About AIB South Asia Chapter
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).
About AIB South Asia Conference
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. World University Bangladesh is glad to host this conference.
AIB South Asia Conference 2025:
THEME : The Emergence of Global South – Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century
Global South is a term use to refer to developing and less-developed countries in the world. It covers countries around Asia, Africa, Middle East, Caribbean, Pacific, Oceania and Latin America. The idea to view these countries as a group came into effect towards the mid of last century when India got independence and started the non-align movement (NAM).
While the narrative regarding relevance of the Global South has been around for quite some time, its significance to the world economy was realized only since the beginning of the twenty first century. On the one hand several economic, social, and political factors, notably globalization of developing countries, upskilling of human resources, rising workforce, sizable diaspora in western countries due to migration, and infrastructure development, pushed by these countries are responsible for the change. On the other hand, innovations and global advances in technological factors such as developments in the information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence, automation, e-commerce, blockchain and digitalization have contributed to the growth of these economies. Both ways, the Global South has gained prominence and integrated with the world economy.
In the recent years, India and Bangladesh have gained popularity due to the shifting paradigm in the global economy. Many multinational enterprises are relocating production to countries in the South and South-East Asian countries. While there are numerous opportunities to be reaped, several challenges, such as complexity in the regulatory environment, inadequate infrastructure, inequality in the income and regional development, excessive control over capital flows and low transparency in public sector. Given the blend of opportunities and challenges offered by the Global South, the World bank calls it a mixed bag.
In this backdrop to explore the emergence of the Global South, the next annual conference of the Academy of International Business (AIB) South Asia Chapter invites academic submissions under the following tracks.
Conference Tracks
Track 1: Global South and Internationalization
This track invites submissions looking at the state of international business in the Global South countries. Firms’ strategy for inward and outward internationalization, its impact on the development of the home and host countries, government response, entry modes, location choices and similar issues affecting international business.
Track 2: Born Global, International Entrepreneurship and Technology Advances
In the era of technological advances firms are rapidly developing their international presence using digital platform and e-commerce. Entrepreneurs find venture capitalists in the global capital market. There is no dearth of capital for good investment ideas. Papers submitted to this track can explore issues relating to international entrepreneurship and small firm internationalization
Track 3: International Business and Finance
Finance is critical for the success of international business. Unlike domestic business, international business deals with currency fluctuations and evolve various strategies for hedging such risk. In addition, firms doing international business involves decisions such as, where to source and invest funds for expanding its business. Will it be from (in) the home country or from (in) host country? Papers submitted to this track will explore finance related issues in international business.
Track 4: International Marketing Strategy and Consumer Behaviour in Global South
With the rising income level and number of consumers, markets in the Global South are becoming quite promising. Many multinational enterprises are focusing on these countries to expand their sales. Different marketing strategies and localization approaches are being followed to win customers. This track will explore marketing related challenges of expanding an international business in the Global South and firm strategies to deal with those challenges.
Track 5: People Issues and International Business
With the rising income level and number of consumers, markets in the Global South are becoming quite promising. Many multinational enterprises are focusing on these countries to expand their sales. Different marketing strategies and localization approaches are being followed to win customers. This track will explore marketing related challenges of expanding an international business in the Global South and firm strategies to deal with those challenges.
Track 6: Sustainability and International Business
World is facing several challenges relating to sustainability of environment around us. Climate change, pollution and other similar factors in the Global South countries are posing questions concerning sustainability of current business practices. Government and civil society are asking international business community to make changes so that the growth is not made at the cost of environmental health in host countries. Papers are encouraged to examine sustainability issues, firm strategy and policy angles to that are framed with a policy angle and offer specific, actionable policy interventions for national and/or international policymakers and supranational organizations. The track welcomes submissions from a variety of disciplinary angles, including international business, development studies, economics, political science, political economy, and economic geography.
Track 7: Technological Advances, Digital Transformation, and International Business
In the current era of various technological advancements across different domains, international business is highly dominated by technology be it modern knowledge intensive sectors such as pharmaceutical or traditional less-knowledge intensive industries such as textile and fast moving consumer goods. Likewise, large firms as well as small firms are benefitting from technological advances. E-commerce and logistical developments have allowed numerous small firms from the Global South to realize their dream to export to markets where they could not reach otherwise. Submissions to this track will examine the role and impact of technological advances on international business.
Track 8: International Business Pedagogy
The main objective of this track is to facilitate the development of best practices for teaching international business. It also provides a forum for sharing teaching-related topics, case studies and exchange ideas on how to attract and engage students towards IB courses.
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 round table 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
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 –round table 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:
- Identify a theme and create a detailed abstract that summarizes the theme and issues the panel aims to address;
- Recruit scholars or other experts and request they identify thematic topics that are consistent with the abstract;
- Based on the identified topics, create a program that is coherent, meaningful and which follows a logical order of the expected presentations and discussion;
- Request panelists to present and discuss their topics accordingly;
- 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;
- 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.
