International Business School Research Articles

Perceptions and contradictions: a study of market orientation and innovation among Cuban entrepreneurs

PurposeThis study aims to examine whether market orientation or innovation is a more significant mediator between an entrepreneur’s culture and perceived success in Cuba, where innovation is highly regarded because of economic challenges and US embargoes, but doubts persist about market orientation because of its socialist economy.Design/methodology/approachHavana entrepreneurs were surveyed on culture, market orientation and innovation. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with the partial least squares approach in SmartPLS 4.FindingsThe results showed partial mediation for both market orientation and innovation. Culture significantly affects performance directly. Surprisingly, a less market-oriented culture enhances performance, with innovation acting as the stronger mediator, despite the inverse relationship between market orientation and innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations include reliance on self-reported measures, lack of objective performance verification and a narrow focus on entrepreneurs rather than clients. Despite these constraints, the study provides valuable exploratory insights into Cuba’s closed economy, following the principle of being “approximately right than exactly wrong.”Practical implicationsThe findings confirm the positive impact of Cubans’ innovative spirit on performance but reveal a contradiction: less market-oriented cultures perceive themselves as market-oriented and perform better. This misperception suggests the need for further investigation and training to promote market-oriented business culture. Collaboration with international business schools may be necessary, as this distortion could harm customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThe originality of the research lies in that, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on Cuban entrepreneurs’ market orientation. It has the value to illustrate how socialists’ ideology can contradict assumed theoretical established approaches about market functioning.

Re-envisioning corporate social responsibility education from a multicultural perspective: From pyramid to hourglass

While contemporary capitalist society is stimulating corporate social responsibility (CSR) and related themes such as sustainability, with the UN SDGs and ESG as dominant narratives, educators have voiced concerns about the actual issue of how to integrate these emerging phenomena into management education. This study adopted a sequential explanatory design using responses collected from international business school students in Asia over a 6-year period to examine this gap. Their perceptions were analyzed by matching them against Carroll's four-part definitional framework, the pyramid of CSR, to gauge the degree to which CSR theories are received by students. The results revealed that the majority of Asian students understand CSR differently from the mantra “CSR is about responsible business”. Depending on the context, Carroll's CSR pyramid is negatively perceived by students in Asia as many are aware that CSR is a culturally hypersensitive subject. The study proposes three recommendations for developing inclusive CSR education in multicultural settings: 1) emphasizing the “changing” role of business in the world and contemporary capitalism; 2) emphasizing the necessity of blending Western CSR theories with sustainable development issues in other nations; and 3) adding more details about cultural sensitivity in our use of CSR.

A measure of pedagogical self-efficacy that predicts course evaluations for an international sample of management education faculty

PurposeThis study examined the relationship between pedagogical self-efficacy and student course evaluations among an international sample of management education faculty. We also investigated gender’s moderating role in this relationship and its impact on the development of pedagogical self-efficacy.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 professors at an international business school, identifying three subdomains of pedagogical self-efficacy: course design, classroom management, and feedback provision. We designed a 25-question faculty survey to measure pedagogical self-efficacy, administered it to 84 faculty members, and analyzed the data alongside 20,000 student course evaluations.FindingsAll three pedagogical self-efficacy domains significantly predicted student course evaluations. The self-efficacy of female faculty had a positive relationship with course evaluations across all subdomains. In contrast, the self-efficacy of male faculty had a negative relationship with course evaluations on the course design subdomain. Student evaluations of courses taught by women were 10% lower than those taught by males and male faculty had significantly higher self-efficacy ratings than their female counterparts.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that interventions designed to boost pedagogical self-efficacy can enhance student learning, irrespective of faculty gender. However, given biases in how students perceive female faculty, it is likely that female and male faculty members develop self-efficacy differently.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine how pedagogical self-efficacy affects course evaluations, focusing on gender as a potential moderator. We also added an international higher education perspective to self-efficacy theories.

