AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings - Academy of International ...

TUESDAY
includes various routines and contains dynamic capabilities. This research work links studies on dynamic
capabilities and studies on geography of knowledge and headquarter relocations. The information gathered
might help to explain how relocations of corporate headquarters take place, and how companies may increase
profitability by moving their headquarters to locations favorable to building particular dynamic capabilities. (For
more information, please contact: Elzotbek Rustambekov, Old Dominion University, USA: erustamb@odu.edu)
A Classic Approach to Finding an Innovative Source: Discovering Disruption in MNEs
Birton Cowden, Saint Louis University
Hadi Alhorr, Saint Louis University
Research has found that not all innovation can be treated the same. The most recent categorization of
innovation is Christensen's (1997) theory on disruptive innovation. Most papers have tried to explain this
phenomenon and have applied it to different industries. This paper takes the theory a step further in its
operationalization by setting it in an international context and by beginning to see where internally MNEs can
find ideas for disruption. Specifically, the paper asks, where do disruptive innovations originate in a MNE, from a
central R&D site or from a subsidiary Using the internalization theory and other seminal pieces in international
business, it is proposed that disruptive ideas start in subsidiaries. It is further proposed that these subsidiaries
require foreign direct investment and are collaborative in nature. This paper not only expands the boundary
conditions of disruptive innovation, but also expands on the "where" question for knowledge acquisition in
MNEs. (For more information, please contact: Birton Cowden, Saint Louis University, USA: bcowden@slu.edu)
The New Kid on the Block: Bringing the Visual to Knowledge Management Research
Miikka J. Lehtonen, Aalto University School of Economics
The purpose of this conceptual paper is to analyze the current state of knowledge-related research in eight
journals relevant to IB in order to pave way for qualitatively oriented studies where knowledge is better
grounded ontologically and epistemologically. Twenty pivotal articles were further analyzed and the results
indicate that while scholars seem to agree that knowledge exists in both tacit and explicit form, further
philosophical discussions are still lacking among IB and management scholars. This can be seen alarming given
the current rise of qualitative studies in IB, as knowledge in qualitative settings cannot be understood as a static
construction. Furthermore, according to the data scholars have tended to ignore visual communication means
as relevant to knowledge management literature. To bridge these intellectual gaps, the author suggests we
should incorporate visual communication to knowledge management research while drawing on the IB scholars'
ability to theorize from research contexts. (For more information, please contact: Miikka J. Lehtonen, Aalto
University School of Economics, Finland: miikka.j.lehtonen@aalto.fi)
Session: 3.3.14 - Interactive
Track: 5 - MNC Management and Organization
Addressing Current Strategic Challenges Facing MNEs
Presented On: July 3, 2012 - 13:00-14:15
Chair: Murali Chari, Lally School of Management & Technology
Do Natural Disasters Facilitate Globalization
Andres Ramirez, Bryant University
Nezih Altay, DePaul University
AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings
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