Established in August 1993, Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM), is the first school to initiate a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in Nepal. The school holds the prestigious position of being the leading business school in the country, rated as the best business school in all the B-Schools Ratings in Nepal to date. The school is the first choice of aspirants of management education and employers of management graduates alike. The school is leading the way in the management development of the country setting quality standards and innovative trends for other business schools to follow. Its graduates provide high-quality managerial, entrepreneurial, and intellectual resources for the growth and success of many business, development, and academic enterprises in the country
The Premier Global Community of International Business Scholars Academy of International Business (AIB) was founded in 1959 by a close-knit group of like-minded scholars looking to share the ideas and resources that would help define the emerging field of international business. AIB has over 3,200 members in 98 different countries around the world. Members include scholars from the leading academic institutions as well as consultants and researchers with an interest in international business. The Academy also has 13 chapters established around the world to facilitate networking as well as the facilitation and exchange of knowledge at a more local level.
The South Asia Chapter of the Academy of International Business (AIB) is the leading association of scholars and specialists in the field of International Business in South Asia. It organizes an Annual Conference, Workshops and also International Business Reading Seminar International Business (AIB).
Among 120 applications received for Phase 3 of the WTO Chairs Programme (WCP), 17 institutions were selected to join the network of WCP Chairs. Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) is one of them. This has provided KUSOM with the opportunity to network with 35 other universities that are already part of the WCP network. The WTO Chairs Programme (WCP) aims to enhance academic institutions’ expertise on WTO work and issues, with a view to improving research, teaching, as well as outreach to policymakers. Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) will be implementing Phase 3 of the WTO Chairs Program (WCP) in Nepal for the next four years (2022-2026) based on three major pillars of interventions.
- Research: The program will provide funding opportunities to conduct academic research on topics related to international business and trade. The objective of this is to help policymakers make evidence-based policy that could assist in achieving sustainable competitive advances of Nepali exportable products.
- Curriculum Development: In the next four years, the school will be introducing specialization courses for undergraduate, graduate, and research degree programs. These courses will help students to build a strong theoretical background on topics related to international business and trade.
- Capacity Building and Outreach: The WCP will organize training programs, international conferences, and trade-related awareness programs for all the relevant stakeholders at different levels. This will be done in direct consultation and coordination with various ministries of the government of Nepal, private sector organizations and their representatives, and international agencies.
The conference provides AIB members in the region (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka) opportunities to exchange ideas, present their research, and create professional contacts. WTO Chairs Programme with their host institute in Nepal – Kathmandu University School of Management is glad to host this conference.
Geo-political tensions, post pandemic world and the fast evolving digital technologies have started altering the trade landscape across the globe. South Asian economies, irrespective of size and economic status have also started realigning to adapt to the landscape. In this crucial juncture, AIB SA has brought Competitiveness, Value chains and ESG in the South Asian context as core theme for the 2024 edition of the conference. The theme gives a wider canvass for the researchers, academicians, trade facilitators and firms to discuss the emerging and contemporary issues in global trade. It gives appropriate platform for the researchers to present their ideas on trade competitiveness in south Asia to get rich inputs from the distinguished delegates in the conference. To enable wider participation, the following sub-themes and tracks are provided:
Submissions addressing the conference theme may pertain to the following potential topics including and not limited to:
Sub – Themes & Tracks:
- Multilateral Institutions and Trade Facilitation
- NTBs & NTMs – Impact on South Asian competitiveness
- NAMA & WTO
- Agreement on Agriculture, Food Security & WTO
- RTAs, FTAs and WTO
- SMEs and Sustainability in Trade
- Challenges, drivers, facilitators, business models, and the policy framework
- Digitalization, Automation, Analytics & AI on trade in South Asia
- Global Value Chains to Regional Value Chains?
- GVC, GSC and digital infrastructure in Emerging markets
- Green and Agility in supply chains and its impact on GVC
- Use of AI in brand management and marketing strategies.
- Marketing strategies for millennials.
- Impact of influencer marketing on brand management.
- Influence of cross culture and social media on brand preferences and marketing strategies
- Green brands and responsible marketing
- Use of Business Analytics for making HR decisions
- Strategic human resource management
- Leadership in South Asian context
- Women leadership: Challenges and Opportunities
- Gig-economy and moon lighting and its impact on International firms.
- Financial Reporting issues and ESG Reporting
- Opportunities and Risks of Fintech in International Trade financing decisions of firms
- Emerging Financial Instruments for trade finance
- Risk mitigation tools in International trade
- New dimensions on Credit assessment and country risk assessment
- Investment decisions and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance
- Policy instruments for ESG in South Asia
- ESG, GVC and Competitiveness
- SDG and ESG – Country, Industry and Firm level integration issues
The Conference format is combination of competitive paper sessions, interactive paper sessions, plenary speaker sessions and workshops
We invite papers for Competitive Sessions, Interactive Sessions and Panel Discussions which are at more advanced stages of development and need more focused
We welcome three forms of submissions:
All submissions to Competitive Sessions must be fully developed papers and require giving a formal presentation at the conference. Papers submitted to a competitive session may be accepted for a such a session or for an interactive session, depending on the quality of the paper, available space, or fit in the conference program. Please see additional submission guidelines below.
Submissions to Interactive Sessions typically are shorter manuscripts or works-in-progress that can benefit from informal feedback from other participants. They may also include fully developed papers that could not be accepted for a Competitive Session, as explained above. Interactive Sessions are held in a roundtable discussion format and feature shorter oral presentations that allow for engaging interaction with other scholars with similar interests (please note, the format for interactive presentations may be significantly different in a virtual conference). Please see additional submission guidelines below.
