion The laws in Malaysia have provided sufficient provisions for e-signatures but not the issue of attestation via online. Thus, it is suggested that there is a need for unique legal framework for attestation via online in Malaysia.

Jurisdiction Unbound: (Extra)territorial Regulation as Global Governance

Abstract The international law of jurisdiction is faced with far-reaching changes in the context of a globalizing world, but its general orientation, centred on territoriality as the guiding principle, has remained stable for a long time. This article traces how, in contrast to the prevailing rhetoric of continuity, core categories of jurisdiction have been transformed in recent decades in such a way as to generate an ‘unbound’ jurisdiction, especially when it comes to the regulation of global business activities. The result is a jurisdictional assemblage – an assemblage in which a multiplicity of states have wide and overlapping jurisdictional claims, creating a situation in which, in practice, a few powerful countries wield the capacity to set and implement the rules. Jurisdiction is thus misunderstood if framed as an issue of horizontal relations among sovereign equals but should rather be regarded as a structure of global governance through which (some) states govern transboundary markets. Using a governance prism, this article argues, can help us to gain a clearer view of the normative challenges raised by the exercise of unbound jurisdiction, and it shifts the focus to the accountability mechanisms required to protect public accountability and self-government in weaker states.

REINSURANCE MANAGEMENT IN THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL MARKET CYCLICITY CONDITIONS

The globalization of economic relations and the integration of Ukraine into the world financial market have significant impact on decision-making in an insurance company in Ukraine. These aspects actualize the study of the insurance companies’ activities in the conditions of world financial market cyclical development, and it determines the purpose of the article. The purpose of the study is to develop theoretical and methodological provisions and practical recommendations for managing reinsurance in conditions of cyclical development of the global financial market. Solving the tasks set in the research was carried out using scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, and analogy – to study trends in the development of the Ukrainian insurance market; logical generalization – to determine the peculiarities of reinsurance management in conditions of cyclicity of global financial markets; comparative and statistical analysis – for analyzing the share of premiums belonging to non-resident reinsurers; Fourier analysis – for analyzing the cyclicity of the development of the global financial market and the reinsurance market in Ukraine. Global business activity develops cyclically. The first cycle is long-term and consists of 14 quarters. Within the long-term cycle, harmonics of a shorter cycle, namely 1 year, were detected. The reinsurance market in Ukraine also develops cyclically. The length of the cycle is 4 quarters. It was established that the peaks of the harmonic oscillations of the development cycle of domestic reinsurance and the world cycle of business activity are antiphase, that is, the phase of the oscillations differs by half a period. The length of the domestic reinsurance development cycle and the global business activity cycle are equal, and the distance between the extremes of the cycle functions is 2 quarters. The practical value of the obtained results is that the established relationships between the cycles and phases of the global business activity development and the reinsurance market of Ukraine provide a toolkit for making management decisions regarding the modeling of a reinsurance portfolio effective structure in the insurance company

Institutionalisation of sustainability in Indian megaprojects: an organisational field-based approach

PurposeMegaprojects have a long-lasting impact on all three dimensions of sustainability-social, environmental and economic. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has further heightened the importance of sustainability due to its disastrous consequences on the global economy and business activities. This study aims to explore the interactions and interventions of various actors in the megaproject field to institutionalise sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThe current study adopted the organisational field approach as the theoretical lens to understand the decision-making process amongst multiple actors with conflicting interests that come together to play an active role in addressing a common interest of sustainability in megaprojects. A single case study has been undertaken using an Indian metro rail megaproject with multiple sources of data (interviews, documents, media reports).FindingsThis study showed that the institutionalisation of sustainability is dependent on interactions of various organisations and influences from institutions. Various institutional measures organised within the field to enhance sustainability practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic are captured. Four institutional logics (instrumental, intrinsic, equivocal and political) that emerged from the case study are discussed. Finally, while not exhaustive, this study proposed recommendations that can help refine sustainability actions considering COVID-19 implications on megaprojects.Research limitations/implicationsThis study's findings emerged from a single case study. The developed conceptual framework can help further research with multiple cases of megaprojects in various fields or countries.Originality/valueThis study would be novel in advancing the organisational field approach in megaproject sustainability.

