FEATURED SPEAKERS

Professor Pervez Ghauri (University of Birmingham, UK) will lead the opening plenary session, along with the contribution of a relevant renowned figure of the Brazilian business landscape (to be determined). The opening plenary will focus on “MNE – Government interaction”.

Pervez Ghauri is an EIBA Fellow and the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IBR (International Business Review, the official journal of EIBA) and also serves as Editor (Europe) for JWB (Journal of World Business). Between 2008 and 2010, Pervez Ghauri was Vice-President of AIB (Academy of International Business).

Professor Tamer Cavusgil (Georgia State University) will lead the following session: “Theory and relevance in our research: One more time”
Journal reviewers and editors often critique ‘theoretical’ deficiencies of our manuscripts. Business practitioners complain about the esoteric nature of academic publications. What are their concerns? What do we mean by ‘theoretical rigor’ and ‘practical relevance?’ Are theoretical rigor and relevance competing objectives? How do we craft more balanced and impactful articles? How do build theoretical robustness into our research projects?
In addition to addressing these questions, Professor Cavusgil will suggest ways in which these concerns can be approached and offer a practical template for incorporating theory into our research projects.Tamer Cavusgil serves as Fuller E. Callaway Professorial Chair at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, Atlanta, U.S.A. He is also visiting Chair in International Management at Leeds University Business School, U.K.

Tamer Cavusgil specializes in the internationalization of the firm, global strategy, emerging markets, and buyer-seller relationships in cross-border business. Most recently, he has been researching the evolution of the middle-class in rapidly transforming economies.
Tamer Cavusgil is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions. He was bestowed with a ‘Doctor Honoris Causa’ (Honorary Doctorate) by Universiteit Hasselt, Belgium. Other awards include: The Journal of International Business Studies Decade Award (2014), American Marketing Association’s Excellence in Global Marketing Research Award (2002 and 2012).
Tamer Cavusgil has authored more than two dozen books and some 200 refereed journal articles. He is the founding editor of the Journal of International Marketing and Advances in International Marketing. He serves on the editorial review boards of a dozen professional journals. He is the senior author of the leading textbook, International Business: The New Realities, with G. Knight and J. Riesenberger (3rd ed., Pearson). Tamer Cavusgil holds a BS degree in business and economics from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. He earned his MBA and PhD degrees in business from the University of Wisconsin.

Professor Peter Buckley (Leeds University Business School) will lead a session on “Internalisation theory and emerging country multinationals”.

Professor Jean-François Hennart (Tilburg University) will contribute to this session from his extensive experience on the two literatures.

Peter Buckley is an EIBA Fellow and an AIB Fellow and served as Chair of EIBA (2009-2012) and President of AIB (2002-2004). Peter Buckley was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s New Year Honours List 2012.

Jean-François Hennart is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business and of the European International Business Academy and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Vaasa. In 2012 he was named Booz&Co/Strategy+Business Eminent Scholar in International Management by the International Management Division of the Academy of Management.

Professor Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra (Northeastern University, USA) will chair a panel on “Researching and publishing on emerging markets”, which will count with the participation of academic specialists from different continents.

The 41st EIBA Annual Conference will also feature panels of debates between top-level practitioners and recognized academicians. One of these panels will be chaired by Professor Esteban Brenes (Incae Business School, Costa Rica) and will address the internationalization challenges and opportunities of non-commodity agricultural products from Latin American countries.

Esteban Brenes served as Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Science and Technology for the Costa Rican Government between May 1998 and June 2000 and currently sits on the board of several publicly listed firms in the agricultural and manufacturing industries.