AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings - Academy of International ...

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more likely among high quality firms endowed with skill and capital intensity. Controlling for this, there is
evidence that firms in institutionally weak countries are more likely to use a certificate. The same holds for
foreign firms and firms with larger geographical markets, underscoring the strategic role of certificates as a
signalling device. Certification in turn appears beneficial for the productivity and sales growth of firms,
especially in institutionally less developed countries. (For more information, please contact: Leo Sleuwaegen,
Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School and University of Leuven, Belgium:
leo.sleuwaegen@econ.kuleuven.be)
Heterogeneous Effect of Ethnic Networks on International Trade of Thailand: The Role of Family Ties and Ethnic
Diversity
Jing-Lin Duanmu, University of Surrey
Yilmaz Guney, University of Hull
Ethnic networks have been found to have a pro-trade effect in previous research. However, the heterogeneous
effect of different ethnicities is under-studied. Drawing on the literature on social structure, this paper attempts
to untangle the heterogeneous effect of ethnic networks on international trade using trade data of Thailand. We
found that ethnic networks have a positive impact overall on trade, confirming the results of previous studies.
However, the magnitude of the positive effect varies across different ethnicities along two dimensions. First, the
strength of family ties in the culture of origin accelerates the pro-trade effect of its ethnic networks, suggesting
ethnicities with stronger family ties have a cultural preference for trading within their own ethnic community. In
comparison, ethnic diversity weakens the positive effect of ethnic networks on trade, suggesting an
informational value of diverse ethnic structure in promoting trade between different ethnicities. Our study
contributes new evidence of the enduring influence of social and cultural attributes on economic activities. (For
more information, please contact: Jing-Lin Duanmu, University of Surrey, United Kingdom:
j.duanmu@surrey.ac.uk)
Transnational Diaspora Entrepreneurship: A Theoretical Framework
Kaveh Moghaddam, Old Dominion University
Transnational Diaspora Entrepreneurship can be considered a new stream of research where migrant
entrepreneurship and international business research fields intersect. This paper reviews the evolution of
Transnational Diaspora Entrepreneurship over the past decade and suggests a theoretical framework to extend
our understanding on how transnational diaspora entrepreneurs (TDEs) may develop their competitive
advantages to succeed in a global market. This framework exhibits how the social embeddedness of TDEs
affects their firm performance through the mediating effect of TDEs' global dynamic capabilities as a bundle of
two abilities (opportunity seeking and opportunity seizing) and the moderating effect of institutional distance
between countries of origin and residence. Several propositions describing the mediating and moderating
factors are developed for future empirical investigation. The managerial and policy implications as well as future
research directions are discussed. (For more information, please contact: Kaveh Moghaddam, Old Dominion
University, USA: kmoghadd@odu.edu)
Session: 1.5.10 - Panel
Track: 13 – Teaching IB
Managing Course-Based Export/Import Projects
Presented On: July 1, 2012 - 16:15-17:30
Chair: Nicholas Robinson, North Island College
AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings
Page 89