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Centre

Centre for International Business Strategy and Decisions

Unit(s) of assessment: Business and Management Studies

Research theme(s): Safety and Sustainability

School: Nottingham Business School; School of Social Sciences

Overview

The Centre for IBSD was established in January 2021 after running for two years as IBSD Research Group with publications, research seminars and projects connected to it. The members of the CIBSD investigate research phenomena of international importance for individuals, groups, organisations, cultures, and nations. Global challenges and opportunities ask for interdisciplinary international collaborations to find solutions regarding global sustainability (from nutrition to energy transition), sustainable cultures (migration, cultural adaptation, decision-making), multinational corporate strategies and transnational entrepreneurship decisions. Our Centre explores new avenues with a diverse set of theories and methods (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed) to identify configurations and reconfigurations in international business settings.

The Centre focuses on the following research themes with theoretical and empirical investigations.

  1. International Business Strategies and Decisions
  2. Global Sustainable Solutions
  3. Multinational Enterprises, International Small and Medium Sized Firms and Transnational Entrepreneurs as part of Global Networks
  4. International Negotiations
  5. Research Methods Hub for Cross-Cultural Analysis: Research Design, Data Collection and Analysis – qualitative and quantitative methods from ethnography to experiments.

PhD Funding

Find out everything you need to know about funding your doctoral studies – from tuition fees and loans, to studentships and external funding.

The CIBSD aims

  • To work jointly on research project with a common theme (global disorder, sustainable futures, and cultures for instance)
  • To publish high-quality output
  • To provide a research platform for discussions of active researchers and PGRs to lead to publications and successful PhD outcomes
  • To have an impact in business, society and policy
  • To provide a research hub for global data and research collaborations.

The Centre welcomes PhD students interested in and contributing to our Research Themes.

Related Staff

  • Prof. Ursula F. Ott

    • (Cultural Profiles and Adaptation, International Business Strategy, International Collaborations and Decisions, Global Mindsets)

  • Dr. Soumia Nouari (Foreign Direct Investment, China and India)

  • Kehinde Olafare: Food Waste Sustainability
  • Hanh Nguyen: Corruption in International Business Negotiations
  • Duarte Pitta Ferraz: How leaders manage directive-participative duality in interpersonal interactions
  • Himi Gideon: Women Social Entrepreneurship
  • Taonga Mhango: A critical evaluation of upstream supply chain practices undertaken by maize farmers in Malawi to reduce food loss as a way of achieving sustainable developmental goals (SDG)
  • Haoxin Zhen: ‘Assessing the deterrence effect of Anti-bribery laws on corruption in China’s SOEs’

PhD and DBA Topics are aligned to the research themes of the Centre and interested candidates are welcome.

Dr. Sulaimon Adebiyi
Dr. Emmanuel Aikins
Dr Peter Akanko
Dr. Elaine Chen
Dr Helen Cheng
Prof. Thorsten Chmura
Dr. Maria De Avillez
Dr. Ramani Gallellalage
Dr. Victtor Izidor
Dr Anh Luong
Dr Jieya Lyu
Dr. Hai Dang Nguye
Dr. Demola Obembe
Dr. Ofelia Palermo
Dr. Amon Simba,
Prof. David Smith
Dr. Jelena Vuciceva
Dr. Victor Udeozor

Programme of Research

Our programme of research distinguishes three themes with theoretical and empirical investigations.

International Business Strategies and Decisions:

  • International Business Strategies: International Strategic Alliances, International Negotiations strategies and conflict resolution, Market Entry strategies; Supply Chain approaches to strategy and operation of international business-to-business relationships
  • International Business Decision-Making: Human Decision-making, Decision-making in MNEs, SMEs and Entrepreneurship, Heuristics, Rationality assumptions
  • Sustainable Cultures: Cultural Profiles and Adaptation; Migration: Diaspora research, Global heritage

Global Sustainable Solutions:

  • Global Value Chains and SDG -  renewable energy solutions, food waste and biopharmaceuticals etc.

Research Methods Hub for Cross-Cultural Analysis:

  • Research Design, Data Collection and Analysis – qualitative and quantitative methods from oral histories to experiments; Cultures: Cultural Profiles and Adaptation; Migration: Diaspora research, Global heritage; Experimental Research into cultural behaviour, Behavioural Science and corruption and trust Global

The Centre research benefits from links to industry, academia, and policy makers.

