International Business & Strategy

Commemorating 75 years of independence in India, the Center for Emerging Markets teamed up with the Consulate General of India, New York to host a series of high-level talks on India-U.S. partnerships for innovation. Among the esteemed attendees: India's ambassador to the U.S., Hon. Taranjit S. Sandhu.

The 2022 Frontiers in International Business Conference, hosted by the Darla Moore School of Business in Charleston, South Carolina, featured a keynote talk and numerous session presentations by notable D'Amore-McKim faculty and one rising star undergraduate student.

After a months-long bidding war, JetBlue Airways has agreed to buy Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion. While Spirit shareholders have approved the buyout, the deal could still face a challenge from federal antitrust regulators.

Ruth V. Aguilera was recently elected as an Academy of Management (AOM) fellow. Since she is also a fellow of both the Strategic Management Society (SMS) and the Academy of International Business (AIB), she has earned entrance into what she calls the “Triple Crown” – an exclusive group of professionals who have made a mark in the domains of strategy, international business, and management.

A new book by Northeastern professor of International Business and Strategy Ravi Sarathy, “Enterprise Strategy for Blockchain: Lessons in Disruption from Fintech, Supply Chains, and Consumer Industries,” explores the whys behind this reticence and offers solutions to the problems blockchain still presents.

Blockchain solutions can overcome the shortcomings of current supply chain processes. They enhance reliability and efficiency by providing transparent and secure tracking of goods and related digital documentation. One example of a blockchain solution is TradeLens, which provides accurate real-time supply chain visibility, together with collaboration and analytics tools. Another example is Ambrosus, which links Internet of Things (IoT) real-time sensors and electronic IDs with blockchain to improve supply chain monitoring, provide quality assurance, and prevent counterfeiting.

New research examines how corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs influence the financial performance of emerging market companies. This research proposes and shows that in emerging markets, social investments have a larger impact on financial performance than governance or environmental initiatives because they help create capabilities that more directly compensate for government failures in the provision of public goods and services needed by firms to operate efficiently. It also shows that government policy nudges enhance the efficacy of such initiatives. Thus, in emerging markets, ESG programs, particularly social initiatives, help improve the quality of life of local communities and companies' bottom lines.

In institutional regimes with weak creditors' rights, some company insiders might take advantage of bankruptcy rules by intentionally making their companies look less valuable. This creates problems for creditors and makes it harder for these companies to succeed in the future. To shed new light on the drivers of such opportunistic behaviors, recent research compares bankrupt British, American and Indian firms. It shows that Indian firms were more likely to be classified as “willful defaulters” indicating that bankruptcy decisions may be due to insiders' opportunistic behavior. It also suggests that such fraudulent bankruptcy behaviors can be countered through market reforms.

“We are looking for a self-starter, innovative thinker who will challenge the status quo.” This phrase is often seen sprawled across almost every job posting you may encounter nowadays. When employers write it, who do you think they have in mind? Who are our most innovative employees? The answer: refugees.