International Business Today Podcast - D'Amore-McKim School of Business

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International Business Today is a podcast produced by the International Business & Strategy group at Northeastern University. Made for global business professionals and any student who hopes to work for a multinational organization in the future, our hosts and their guests share what's proven through research and highlight what's really working in practice.

The podcast, released in seasons of six or more episodes, is currently in Season Three and hosted by Paula Caligiuri. She and her guests share their experience and insights on cultural differences, knowledge spillovers, and technology advancement. Guests include Kevin Chuah, Richard Griffith, Joseph E. Aoun, Koen Pauwels, and others.

In Season Two, host Ravi Sarathy discussed emerging markets and cross-cultural agility, among other topics, with his esteemed guests. Caligiuri, who also hosted Season One, explored blockchain technologies, workforce analytics, and corporate governance in our inaugural season.

About the host

Paula Caligiuri is a Distinguished Professor of international business and strategy at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business. She is also the founder of Skiilify and has been named one of the most prolific authors in international business for her work in the areas of expatriate management, global leadership development, and cultural agility. She has authored or co-authored several articles and books – including Cultural Agility: Building a Pipeline of Successful Global Professionals, Build Your Cultural Agility, and Get a Life, Not a Job.

Caligiuri is an instructor for two LinkedIn Learning courses: Managing Globally and Six Skills to Build Cultural Agility. She holds a Ph.D. from Penn State University in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and is a Fellow in both the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Academy of International Business.

Season Three Episodes

The truth about shareholder activism with Kevin Chuah

Professor Chuah discusses the evolving landscape of shareholder activism, which now extends beyond financial matters to address sustainability, environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns. He further shares the diverse range of shareholders involved in activism and provides examples of successful campaigns that have influenced corporate practices.

About the guest: Chuah is an assistant professor at Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business in the International Business & Strategy group. Kevin serves as a Research Fellow at the Wharton ESG Initiative. His primary focus in research revolves around corporate governance, corporate sustainability, and responsible investment. His focus is on the impact of shareholder activism on the strategic decisions of companies concerning ESG matters.y.

The intersection of DEI and cross-cultural management with Richard Griffith

Professor Griffith highlights the importance of recognizing and understanding cultural differences and the socialization agents that shape individuals' values. He also emphasizes the need for companies to integrate cross-cultural management and DEI initiatives to drive better outcomes.

About the guest: Griffith, Professor of Industrial Organizational Psychology and the Executive Director of The Institute for Cross Cultural Management at the Florida Institute of Technology, provides coaching and consulting in global leadership, cross-cultural management, and DEI. He has authored over 100 publications, co-edited multiple books, and has conducted funded research for the U.S. Department of Defense.

The importance of industry clusters in a virtual world with Anna Lamin

Professor Lamin discusses the transfer of technology from foreign firms to domestic firms and the challenges associated with it. She also discusses the important concept of knowledge spillovers and shares how industry clusters and physical co-location remain important for knowledge sharing even in an increasingly virtual world.

About the guest: Lamin, associate professor within the International Business & Strategy Group at D'Amore-McKim School of Business, has gained recognition in the academic community for her extensive research on business groups, location choice and clusters, as well as organizational legitimacy. Anna's research primarily focuses on firms operating in emerging markets, with a particular emphasis on India.

Global leadership insights with Julian Dalzell

Mr. Dalzell shares his 40-year journey as a global leader with Shell. He describes the importance of understanding local cultures and laws when working in different countries, illustrated through stories from his career journey. He gives outstanding guidance and advice for those who want to expand their own global career or ascend into a global leadership role.

About the guest: Dalzell, before joining the faculty at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, spent 43 years in a variety of roles around the world with the Royal Dutch/Shell group of companies; including roles in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America. He has recently co-authored a book: Talent Without Borders – Global Talent Acquisition for Competitive Advantage.

The role of higher education to create a successful workforce of the future with Joseph E. Aoun

President Aoun shares how universities and organizations can collectively students for a complex, technologically integrated, and global future. He describes the importance of “humanics” an approach that combines technical literacy, data literacy, and human literacy as key skills needed in an age of artificial intelligence. He highlights the imperative for universities and organizations to collaborate to train individuals on how to work with machines but also on the skills that machines cannot easily replicate.

About the guest: Aoun, a distinguished academic leader and scholar, is currently serving as the President of Northeastern University. His leadership at Northeastern University, beginning in 2006, has been marked by transformative growth, including the expansion of the university's global network campuses. He is a well-respected voice in higher education, particularly known for his advocacy of “humanics” discussed in this episode. He has written extensively on the subject, including his book “Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” and he continues to influence the broader landscape of higher education.