Academic Collaborations:

  • Prof. Nathaniel Boso, (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
  • Prof. Marina Dabic (University of Zagreb)
  • Prof. Yannis Economou (University of Texas, Qatar)
  • Prof. Maria Elo (University of Southern Denmark)
  • Prof. Myria Georgiou (London School of Economics)
  • Prof. Pervez Ghauri (University of Birmingham)
  • Prof. Marina Papanastasiou (University of Leeds)
  • Prof. Ana Romero-Martinez (University of Madrid-Complutense)
  • Prof. Noemi Sinkovics (University of Newcastle)

Academic Collaborations - Centres and Platforms

  • Academy of International Business with focus on Research Methods in the AIB Research Methods SIG
  • Cross Cultural Research Platform: with insights into cultural intelligence, emotional intelligence, international business characteristics (X-culture platform and industry collaborations)
  • Migration Platform collaborations (Dr. Maria Elo, University of Southern Denmark)
  • Centre for the Future of Work, University of Pretoria, South Africa
  • Postcolonial Studies Centre (NTU)
  • Citizens UK

Industry Collaborations:

  • Michael Gates CrossCulture– Managing Director and Associate Fellow of Said Business School, University of Oxford
  • Richard Lewis Communications Ltd
  • FinanceCultural Intelligence Group, Houston, USA - Samantha Macro – Mestag Therapeutics, Vicepresident of Finance

Policy Collaborations:

  • Geo-political Narratives of Global Disorder
  • Global Sustainability: UN75 Dialogue Platform – 75th Anniversary for the UN, partner universities, CIBSD members present their research to ‘Living Securely: Transnational Experience’ November 24th and 26th 2020
  • EU-UK Future Relationship – Post Brexit Relationships

Publications by Centre Members

MACRO, S. AND OTT, U.F. 2024. The evolution of the ability to effectively innovate in a transnational organization – A configurational analysis, Journal of International Management, forthcoming (ABS3)

UMORU, U., UDIE, J., & UDEOZOR, V. (2024). Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and the Role of Telecom Multinationals in Achieving SDG 9 in Developing Economies. In Innovation, Entrepreneurship   and the Informal Economy in Sub–Saharan Africa: A Sustainable Development Agenda (pp. 171-196). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

OGUNDANA, O. M., SIMBA, A., & UMORU, U. (2023). Gender perspectives of African SMEs: The role of formal and informal institutional contexts. In The future of entrepreneurship in Africa (pp.121-134). Productivity Press.

OGUNDANA, O. M., IGWE, P. A., SIMBA, A., & UMORU, U. (2023). Entrepreneurial Networks and Women Entrepreneurship: A Social Feminist Perspective of Social Capital. International Review of Entrepreneurship, 21(1).

SIWALE, J., GURĂU, C., ALUKO, O., DANA, L.P. AND OJO, S., 2023. Toward understanding the dynamics of the relationship between religion, entrepreneurship and social change: empirical findings from technology-savvy African immigrants in UK. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 186, p.122153. (ABS 3*)

GOMEZ SOLORZANO, M., SODA, G. AND M. FURLOTTI. M.  2023, 'The Organization of R&D Work and Knowledge Search in Intrafirm Networks', Industrial & Corporate Change, . DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtad040 (ABS 3*)

SIWALE, J., OTT, U.F. AND ALUKO, O. 2023. African transnational diaspora entrepreneurship in the United Kingdom, in Research Handbook on Transnational Diaspora Entrepreneurship (Eds Sternberg,R.,Elo, M., Levie, J. and Amoros, J.E) Chapter 10.

ALUKO, O., OTT, U.F., SIWALE, J., and ODUSANYA, K., 2022. Overcoming the liability of outsidership: A fsQCA analysis of African transnational entrepreneurs in the UK in Journal of Business Research  (ABS 3*)

BISHT, N., TRUSSON, C., SIWALE, J. and RAVISHANKAR, M., 2021. Enhanced job satisfaction under tighter technological control: the paradoxical outcomes of digitalisation. New Technology, Work and Employment. (ABS 3*)

SIWALE, J. and GODFROID, C., 2021. Digitising microfinance: on the route to losing the traditional ‘human face’ of microfinance institutions. Oxford Development Studies. ISSN 1360-0818