Receiving Social Support Motivates Long-Term Prosocial Behavior

AbstractProsocial behavior—actions aimed to benefit other individuals, groups, or communities—are important for promoting and maintaining a healthy society. Extant research on the factors driving prosocial behavior has mainly addressed short-term effects, overlooking the factors that motivate long-term prosocial behavior. Building on attachment theory, we theorize that an interpersonal factor, receiving social support, can foster prosocial behavior in the long-term, both in the environment where the support was received and beyond it. We argue that receiving social support positively predicts felt security—a sense of being safe, cared for, and loved—which in turn associates with higher motivation to engage in behaviors that benefit others. We test our hypotheses with cross-sectional, longitudinal, retrospective, and experimental data. In Study 1, data from a sample of international business school alumni validate past research and show a significant positive relationship between receiving social support and engaging in prosocial behavior both within and beyond the environment in which support was received. Study 2 leverages data of US adults in a multi-wave study to show that receiving social support predicts prosocial activities several years later. Study 3 uses a retrospective survey to show that receiving social support relates positively to long-term prosocial behavior through higher felt security. Study 4 experimentally manipulates social support and further demonstrates that receiving social support fosters prosocial behavior through boosting felt security. Overall, our findings show that receiving social support motivates long-term prosociality through its positive association with felt security.

The European Imprint on Japan’s Commercial Schools in China, 1890–1945

ABSTRACT This article revisits scholarship on the Tōa Dōbun Shoin, an innovative international business school operated by the Japanese in Shanghai from 1901 to 1945. After reviewing the school’s history, we carefully examine the institution’s course mix, language programming, product-studies focus, and research trips. We conclude that Japanese educators did not design the Tōa Dōbun Shoin curriculum all on their own in China, which has been the assumption of scholars since the end of the Second World War. Instead, architects of the institution amply borrowed from a flourishing commercial school system in late nineteenth-century Europe, showing particular interest in the curriculum at the Institut Supérieur de Commerce at Antwerp in Belgium. Both the European and Japanese business schools, it is argued, need to be re-examined in the context of the burgeoning global trade in which they operated.

Research on the Problems and Strategies of Delegation Management in a Cross-Cultural Context The Case of the University of Sydney

This paper focuses on the decision of a manager or supervisor to delegate a task or responsibility to one or more employees as delegation, or DOA for short; It also focuses on the influence of globalization on the workplace empowerment system and proposes that a mixed cultural environment, the authority of leaders is not only based on actual ability but also on subjective cognitive decision-making. Globalization has made technological skills available to the international market, and governments and non-profit organizations need to establish cross-cultural empowerment systems to promote the growth of different groups. In this context, implementing mandates faces multiple obstacles, such as discrimination and stereotypes based on gender, race, and ethnicity. The impact of discrimination will be examined by data from the Pew Research Centers 2019 Race in America report. This article will compare real-world case studies to weigh the pros and cons of cross-cultural empowerment. Second, make recommendations based on generally accepted views of cultural influence and individual agency. In addition, this paper also discusses the characteristics of the situational leadership model, the third culture, and Hofstedes cultural dimension theory as its foundation. In this papers case study of China Europe International Business School in Shanghai, a significant conflict between different cultures occurred. Based on the situational leadership model, the third culture, and Hofstedes theory of cultural dimensions, to solve the problems of distrust and language barriers in communication, using a third language can effectively alleviate possible conflicts.

Review of the Last Decade of Global Citizenship Among Students: Exploratory Note and a Unified Framework

ABSTRACT This idea of global citizenship is particularly important for the next generation of leaders and thinkers. As students in business schools around the world prepare for their careers, they are targeting not just their local communities, but the seven billion potential customers who make up our global marketplace. In order to succeed in this globalized economy, students need to be educated not just in the traditional skills of business, but in the principles of global citizenship as well. The resulting articles were strictly targeted at tertiary education ONLY of international business schools and ONLY in those articles that study global citizenship. For reasons of up-to-date knowledge, the present literature was content with the final decade. A total of 13 articles have been identified as a result of the aforementioned Boolean search, which was conducted from a pool of 216 articles in the first phase of the search. The articles provide valuable insights for researchers seeking to build their knowledge base in the field of education, particularly for those interested in international business schools and the concept of global citizenship. The findings of this literature review have the potential to inform new teaching methods for academics and educators, while also helping students understand and approach the world in a more informed and conscientious manner.