Panel Discussion Sessions are forums for issues of contemporary interest to IB scholars. Panels are organized as a single submission by a panel chair around a common theme. Panels may have various formats –roundtable discussions, keynote and discussion with senior scholars not normally involved in the AIB, pro and con debates, or professional development workshops.
A panel session must allocate substantial time to a genuine interchange among the panelists, and/or between panelists and the audience. When designing the panel, keep in mind you will have 75 minutes for the session.
To facilitate sufficient time for genuine interchange and discussion, panels should constitute no more than 4 people presenting on a specific theme, and the total time for presentations should not exceed 2/3 of the total session time (i.e., 50 mins for a 75-minute session)
Panel submissions that simply feature a series of paper presentations will be rejected.
We recommend the following approach when developing the panel:
i. Identify a theme and create a detailed abstract that summarizes the theme and issues the panel aims to address;
ii. Recruit scholars or other experts and request they identify thematic topics that are consistent with the abstract;
iii. Based on the identified topics, create a program that is coherent, meaningful and which follows a logical order of the expected presentations and discussion;
iv. Request panelists to present and discuss their topics accordingly;
v. Request each panelist to formulate at least two questions that they would like to ask one or more other panelists about their topic, during the panel discussion;
vi. The chair or other participant might serve as moderator or timekeeper to keep the panel on track and ensure sufficient time for substantive interaction and discussion.
This approach is intended to create a panel that features substantial discussion and Q&A among the Panelists and with the audience, comprising a significant portion of the total session time.
Please see additional submission guidelines below.
- Papers must be fewer than 12,000 words inclusive of all materials, including appendices and references. Papers exceeding these limits may be returned to the author(s).
- Papers must contain no information that identifies the author(s) on the title page or elsewhere in the document. Submitter should clean the paper’s File Properties to remove identifying information.
- Papers must follow the JIBS Style Guide.
- Submissions that consist only of abstracts, extended abstracts, or research proposals will not be accepted.
- Panel proposals should be no more than 6,000 words inclusive of all materials, and must be submitted by the panel chair. All panel proposals must include:
- A Title Page that includes the panel name, the session format (e.g., pro and con debate, moderated roundtable discussion, keynote and commentary, professional development workshop, etc.) and the panel participants.
- The name, affiliation, email address, and role of each participant in the panel (chair, discussant, and/or panelist). All panelists listed in the submission must appear and present at the conference. Each panel must specify a chair. A second chair and/or a discussant are optional.
- A detailed overview of the main issue(s) addressed or arguments to be made in the panel.
- Any special technical setup that the panel may require (only if beyond a standard video conferencing setup: i.e., need for breakouts, polling, and other advanced features). The feasibility of any special requirements will be part of the evaluation criteria.
- Copies of emails or letters from each participant stating they agree to participate in the panel if the proposal is accepted. Failure to include these confirmations will count against the proposal.
- All submissions to the conference must have a focus on international phenomena.
- All submissions must be in English.
- Each submission must state on its front page at the top right, the requested Track (number and title) and the Session format (Competitive, Interactive, or Panel Discussion).
- Each submission must include an abstract, not to exceed 200 words, that summarizes the manuscript or panel discussion. This abstract will appear in the Conference Proceedings, if your submission is accepted to the conference.
- Only submissions made through our official online submission portal will be reviewed for potential inclusion in the conference. Only PDF and Word files will be accepted.
- For any issues not addressed in this submission guidelines, please write to [email protected]
| *Only Registration | *Registration + Accommodation | *Registration + Accommodation | ||
| REGISTRATION RATES | Nepal | India | Others | |
| Doctoral Students | Early bird (until 14 December 2023) | NPR.1500 | INR.3000 | $40 |
| Regular | NPR.2500 | INR.5000 | $65 | |
| Faculty/ Researchers | Early bird (until 14 December 2023) | NPR.2000 | INR.4000 | $50 |
| Regular | NPR.3000 | INR.6000 | $75 |
Note: To participate in the AIB 2024 conference it is mandatory to obtain AIB membership. To become an AIB member, kindly register at: https://www.aib.world/membership/new-members/ and obtain the AIB membership ID. Note that residents of South Asia are eligible for the US$25 electronic membership
For Registration: https://payment.ku.edu.np/
For Submission: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=aibsac2024
| Paper Submission Window | 15 August - 30 November, 2023 |
| Last date for Paper Submission Submission | 30 November, 2023 |
| Notifications of Paper Acceptance Decisions | 07 December, 2023 |
| Last Date for Early Bird Registration | 14 December, 2023 |
| Last Registration Deadline | 01 January, 2024 |
| AIB South Asia 2024 Conference | 07-08 January, 2024 |
Here is the link for the conference website: https://wcpnepal.ku.edu.np/second-intl-conference/
Prof. Dr. Achyut Wagle
Professor of Economics
Registrar, Kathmandu University
Chair-WTO Chairs Programme Nepal
Email: [email protected]
Prof. Dr. K Rangarajan
Academy of International Business – South Asia Board Member
Professor & Head-Kolkata Campus
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Kolkata
Email: [email protected]
Ms. Shankari Chidambaram
Phone: 6380338272/9500032495
WhatsApp: 6380338272/9500032495
Email: [email protected]
AIB South Asia Chapter
Ms. Shankari Chidambaram
Phone: 9500032495/6380338272
Email: [email protected],
Web: https://aib-southasia.org/