Electronic signature and attestation in conveyancing practice: A Malaysian legal perspective

Background The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought about an unprecedented disruption to global business activities. Physical face-to-face activities must be restricted due to movement control order (MCO). The clients are required to sign the documents physically in the presence of the solicitor who must subsequently attest to the signature of the clients. The issue arises whether electronic signature (e-signature) and attestation are permissible under the laws of Malaysia. The aim of this research was to study the legality of e-signature and attestation in conveyancing practice in Malaysia and subsequently to propose recommendations to overcome these issues. Methods This is qualitative study and not an empirical study. The data was collected by library-based research from various primary and secondary data sources, including case law in Malaysia, written statutes, publication of journal and article. Results The Digital Signatures Act 1997 (DSA) and the Electronic Commerce Act 2006 (ECA) have legalised e-signatures. The DSA is the law that governs the digital signatures in Malaysia. ECA has listed a few documents which are not legally accepted if signed electronically, namely Power of Attorney, the Wills and codicils, the Trusts, and negotiable instruments. However, with regards to the issue of attestation of these documents, there are no clear laws which govern the attestation. The legal issue arises when the lawyers who have attested these documents are liable to be called as witness under the Evidence Act 1950 to testify their signature if these documents are tendered as evidence in any court proceedings. Conclusion Thus, it is suggested that there is a need for unique legal framework for e-signature and attestation in Malaysia due to the lack of specific laws which govern the issues of electronic signature and attestation.

Sustainable Strategic Alliance Partner Selection Using a Neutrosophic‐Based Decision‐Making Model: A Case Study in Passive Component Manufacturing

The electronics manufacturing industry is in an era of collaborative thinking and rapid change, as the rise of strategic alliances (SAs) plays a critical role in supply chain management. Strategic alliance (SA) collaboration is one of the most common strategies in the electronics industry, helping companies to complement each other. Most organizations or alliances operate together to produce more beneficial technologies for mutual benefit based on the sustainability thinking, such as in the areas of 5G, electric vehicles, aerospace, and smart healthcare. As the prompt evolution of information technology and electronics has a deep impact on global business activities, selecting partners based on a sustainability perspective is an urgent task. This paper proposes a complete sustainable SA partner selection framework to select the optimal partners. A neutrosophic‐based decision‐making model is used in the analysis. The neutrosophic ITARA technique is proposed to generate a set of criteria objective weights, and the neutrosophic TOPSIS technique is applied to determine the performance and priority of sustainable SA partners. This study introduces neutrosophic fuzzy logic to reflect the uncertainty in complex problems. Real‐world data from a multinational passive component manufacturing company are used for case demonstration and analysis. The framework and methodology proposed in this study have many contributions to the electronics industry, including the establishment of assessment criteria, the identification of criteria, and the provision of partner selection practices. For academic research, the proposed model can be replicated in other areas of assessment and selection issues.

E-Commerce on the Success of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

This study aims to analyze the role of e-commerce in business success in the meta-measure path. E-Business is a new business model that provides significant benefits such as savings in the cost of fast execution of business transactions and encourages the globalization of business activities, thereby removing barriers to market penetration. E-Business is developed in large companies and creates in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are an essential part of a country or region's economy, including Indonesia. The method used is a qualitative analysis method with case studies. This study uses four micro-scale entrepreneurs who use e-commerce in carrying out their business activities as research objects. The analysis process is carried out based on e-commerce in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Bandung. This picture is obtained through direct interviews with the object of research. Based on the study results, it can be concluded that, in general, e-commerce has a role that can help uses four micro-scale entrepreneurs in improving their business development. The results of the analysis also explain that the four micro-scale entrepreneurs persist in using e-commerce.