Working effectively across generational differences with Rachele Focardi

Ms. Focardi discusses the importance of intergenerational collaboration in the workplace and the challenges that organizations face in bridging generational gaps. She highlights the practical ways in which organizations can harness the best of generational differences to drive growth and execute strategy.

About the guest: Focardi is a leading expert on generational diversity and best-selling author of Reframing Generational Stereotypes published by McGraw Hill in December 2020. Rachele is a global thought-leader and public speaker on multigenerational workforce effectiveness, future of work, and employer branding. Over the last 18 years, she has advised hundreds of companies, government agencies, and NGOs.

Get Episode 7: Scheduled for release on October 4

The trends, changes, and fundamentals of digital marketing with Koen Pauwels

Professor Pauwels discusses the ways in which digital marketing has introduced new avenues for reaching customers in the context of the important fundamentals of human behaviour and marketing. He describes how digital marketing trends vary across industries and countries. He also advises on how companies can better understand their target customers, set clear goals, and choose the right digital channels to connect with and engage their audience.

About the guest: Pauwels, Distinguished Professor of Marketing at D'Amore-McKim, co-directs the Digital, Analytics, Technology, and Automation (DATA) Initiative. He is the Senior Editor for the Journal of Marketing and the International Journal of Research in Marketing and is the President-Elect of the Academic Council of the American Marketing Association among other notable recognitions.

About the host

Ravi Sarathy, Professor in International Business & Strategy, teaches at the D'Amore-McKim School of business at Northeastern University. His research interests are in global strategy, technology strategy and family business. He is the author of “Enterprise Strategy for Blockchain”, published by MIT Press in Oct. 2022, and “Firms within Families: Enterprising in Diverse Country Contexts”, Edward Elgar Publishing 2015. He holds a Ph.D., from the University of Michigan, and is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

He has conducted executive education programs for companies such as BAE Systems, and LG Electronics (S. Korea), and published in journals such as Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management Studies, Sloan Management Review, and California Management Review. He was a Fulbright scholar, as the Fulbright-Flad Chair in Strategic Management at the Technical University of Lisbon, and has served as a visiting professor at the University of Michigan, Australian Graduate School of Management in Sydney, Fundação Getulio Vargas in Sao Paulo, and other institutions.

Season Two Episodes

Cultivating cultural agility: collaborating across cultures with Paula Caligiuri

Professor Paula Caligiuri discusses how to effectively build a pipeline of successful global professionals who possess the critical competency of cultural agility. She talks about the myths and realities of how people can build trust, communicate, and collaborate in different countries and with people from different cultures.

About the guest: Caligiuri is a Distinguished Professor of international business and strategy at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business. She is also the founder of Skiilify and has been named one of the most prolific authors in international business for her work in the areas of expatriate management, global leadership development, and cultural agility.

Navigating the Chinese market: insights from Professor Michael Enright

Professor Michael Enright shares business strategy in complex and uncertain environments, emphasizing developments in China and other countries in Asia. He offers insights on how China seeks to conduct and benefit from international business, and how multinational companies can succeed in their Chinese operations through a better understanding of Chinese national interests.

About the guest: Enright shares business strategy in complex and uncertain environments, emphasizing developments in China and other countries in Asia. He offers insights on how China seeks to conduct and benefit from international business, and how multinational companies can succeed in their Chinese operations through a better understanding of Chinese national interests.

Competing with emerging market firms: a Western perspective with Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra

Professor Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra discusses how multinationals from emerging markets compete, first in their domestic markets, and then build on their learning and success to expand in globally. He discusses the unique advantages of emerging market multinationals, and how Western competitors can learn from their strategies and unique competencies.

About the guest: Cuervo-Cazurra is a Professor of International Business and Strategy at Northeastern University. He studies the internationalization of firms, with a special interest in emerging market multinationals; their capability upgrading, particularly technological capabilities; and governance challenges, including issues of corruption in international business. He has published widely, in numerous academic journals, is the co-editor of the Global Strategy Journal, and recently published Innovating for the Middle of the Pyramid in Emerging Markets, Cambridge University Press, and co-authored the Oxford Handbook of State Capitalism and the Firm, Oxford University Press, 2022. Bachelor of Science in International Business program at Northeastern's D'Amore-McKim School of Business. He is an expert in global strategy, blockchain development, and implementation strategy.

Leveraging state ownership: the competitive advantages of state-owned enterprises with Anna Grosman

Professor Anna Grosman discusses the specific case of state-owned enterprises, how they compete globally, and leverage state ownership and domestic market privileges to develop advantages in in raising capital, competing in their home market, and then expanding internationally.