Additional guidelines for submissions to Competitive Sessions and Interactive Sessions
- 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.
Additional guidelines for submissions to Competitive Sessions and Interactive Sessions
- 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 round table 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.
General Rules for All Submissions
- 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]
Registration
Note: To participate in the AIB 2025 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
Participants are requested to remit the necessary registration charges by SWIFT/ NEFT/IMPS/UPI /QR Code transfer to the following account. After remittance, kindly send the screenshot of the bank transaction reference number to [email protected] /WhatsApp: +91 6380338272
Account Number: 40655782552
Account Name: Academy of International Business Foundation
Bank Name: State Bank of India (SBI)
Branch: IIM Bangalore
Swift code: SBININBB423
IFSC code: SBIN0040803
UPI ID: academyofinternationalbusiness@sbi
QR Code
Key Dates
Conference Website:
Here is the link for the conference website:
Publication Opportunities:
Special issue on Grand Challenges in South Asia to be published by:
Asian Business and Management (Indexing at Scopus Q1, ABS 2*, WoS, IF = 2.2)
Guest Editors:
Professor Dr. Shlomo Tarba, University of Birmingham, UK
Professor Dr. Mohammad Faisal Ahammad, University of Leeds, UK,
Dr. Elizabeth Wang, University of Leeds, UK
Best Paper Awards:
Best paper awards for AIB South Asia Conference 2025 sponsored by Asian Business & Management
Keynote Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Gary Knight,
President, Academy of International Business
Conference Chair:
Prof. Dr. Surender Munjal
Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
Email: [email protected]
Conference Co-Chairs:
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Faisal Ahammad
Head Department of International Business
Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]
Prof. Dr. Selim Ahmed
Dean, Faculty of Business Studies, World
University of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Email:[email protected]
Conference Executive Committee:
Patrons
Prof. Dr. S. Raghunath
Chairman South Asia Board
Academy of International Business
Prof. Dr. Abdul Mannan Choudhury
Vice Chancellor, World University of
Bangladesh, Bangladesh
About World University of Bangladesh (WUB)
World University of Bangladesh (WUB) established under the private University Act, 1992 (amended in 1998), approved and recognized by the Ministry of Education, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh is a leading university for utilitarian education. The University is governed by a board of trustees constituted as per private universities Act 2010 which is a non-profit making concern. The university is a member of the Association of Private Universities in Bangladesh, Association of Common Wealth Universities and Quality Assurance & Improvement Council and appears in the worldwide listing of universities by the UNESCO.
Conference Manager
Ms. Shankari Chidambaram
Phone: +91 6380338272/+91 9500032495
WhatsApp: +91 6380338272/+91 9500032495
Email: [email protected]
Conference Secretary
Mr. Md. Amith
Lecturer (Economics)
Department of Business Administration
World University of Bangladesh, Bangladesh
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Arindam Datta
Lecturer (Management and Economics)
Department of Business Administration
World University of Bangladesh, Bangladesh
Email: [email protected]
Organizing Committee:
Prof. Zaki Imam
Prof. Dr. Mizanur Rahman
Associate Prof. Dr. Sawpan Kumar Sarkar
Dr. Kamal Hossain
Dr. Mohidul Islam
Kazi Hasan Robin
Abdullah Mohammad Sharif
Md Azim
Md Moniruzzaman
Helaluddin Ahmed
Md Iftekharul Islam Bhuiya
Zenat Islam
Md. Abdul Latif Mahmud
A.N. Ahsan Touhid Milton
Md. Kamrul Hossain
M. Shaiful Hannan
Maruf Chowdhury
M. Shafiqul Islam
Abir Islam
Md. Mahedi Hasan
Scientific Committee/Technical Committee
Prof. Dr. Rafikul Islam, Department of Business Administration, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Malaysia
Prof. Dr. Ezaz Ahmed, School of Business, Charles Sturt University, Australia
Prof. Dr. Dieu Hack-Polay, Department of Management, Crandall University, Canada
Prof. Dr. Md. Mamun Habib, School of Business & Entrepreneurship, Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), Bangladesh
Prof. Dr. Rafiuddin Ahmed, Department of Marketing, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Prof. Dr. Slimane ED-DAFALI, Department of Management, Chouaib Doukkali University, Morocco
Prof. Dr. Md. Aftab Uddin, Department of Human Resource Management, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh
Associate Prof. Dr. Mahfuzur Rahman, International Business, University of Lincoln, United Kingdom
Associate Prof. Dr. Mohammad Mohiuddin, Department of Management, Laval University, Canada
Associate Prof. Dr. Bablu Kumar Dhar, Business Administration Division, Mahidol University, Thailand
Associate Prof. Dr. Keshminder Singh Jit Singh, Faculty of Business & Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia
Associate Prof. Dr. Md Saiful Alam, Department of Accounting & Information System, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Venue of the Gala Dinner:
Holiday Inn Dhaka City Centre Hotel
For Hotel Reservations, please contact:
2. Radisson Blu Water Garden
(5 Star Hotel)