HAN, W., HUANG, Y., HUGHES, M. and ZHANG, M., 2021. The trade-off between trust and distrust in supply chain collaboration. Industrial Marketing Management, 98, pp. 93-104. ISSN 0019-8501

SIWALE, J., KIMMITT, J., and AMANKWAH-AMOAH, J. (2021). The Failure of Hybrid Organizations: A Legitimation Perspective. Management and Organization Review, 1-34. (ABS 3*)

VUKICEVIC, J., FALLON, G. and OTT, U., 2021. A theoretical and empirical investigation into investment activities of technologically intensive Chinese state-owned enterprises in the UK, International Business Review

AIKINS, E. and RAMANATHAN, U., 2020. Key factors of carbon footprint in the UK food supply chains: a new perspective of life cycle assessment. International Journal of Operations and Production Management. ISSN 0144-3577

GHAURI, P.N., OTT, U.F. and RAMMAL, H.,2020. International Business Negotiations: Theory and Practice, EE Publisher. It

HUANG, Y., HAN, W. and MACBETH, D., 2020. The complexity of collaboration in supply chain networks: an exploratory study of the Chinese automotive sector. Supply Chain Management: an International Journal, 25 (3), pp. 393-410.

ODUSANYA, K., ALUKO, O. and LAL, B., 2020. Building consumers’ trust in electronic retail platforms in the Sub-Saharan context: an exploratory study on drivers and impact on continuance intention. Information Systems Frontiers: Journal of Research and Innovation. ISSN 1387-3326

SIWALE, J. and KIMMITT, J. 2020. The Failure of Hybrid Organizations: A Legitimation Perspective, Management Organization Review

DE AVILLEZ, M.M., GREENMAN, A. and MARLOW, S., 2019. Ethical judgments about social entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa: the influence of spatio-cultural meanings. Journal of Business Ethics. ISSN 0167-4544.

OTT, U.F. and GHAURI, P.N., 2019. Brexit negotiations: from negotiation space to agreement zones. Journal of International Business Studies. ISSN 0047-2506

FURLOTTI, M. and SODA, G., 2018. Fit for the task: complementarity, asymmetry, and partner selection in alliances. Organization Science. ISSN 1047-7039

JANSEN, N., BARINHA, A, GLENCROSS, A, HESTERMEYER, H., OTT, U.F., SARI, A. AND WEBB, P. 2023. The Role of Geopolitical Narratives in the Process of Global Ordering and Disordering, Policy Document, Working Paper published in the Series of the Centre for International Governance and Development (CIGAD), King’s College London, Dickson School of Law, SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4366812

Flagship projects

The CIBSD works in line with the Research Themes and the projects and collaborations consider aspects of the research directions in their funding bids. For collaborations, please have a look at the topics below:

  • British Academy: Geopolitical Narratives of Global (Dis)order: Prof. Ursula F. Ott secured together with partners from University of Exeter, Kings College London, University of Bath, University of Cardiff and Aston University on Geopolitical Narratives of Global (Dis)order.
  • GCRF funding: Entrepreneurship education and youth unemployment and poverty: How are African universities making a difference? Dr. Olu Aluko and Dr. Juliana Siwale secured GCRF funding titled: Entrepreneurship education and youth unemployment and poverty: How are African universities making a difference? The project centres on the UN SDG goals 1, 2 and 4 which are No poverty, zero hunger, Quality education respectively, to reduce poverty and inequalities through university entrepreneurship education in Zambia and Nigeria.
  • GCRF funding – Entrepreneurship education and youth unemployment and poverty: How are African universities making a difference?: Dr. Olu Aluko and Dr. Juliana Siwale secured
  • GCRF funding titled: Entrepreneurship education and youth unemployment and poverty: How are African universities making a difference? Dr. Olu Aluko and Dr. Juliana Siwale secured. The project centres on the UN SDG goals 1, 2 and 4 which are No poverty, zero hunger, Quality education respectively, to reduce poverty and inequalities through university entrepreneurship education in Zambia and Nigeria.

Related Projects:

  • Food waste management and sustainability in Ghana food supply chains: Mr Emmanuel Aikins secured a seed corn fund from NTU 2020-2021 to conduct a research on food waste management and sustainability in Ghana food supply chains.
  • Sustainable Cultures, Migration and Integration: Prof. Ursula F. Ott addresses Cultural Adaptation of Global Managers which was funded by the British Academy/Leverhulme Grant and is currently enlarged into Sustainable Cultures, Migration and Integration. Furthermore, EU-UK Future Relationship is based on the Brexit Negotiation publications and collaborations and this strand of research focuses on the future agreements and negotiations.

