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The purpose of this paper is to understand knowledge grafting through localized professionals in the internationalization of the firm. Knowledge grafting refers to firms increasing their knowledge stock by acquiring new staff, and while the concept is not new in studies on firms’ internationalization, there is little understanding of the characteristics of the individuals carrying the knowledge, the types of knowledge grafted and how it contributes to a market entry process.

The authors conducted an explorative study with a multiple-case research design and purposely selected five localized Swedish managers working for Russian subsidiaries of Swedish firms. Face-to-face interviews were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed based on three types of knowledge: general foreign market knowledge, social network knowledge and professional knowledge. The authors also considered both private and professional ties.

The findings show that characteristics of the localized professional and the firm can influence the type of knowledge grafted and how it is used. The findings also highlight the key role of the individual as knowledge carrier and show an alternative way to obtain knowledge in firm internationalization.

This study comes with limitations. Only Swedish firms entering Russia with wholly owned subsidiaries have been considered. Further studies comparing knowledge grafting with firms in different entry mode, varying stage of market entry, as well as other countries of origin can further enrich our understanding. Future studies can also focus on localized professionals to shed light on the knowledge transfer between them and other individuals within the firms and the potential impact of their departure on knowledge grafting.

Internationalizing firms should pay attention to the opportunity of grafting knowledge by appointing localized professionals already living in the market. Governmental agencies in the host county can be a valuable source for identifying foreign nationals of the same origin as the firm.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to focus on the individual level of knowledge grafting and to examine how localized professionals acquire knowledge to support firms in internationalization.

As part of the mobility of global talent, returnee entrepreneurs from emerging markets with advance technology are particularly challenged by the increasing geopolitical tension. Returnee entrepreneurs have a stronger reliance on the political relationship when establishing successful business at the home countries. Yet this connection with home-country political actors can negatively affect their technology competence obtained from the host countries during geopolitical uncertainty and turbulence. We empirically investigate the challenges that technology-advanced returnee entrepreneurs encountered in the home market from the changes occurred while they were away, as well as the needs to obtain critical resource and gain market entry for adapting the advance technology possessed from aboard. Our aim, nevertheless, is to expand the discussion of the returnee entrepreneurs in the context of current world where unpredictable geopolitical tensions can jeopardize the success of their business. Our study contributes a nuanced understanding of the key factor that driving business success may turn to a trap that constrains returnee entrepreneurship, and accordingly proposes a future research agenda for returnee entrepreneurship and international human mobility in general.

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to provide a review of literature that analyses the internationalisation of the firm, through the function and role of networks.

Design/methodology/approach – A total of 23 papers (published between 1988 and 2008) explicitly using network as a research framework to study the internationalisation process of the firm were selected. They have been analysed according to a range of factors, including the author, journal, time frame in which they were published, type of focal firm, country of origin of focal firms, market entered, methods applied in the studies, theories adopted and research topic.

Findings – Networks have emerged as one of the dominant frameworks used to explain the phenomenon of internationalisation. Having originally been applied in studies of firms from developed countries entering similar markets, network theories are now as popular in studies of firms both originating in and entering emerging markets. This review also finds that both qualitative and quantitative methods have been adopted in the studies; however, few papers have tried to combine the two. Furthermore, the network approach has been used for comparative analysis with findings from FDI theory, as well as to supplement international new venture (INV) and born global theories. Lastly, this review highlights topics that have been explored in previous studies and suggests areas for further research.

Originality/value – This is the first review paper on this subject and as such it contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the network approach and assists in understanding the internationalisation phenomenon of the firm.

This volume of Progress in International Business Research includes a selection of 13 papers from the 35th European International Business Academy (EIBA) annual conference, which was held in Valencia (Spain) from the 13 to the 15 of December 2009. Following the usual guidelines for EIBA annual conference organization, papers submitted to this conference had a double-blind revision process. The acceptance rate for oral presentations was 68%.

This paper is a study of the current trends and conditions of electronic resources for Chinese studies, based on a recent survey on the Internet of 29 Chinese libraries in North America and eight Chinese libraries in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The survey discussed current electronic resources for Chinese studies, with a union list of major Chinese language databases currently used in libraries in Asia and the US. Current views on the use and development of electronic resources for Chinese studies were summarised.

Using the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis as a theoretical framework and applying Estimated Generalised Least Square (EGLS) approach, this chapter examines the impact of energy consumption, economic growth, industrialisation and corruption on carbon dioxide emissions as well as finds out the causal relationship among them using panel data of 10 Asian economies over the period 1980–2019. Our empirical findings from EGLS model suggest that there exists an ongoing rising relationship between CO₂ emissions and economic growth both in the short-run and long-run which is opposing to what is claimed by the EKC hypothesis. Moreover, per capita CO₂ emissions rise positively with respect to increase in energy consumption, urbanisation, gradual industrialisation and growth in urban population in the long-run. Moreover, countries with adoption of more corruptive practices are found to have causing more environmental degradation through excessive emission of carbon dioxide in the long-run. The study also indicates the existence of unidirectional causalities running from carbon dioxide emission to energy consumption, from industrialisation and urban population growth to per capita CO₂ emissions, from industrialisation to GDP growth per capita and bidirectional causality between financial development and economic growth via GDP growth per capita. Therefore, these unidirectional causalities entail that CO₂ emission reduction or abatement measures can be applied without having any unpleasant effect on the real industrialisation, energy consumption and urbanisation in selected Asian countries.

Studies the marketing system of the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) in the Philippines. The data collection methods comprised overseas trips to carry out unstructured field observation and interviews, a nine‐item structured questionnaire, and unobtrusive measures from Government statistical publications in four different countries. In the data‐analysis process, the questionnaire data were used to rank the importance of services required by major shipping lines in order to formulate the appropriate marketing strategy. The Government statistics data were used to test a hypothesis that Manila is more cost‐effective as a transshipment centre compared with three other major Asian ports. Testing of the hypothesis was based on the theory of General Equilibrium. A response rate of 60 per cent was obtained from the 30 mailed questionnaires. Finds that the most important services required by the major shipping lines were: (1) berth availability, (2) efficient operation, (3) cost. On the transshipment economics analysis, the alternative hypothesis: It is more cost‐effective to use Manila as a transshipment centre compared with Hong Kong, Kaohsiung and Singapore, was found to be sustained. Notes, however, that, although Manila is found to be the most cost‐effective on the whole system, Singapore is the cheapest, when considering stevedoring cost only, while Hong Kong is the cheapest when considering port charges and vessel‐steaming cost. On the whole, the existing marketing strategy of MICT, as observed during the various trips, was found to be sound and well‐justified. Nevertheless, makes recommendations, based on the findings in this study, aimed at increasing berth availability, ensuring efficient operation and being cost‐competitive and effective.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth for Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa and Turkey (BRICS-T) countries. In this context, this study investigates energy consumption and real output in BRICS-T countries through panel cointegration.

The data include energy consumption and real output for BRICS-T countries and period of 1990–2014. The variables are transformed into natural logarithm. To analyze these data, this study employed Pedroni cointegration test, the second-generation panel cointegration test, Westerlund and Edgerton (2008) test and FMOLS test.

Results indicate that there is a bi-directional causality relationship between energy consumption and economic growth for BRICS-T countries. An increase in GDP leads to an increase in energy consumption and an increase in energy consumption leads to an increase in GDP.

This study used data that include the period of 1990–2014 for BRICS-T countries. So, further studies can use different periods of data or different countries.

This study provides important evidence that countries with strong growth performance need to follow bi-directional energy policies to increase both energy investments and ensure energy savings.