A hybrid decision-making model for sustainable supplier evaluation in electronics manufacturing

The rapid development of information technology and electronic products has had a profound impact on global business activities and the quality of human life. To maintain competitiveness among enterprises, contribute to society, and protect the environment while maintaining profits, electronics manufacturers must move toward sustainable development. This paper proposes the following four dimensions for sustainable supplier evaluation and selection (SSES): economic, social, environmental, and institutional sustainability. These dimensions can be subdivided into 20 criteria, which constitute the SSES framework of electronics manufacturing. A modified indifference threshold-based attribute ratio analysis (ITARA) technique is proposed to obtain the objective weights of the criteria and the preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation based on aspiration level concept (PROMETHEE-AL) method is applied to integrate the performances of sustainable suppliers and determine their rankings. The modified ITARA and PROMETHEE-AL methods are integrated as a hybrid decision-making analysis model, which improves the conventional ITARA and PROMETHEE methods and introduces the concept of aspiration level to enhance their practical applicability. In addition, through model comparisons and sensitivity analysis, the robustness of the proposed model is demonstrated and more potential management information and suggestions are obtained. The study results can help decision-makers in the industry and academic researchers to better understand how systematic supplier selection can be conducted in electronics manufacturing. This study provides a complete SSES approach to support decision-makers and practitioners in easily determining the performance of alternative suppliers. For researchers, the proposed decision-making model can be used as a research basis for SSES to facilitate the development of other more forward-looking methodologies.

The analytic study of the Russian experience in the context of corporate social responsibility (CSR): the lessons for Iran and developing countries

There is no doubt that large Russian firms are aware of the traditional symbols and concepts of CSR, and, more importantly, they admit that it benefits them to include these concepts in their corporate strategies. Large companies adopted internal and external policies to improve their employees’ well-being in terms of health, housing, and a wide variety of educational and cultural programs. The emphasis on CSR is primarily on domestic issues. So far, little attention has been paid to global warming, environmental protection, fair trade, or business activity’s carbon effects. The use of CSR by Russian companies in various fields is mainly from the companies operating in the leading industry, where foreigners have significant investments. However, there is only a balanced level of attention to national standards, and therefore governmental reporting is limited according to standards of international organizations in Russia. There has been a corporate social responsibility in Russia in response to its history and policy. This pattern followed a very different way from other non - socialist countries because Russia’s market economy is still very new, increasing attention to CSR, such as corporate governance, is still not grown up, but that is mainly occurring in large firms with an international profile or under the State’s influence to participate in CSR activities. This paper attempts to review the Russian country’s experiences due to its similarity in the former Soviet times with the Iranian economy’s current circumstances, analyze and compare and solutions that a government must consider to be transferred from a government-run to a market economy.

The influence of Industry 4.0 on employment in engineering companies: Evidence of managerial view in Czech and Germany

Research background: The global business activities raise the necessity of skilled workers, especially in the context of Industry 4.0 and its implementation in company processes. At the same time, the development of technologies in connection with the automation and robotization of production processes. Industry 4.0 provides the company with the opportunity to change from a traditional production approach and separate production units to an automated operation. Purpose of the article: The primary research aimed to obtain information and data that top managers consider as important. At the same time, there is a focus on the connection between the level of employment in an engineering company and within the implementation of the concept of industry 4.0. Methods: In the primary research, structured interviews were used. For the interview, we asked managers from the 88 companies in the Czech and 303 companies in Germany. From that amount, we get responses from 67 Czech companies (82 managers) and 160 German companies (200 managers). Their answers were processed by the Dematel method, which is considered a multi-evaluation tool. Findings & Value added: Based on the implementation of the DEMATEL method, the coordinates of individual parameters were determined with their visualization in the map of influences, in which the links between individual variables are visible, which are located in two quadrants. The links between the individual variables are in the form of the above arrows, wherein in the case of bidirectional arrows, it is a mutual influence of variables and one-way arrows then show a one-sided dependence.

Spatial and Temporal Distances and the Organization of Global Business Activity: Lessons of Months-Long Isolation During COVID-19

I employ the experience of COVID-19 to rethink the imperatives of spatial and temporal distances for the organziation of value-creating activities globally. I advance a broad conceptualization of distance as representing separation in both space and time, and posit that these represent different kinds of separation and hence require corresponding theoretical attention. I delineate the intrisic qualities of spatial and temporal distances and show that the consideration of both distance dimensions changes major tenets of international business theory and modifies common predictions regarding the patterns of international business activity. I suggest that the ways firms configure their value-creating activities over space and time would shape of the new normal they chart for themselves in the post COVID-19 era and have critical implications for economies and societies.