Awards

Academy of International Business Best Research Methods Award 2019 – Prof. Ursula F. Ott for the paper: International Negotiations Dance: A cross-cultural and experimental analysis

The Conversation publications from Centre members:

December 2nd 2022 - A Swiss-style Brexit deal is unlikely unless things change dramatically within the Conservative Party (Ursula F. Ott and Pervez Ghauri)

October 26th, 2020 – Why the UK should stop talking tough on a No Deal Brexit, (Ursula F. Ott and Pervez Ghauri)

November 20th, 2018 – How a ‘Ukraine Plus’ Agreement could solve Theresa May’s problems, (Ursula F. Ott and Pervez Ghauri)

Upcoming seminars

Follow announcements from September 2021

Clinics for Internal Speakers - Every 4th Wednesday of the month

CIBSD Doctoral Seminars - Every 3rd Wednesday of the month

External Speaker Seminars - By invitation

Please contact nbs.cibsd@ntu.ac.uk for more information and signing up.

Research Seminars, Clinics, Workshops and Webinars from 2018/19 to 2023/24

The UN75+3 session on Sustainable Global Levelling Up: The role of Technology, Policy and Communities in Reducing Inequalities, on 29th February 2024. Annual Virtual Research Conference. The following topic were chosen for this year: Embedding Local Communities in our Global Village – Reducing inequalities through digitalization and community engagement. It was a Roundtable discussion with a Workshop character to identify ideas aligned to the topic for further collaborations with communities, policymakers, and academic collaborators. Internal speakers: Professor Ursula F. Ott, Centre for International Business Strategy and Decisions (CIBSD), Dr Anh Luong, CIBSD, Dr Juliana Siwale, CIBSD and Dr Ugbede Umoru, CIBSD. External speakers: Professor Marina Papanastasiou, Leeds University, Professor Roberta Aguzzoli, University of Durham and Dr Noemi Sinkovics, University of Glasgow.

External Speaker Seminars

a. Seminar 'Logic Model for Grant Applications and Impact' by Dr. Penelope Siebert as an expert in supporting grant applications to funding bodies and impact cases with the Logic Model.

b. Support for Women Businesses-owners in Bangladesh during the Pandemic by - Dr. Jasmine Jaim. Institute of Business Administration, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh.

Monthly CIBSD Internal Staff Seminars and workshops with presentations-Speakers: Dr.Victor Udeozor, Dr. Mi Tran, Dr. Soumia Nouari, Dr. Jieya Lyu, Dr. Peter Akanko, Dr. Anh Luong and Dr. Sulaimon Adebiyi.

Monthly CIBSD Doctoral Seminars with presentations of PGRs and Research Design, Theory and Methods Workshops led by Ursula F. Ott

CIBSD Symposium Led by Prof. Ursula F. Ott

Presenting results, outcomes and deep insights from the research over the past academic year.

CIBSD Writing Retreat at the Colwick Hall Hotel Led by Prof. Ursula F. Ott

UN75+2 Platform as Virtual Conference: two sessions from the CIBSD network, on November 22ndDecision-making of globally sustainable FDI and global value chains and on November 24thMigrant Spaces with colleagues from across the NTU disciplines (Art and Design, Art and Humanities), national (Universities of Glasgow and Leeds) and international (University of Texas, University of West Indies, University of Southern Denmark, Brescia and ESSC Clermont) were each a huge success with collaborators now identified for future projects into globally sustainable FDI and GVC as a well as Migration Space.

Joint Seminar between CIBSD and the Centre for the Future of Work of the University of Pretoria: Thanks to the GCRF funding of Juliana Siwale and Olu Aluko, the Centre was hosting a joint seminar to explore future collaboration from joint research, field work, grant applications to PhD supervision. It was held on Wednesday November 30th, and promises to more future seminars.

CIBSD Internal Seminars and workshop with presentations-
Soumia Nouari (IJVs performance and organisational capabilities)
Abiodun Adegbile ('Ubuntu')

CIBSD Doctoral Seminars with presentations of Hanh Nguyen (Corruption in International Business Negotiations), Kehinde Olafare (Food Waste and Agribusiness) and Simona Ceraulo Visiting PhD Student.