The alleviative effect of acupuncture combined with cognitive behavioral therapy on anxiety of accounting personnel

BackgroundThis study aims to investigate the alleviating effect of Acupuncture combined with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on anxiety disorders among accounting professionals in the financial sharing services model. Anxiety disorders are prevalent among accounting professionals due to the high-pressure work environment, and effective interventions are essential to mitigate their negative impact.Subjects and MethodsA total of 120 accounting professionals working in the financial sharing services model were recruited for this study. They were randomly divided into three groups: the Acupuncture combined with CBT group (n=40), the CBT alone group (n=40), and the control group (n=40). The participants’ anxiety levels were measured using the Stanford Acute Stress Response Questionnaire (SASRQ) and the 3-min Confusion Assessment Scale (3D-CAM). The intervention was conducted over a period of six weeks, with regular sessions once a week.ResultsStatistical analysis using SPSS23.0 revealed a significant reduction in anxiety levels in both the Acupuncture combined with CBT group and the CBT alone group compared to the control group (P<0.001). However, the Acupuncture combined with CBT group exhibited a more substantial decrease in anxiety symptoms compared to the CBT alone group (P<0.05), as measured by the SASRQ and 3D-CAM. These results suggest that the combination therapy has a more significant effect on alleviating anxiety disorders among accounting professionals.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the efficacy of acupuncture combined with CBT in reducing anxiety disorders among accounting professionals in the financial shared service model. These findings highlight the importance of combining complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, with established psychological interventions to achieve more comprehensive treatment outcomes.AcknowledgementThe 2017 Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education project (No. 17JK0942); The 2021 Xi’an Social Science Planning Fund project (No. JX163); The 2022 Shaanxi International Business School Science and Technology Innovation Team Construction Project (No. 2022KYTD05).

The pedagogical potential of identity work in leadership education – Controversies, confessions, and conclusions

Decades of interest in responsible leadership has drawn critical attention to how future leaders are formed by academic leadership education. It has forced teachers to increasingly contemplate what leadership ideas and pedagogical practices they bring to the classroom, and who they are in the light of the ideas and practices they adhere to. In this ‘Leading Questions’ we take an interest in how leadership educators’ identities are formed and exploited in everyday teaching. The questions and comments we present are part of an ongoing conversation on identity work triggered by the controversies we experienced when co-teaching a course titled Rethinking Leadership at a renowned international business school. Where most discussions of identity work in a business school context only highlight the distressing and unfavourable aspects of identity work, we take a different approach. We confess how we struggle with our own identities as leadership educators. We then argue this identity work comes with pedagogical potential, yet to be accounted for, especially relevant to future education of critical and responsible leaders. Finally, we confess that even if our years of conversation on our different teacher identities did not result in a distinct pedagogical model, it dramatically changed and charged our ability to intentionally make space for controversial identity work in the leadership classroom.

Positive experience and further prospects for online education

The article focuses on the positive aspects of online education and discusses the lessons learned and effective practices that can be brought back into conventional face-to-face classes. Unlike numerous studies pointing out disadvantages of distance education, the authors contend that online education during the pandemic was quite efficient, enabling them to take away a lot of useful findings, techniques, and experiences. The paper describes the results of the study conducted among freshmen and sophomores, as well as lecturers of the Department of the English language and the administration of Baikal International Business School of Irkutsk State University. Using student and teacher questionnaires, a dean interview, and observation, the authors collect multiple psychographic, motivational, and behavioral data allowing to find out preferences and opinions of online education. As a result of their research, the authors come to the conclusion that the main outcomes of online teaching are more collaboration for course development and preparation of student assessment, the integration of MOOCS into conventional courses, the use of numerous interactive technologies and videoconferencing platforms for various purposes, more reflection on teaching and student learning, and more opportunities for professional growth. Overall, teachers report becoming more knowledgeable, better equipped, and more competent. Besides professional benefits, after overcoming the challenges of online teaching, the instructors seem to have become more stress-resistant and resourceful.