About the guest: Grosman is a professor at Loughborough University London where she lectures on corporate finance and digital finance. She is the Director of the MSc in Digital Entrepreneurship program, and the Research Lead for the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She is co-author of the recently published Oxford Handbook of State Capitalism and the Firm, Oxford University Press, 2022.

Global supply chain strategy: navigating geopolitical turbulence with Nada Sanders

Professor Nada Sanders talks about strategy and efficiency of global supply chains. She discusses how geopolitical considerations influence the evolution of global supply chains and draws on examples from fast fashion and other industries to highlight key elements of supply chain strategy at a time of turbulence in the global environment.

About the guest: Sanders, Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at D'Amore-McKim School of Business, is an internationally recognized expert in forecasting, predictive analytics, risk management, and supply chain management, having authored numerous books and articles. Her research includes identifying best practices in forecasting, developing a corporate technology strategy, and creating a resilient supply chain, and she has consulted for corporations such as Nike, AT&T, CIBA Corning, Mattel, and Dell.

From India and China to the World: the impact of reverse innovations with Ravi Ramamurti

Professor Ravi Ramamurti discusses the phenomenon of reverse innovations, where multinational companies develop low- cost and effective innovations in domestic markets such as India and China, and then leverage these innovations across global markets. He also discusses the work of the Center of Emerging Markets at Northeastern University, which he founded in 2007, and which serves as a continuous source of insights into the changing role of emerging markets.

About the guest: Ramamurti is the University Distinguished Professor, International Business and Strategy, at Northeastern University, and Director of the Center for Emerging Markets. He has published several books, including Reverse innovation in health care: Making value-based delivery work, with Prof. V. Govindarajan, Harvard Business Review Press, 2018, as well as articles on healthcare in the Harvard Business Review. He researches and consults with many organizations on their strategy and innovation in emerging economies, and has served as a consultant to several governments, and agencies such as USAID and the World Bank.

About the host

Caligiuri is an instructor for a LinkedIn Learning course entitled Managing Globally. She holds a Ph.D. from Penn State University in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and is a Fellow in both the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Academy of International Business.

Season One Episodes

Unleashing the power of blockchain for global enterprise strategy

Ravi Sarathy shares insights from his new book; focusing on blockchain technologies, digital currencies, and what these mean for international business.

About the guest: Sarathy directs the Bachelor of Science in International Business program at Northeastern's D'Amore-McKim School of Business. He is an expert in global strategy, blockchain development, and implementation strategy.

The essentials of workforce analytics for global business success

Mark Huselid discusses a number of significant changes on the horizon for global workforce analytics.

About the guest: Huselid is the chair of the International Business & Strategy academic group at Northeastern. He is an expert in global workforce analytics and talent strategy.

Global leadership insights

Lauren States shares her advice and insights as a successful global business leader in data technology and strategy.

About the guest: States has held numerous executive positions for IBM, including Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Strategy and Transformation for IBM's Software Group. She was recently named one of the Most Influential Black Corporate Directors by Savoy Magazine.

How corporate governance can help achieve environmental, social, and governance goals

Ruth Aguilera talks ESGs and their growing impact on companies around the world.

About the guest: Aguilera is a Distinguished Professor and the Darla and Frederick Brodsky Trustee Professor in Global Business at Northeastern University. She is one of the world's leading experts in comparative corporate governance and corporate sustainability.

The future of remote work: predictions and trends

Barbara Larson takes stock of the key practices that help make globally distributed, remote working teams most effective.

About the guest: Larson is an Executive Professor in the Management and Organization Development group at Northeastern University. Her research focuses on the personal and interpersonal skills that people need to work effectively in virtual environments.

The value of gender diversity for corporate boards and social performance

Valentina Marano discusses the role national culture and women directors play in shaping firms' environmental and social impact.

About the guest: Marano is an Associate Professor of International Business at Northeastern University. Her work focuses on the practice adoption, organizational legitimacy, and performance of multinational corporations from both emerging and advanced economies, and broader issues of comparative corporate governance and corporate sustainability.

Start-Up Success in an Uncertain Global Economy

Andy Palmer shares his insights on successfully launching, operating and investing in start-ups amidst economic instability. He also addresses the challenges of layoffs and the decline of Silicon Valley Bank, providing expert advice for entrepreneurs navigating these uncertain times.

About the guest: Andy is the Co-Founder and CEO of Tamr and has funded or founded over 100 companies through his seed fund, Koa Labs. He has been awarded Angel Investor of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year.

Comments? Questions?

We hope you're enjoying the show! Please email us at IBTpodcast@northeastern.edu with any feedback.

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Contact Us: IBTpodcast@northeastern.edu