CIBSD Research Clinic
Led by Prof. Ursula F. Ott- held monthly on the third Wednesday.

CIBSD Symposium-Led by Prof. Ursula F. Ott
Presenting results, outcomes and deep insights from the research over the past academic year

Writing Retreat - at Colwick Hall

External Speaker:

Dr. Christian Bellak (Vienna University of Business and Economics) on ‘Crises and Investor-State Arbitration Disputes’ April 27th, 2022 (online)

The UN75+1 at NTU event
with international collaborators (University of Auckland, Southern Denmark and University of West Indies) and CIBSD members (Aluko, Siwale, Umoru, Ott) presenting their research in a very well received event with further collaborations envisaged for joint research into Migration and Culture. November 30th-Dec 2nd (online)

CIBSD Doctoral Seminars held monthly on the third Wednesday – Presentations on Research Design, Theoretical Underpinning and specific topics of the PGRs

External Speakers
Dr. Vas Taras (University of Greensboro)
USA on ‘X-Culture’
October 15th 2020, online (Ms Teams)

CIBSD Migration Workshop
Chaired by Prof. Ursula Ott
External speaker: Dr. Maria Elo (University of Southern Denmark), an internationally recognised Migration and Diaspora expert
Internal presenters: Dr. Olu Aluko and Dr. Juliana Siwale
The workshop attracted colleagues from across the School and also the University. This was also a trial for our workshop with the British Academy.
April 29th 2021, online (Ms Teams)

The UN75 at NTU event
With international collaborators (University of Auckland, Vienna University of Business and Economics, Complutense University Madrid and ICESI Columbia) and IBSD members (Aluko, Siwale, Akanda, Galallage, Ott) presenting their research in a very well received event with further collaborations envisaged for joint research into Migration, Sustainable Futures and Culture.
November 24th-26th 2020 (online)

Doctoral Seminars organised by CIBSD
On January 27th, 2020 CIBSD started to host:

  • ‘Theory-Themed’ Webinar Series by Prof. Ursula F. Ott
  • ‘How to publish in Top Journals’ by Prof. Marina Dabic, March 2021
  • ‘How to publish from your PhD’ by Prof. Usha Ramanathan, May 2021

External Speakers
Prof. Mark Casson (Henley Business School)
Talk: ‘Global Business Model’
October 16th, 2019

Dr. Noemi Sinkovics (University of Manchester; now University of Auckland)
Talk: ‘Pattern Matching’
November 21st 2019 (13.30–15.00)

IBSD Research Group

Research Seminars, 12.00–13.00

The New Doctoral Training
November, 13th 2019

Internal speakersProf. David Smith
December, 11th 2019

Dr. Maria De Avillez
January, 15th 2020

Dr. Wendy Chapple
February, 12th 2020

IBSD Research Group

Internal speakers

Dr. Olu Aluko
Talk : ‘Transnational Entrepreneurs’

Dr. Jelena Vukicevic
Talk: ‘Chinese State-Owned-Enterprises’

Dr. Russ Glennon
‘Critical Thinking’

Dr. Marco Furlotti
‘Experiential learning, behavioural competencies, and entrepreneurial intentions'

Clinics
led by Prof. Ursula F. Ott
‘Revise and Resubmit – Advice and Hands-on’
‘Introduction to Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)’

Seminar Discussion Groups
Topic: ‘Emerging Market Research – Collaboration possibilities’
Topic: ‘Cultural Values, Attitudes and Profiles’
Topic: ‘Strategy and Decision making’

Research workshop
May 14th, 2019

12.00-13.00: Welcome and Lunch
13.00-14.00: “Publishing in Leading Journals - An Editor's View”, by
Prof. Pervez Ghauri (University of Birmingham),
editor of International Business Review and consulting editor of JIBS.
14.00-15.00: 'A methodological journey into International Interactive Decision Making', by
Prof. Ursula F. Ott(Nottingham Business School)
15.00-16.00: 'Location Choice Decisions of Spanish Hotel Chains - Developing a database', by
Dr. Ana Romero Martinez (Associate Professor and Vice Dean for International and Economic Affairs, Faculty of Commerce and Tourism, Complutense University of Madrid and Visiting Scholar of the IBSD Research Group)

Research workshop for IBSD and PGRs
led by Prof. Ursula F. Ott
‘Fuzzy set QCA an application to research topics in the IBSD research group’
July 2019