Consumers' transport and mobility decisions

Journal of Consumer BehaviourVolume 22, Issue 2 p. 378-381 SPECIAL ISSUE GUEST EDITORIAL Consumers' transport and mobility decisions Lixian Qian, Lixian Qian orcid.org/0000-0001-8467-4384 International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorDidier Soopramanien, Didier Soopramanien International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorNina Michaelidou, Corresponding Author Nina Michaelidou [email protected] Loughborough Business School, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK Correspondence Nina Michaelidou, Loughborough Business School, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author Lixian Qian, Lixian Qian orcid.org/0000-0001-8467-4384 International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorDidier Soopramanien, Didier Soopramanien International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorNina Michaelidou, Corresponding Author Nina Michaelidou [email protected] Loughborough Business School, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK Correspondence Nina Michaelidou, Loughborough Business School, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 20 February 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2145Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume22, Issue2Special Issue: Consumers' Transport and Mobility DecisionsMarch/April 2023Pages 378-381 RelatedInformation

Development and implementation of a new product development course combining experiential learning, simulation, and a flipped classroom in remote learning

New product development (NPD) learning is considered essential for business students. Recent research emphasizes the need to design NPD courses that meet practical demands. Our study aims at creating a bridge between NPD learning and practice. We developed a new learning approach for teaching NPD courses, which combines remote learning, traditional and flipped classrooms, collaboration with startups, teamwork, and simulation-based training. This new approach was implemented in two classes of international business school students from universities that are members of the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM). The study found that the new learning approach helped business students understand NPD methodologies, tools, and techniques discussed during the course. This research also found that the collaboration helped some startups in their initial development phase. The results of this study shed light on how experiential learning and university-industry collaboration contributes to NPD courses and startups.

Empirical analysis of determining the influence of the level of innovative development on the economy of world countries

This study analyzes the relationship between the Global Innovation Index (GII) and GDP per capita for the countries of the world, developed in cooperation with the International Business School (INSEAD), Cornell University (Cornell University) and the International Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This relationship was determined using correlation-regression analysis. According to the results of the analysis, the average level of the GII index in the appropriate groups of countries according to their incomes increased with the increase in GDP per capita. This fact proves that innovation is an important factor in the economic development of countries and policymakers should pay more attention on research and development to achieve innovatitive development.

The Creating Sustainability Through Talent Management Improvement: A Case of Sekolah Tinggi Manajemen IPMI

In this fast changing era, where every institutions organization should be adapted in order to be survived, MBA students of IPMI International Business School were conducting research about IPMI organization itself and share their findings and recommendation in order not only to be survive, but also to be competitive with other educational institutions.

Executives in Politics

We study the involvement of corporate executives in U.S. politics over the last 40 years. First, we document that the share of business politicians in federal elected office increased from 13.3% in 1980% to 22.6% in 2018, with most of the increase occurring over the last two decades. Second, we find that business politicians enjoy an early fundraising advantage over their opponents, both because they are more likely to self-fund their campaigns and because they receive more campaign contributions from their firms. Third, the election of business politicians benefits their industries and firms, which experience positive abnormal stock returns when their executives win political office. We also show that business politicians, once elected, vote for policies that shift the balance of power toward corporate interests. Using close elections for identification, we show that this policy shift cannot be attributed solely to the changes in the underlying preferences of the electorate. Overall, our results indicate that corporate executives have become more involved in U.S. politics and that this involvement has benefited business interests and affected aggregate legislative outcomes. This paper was accepted by Gustavo Manso, finance. Funding: The authors thank the Digital Age Management Research Area at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and Centre for Applied Research on International Markets, Banking, Finance and Regulation (BAFFI CAREFIN) at Bocconi University for financial support. The Area and the Center played no role in study design, data collection and analysis, or preparation of the manuscript. Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4595 .

A typology of sexism in contemporary business schools: Belligerent, benevolent, ambivalent, and oblivious sexism

AbstractThe legitimacy of business schools is based on rankings, revenues, branding, and opportunities to support staff and students “to make a difference in the world”. Yet sexism in business schools is endemic. Drawing on Acker's inequality regimes framework and a thematic analysis of reports in Poets&Quants, EFMD's Global Focus and AACSB International's BizEd/AACSB Insights over a decade, this study explores how business schools are dealing (or not) with sexism. We propose a typology of four categories of sexism in business schools: belligerent, benevolent, ambivalent, and oblivious sexism. Our findings contribute to understandings of institutional theory and the institutional development of business schools as important sites of (sexist and gendered) knowledge production and dissemination and entrenched inequalities. We posit that media constructions of sexism may better inform individual decisions, organizational development, and governance about the imperative to eliminate sexist behaviors and discrimination. We argue that business schools need to gain substantive legitimacy as effective role models by reforming themselves. They must actively tackle institutional and cultural sexism from within. Implications for practice include the effective inclusion of mandatory sexism reporting in international business school accreditation standards and rankings criteria as well as requirements for research funding.

Competing through international accreditation: cost-benefit analysis and process of AACSB for a business school in Japan

PurposeThe current article aims to answer the following research questions: (1) What types of business schools should pursue the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)? and (2) What types of strategic leadership would be necessary for that?Design/methodology/approachA case study approach with archival research and interviews is employed.FindingsThe findings suggest that regional, teaching-oriented business schools at the graduate level with dominance-transformative leaders should consider acquiring AACSB accreditation due to its potential benefits, the most pronounced being an increase in the number of graduate students. Other advantages include improvements in the quality of schools' strategic planning, faculty qualifications, intellectual research contributions and assurance of learning, as well as branding.Research limitations/implicationsGiven its qualitative nature as a single case study with a small sample size, the findings may not be statistically generalizable. Future research could employ multiple case studies to examine several accredited schools, utilizing larger sample sizes to obtain more detailed results about the AACSB acquisition process, as well as the potential benefits and costs of AACSB.Originality/valueFew studies have examined the processes and impacts of acquiring AACSB accreditation, or the associated barriers in the context of an individual, international accreditation-seeking business school, in particular those that are small and regional. Likewise, few studies have addressed management leadership issues in acquiring AACSB accreditation. Our research addressed these research gaps by describing the processes, impacts and issues associated with acquiring AACSB from the perspective of a regional, teaching-oriented institute. Further, the study helped identify kinds of leadership appropriate for the acquisition of AACSB.

Receiving Social Support Motivates Prosocial Behaviors Developing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Extant research has focused on individual characteristics and contextual factors driving prosocial behaviors, mainly examining same or proximal context dynamics occurring within a brief period of time. Building on attachment theory and generalized exchange theory, we theorize that an interpersonal factor—receiving social support—can foster prosocial behaviors beyond the immediate environment and over years. Receiving social support enhances a sense of relational security which in turn increases motivation to engage in behaviors that benefit others, including attitudinal and behavioral backing of diversity and inclusion efforts. Across three studies, we test our hypotheses with cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental data. In Study 1, data from a culturally diverse sample of international business school alumni show a significant positive relationship between receiving social support and engaging in prosocial behaviors both within and outside organizations. Study 2 leverages data of US adults in a multi-wave study to show that receiving social support predicts prosocial activities nineteen years later. Study 3 experimentally manipulates social support with a sample of working US adults and finds that receiving social support fosters prosocial behaviors through boosting a sense of security which in turn increases prosocial motivation. Taken together, our findings suggest that receiving support in different forms and from various sources can have a long-term prosocial effect on organizations and society, with cross-cultural generalizability.

Missing and Restoring Meaning

Missing and Restoring Meaning

MBA Internalization at Selected Elite Business Schools: Challenges of Geographic Dispersion and Coordination

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this manuscript is to develop a taxonomy for the governance of elite business schools based on two factors: (i) their geographic dispersion and (ii) the coordination between the main campus, international branch campuses, research centers, and other business schools. The research question that drives this manuscript is: Are there different types of governance for elite business schools based on differences in the geographic dispersion and the coordination of other units? The paper contributes to the business school´s internationalization efforts because the research shows a dominant form of governance, the Center of Excellence (CoE). However, the dynamic context of business schools allows three different paths for their internationalization. First, from the CoE to Alliance, schools gradually cooperate with other programs to compete globally. Second, from the CoE to Ecosystem, that occurs when programs grow organically. Third, from the CoE to the Center of Gravity governance; in this case, the CoE moves toward a high level of resources while keeping complexity low because of the lack of interfaces between the business school and other institutions. Finally, some business schools show ambidexterity regarding the governance of their units and subsidiaries.