Faculty Research Opportunities

CIBER welcomes and encourages faculty research on "international" topics related to their own disciplines and encourage their participation at the following CIBER network research opportunities.

The 10th Annual International Business Research Forum
April 10-11, 2010, Temple University CIBER  

International business focuses on a group of firms that face distinctive decision making problems. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) control value chains that are disrupted by country-specific transport costs, government restrictions differences in tastes and production conditions. Such firms face two fundamental challenges.  The first concerns controlling the costs that arise from the complexities of multinational activity.  These include a diverse set of tasks such as managing the impact of exchange-rate variations, differences of national culture, customs and law, practices that constrain employee compensation, evaluation practices and so on.  The second concerns creating value through leveraging their international networks to foster innovation and knowledge.  This includes using their subsidiary networks, which serve as local extensions that tap into knowledge clusters, or develop into geographic centers of excellence.  Thus, the subsidiary network can serve as a means of creating new technological, managerial and marketing competencies.
 
The Research Forum encourages the submission of cutting edge research aimed at defining the future of the multinational enterprise.  Submission deadline: January 30, 2010. 

Offshoring Research Network
Duke University CIBER

Duke CIBER at the Fuqua School of Business and Booz Allen Hamilton are conducting joint-research on the subject of offshoring Business Processes, Information Technology, and other knowledge-based functions. In 2004 and 2005, the research was sponsored by Archstone Consulting. The study not only collects data on companies currently offshoring, but those considering it along with those who have decided not to offshore. The goal of the research is to track firm level data on key performance metrics and the current perceptions of financial, operational and political risks associated with the five leading offshore operational models. Results from the survey are published in leading business and academic publications and will form the basis of regular professional workshops at Duke University (Fuqua School of Business) and detailed case studies of Offshoring successes and failures.

The project is co-sponsored by the Smith School CIBER, thus Smith faculty have access to the complete research database for use in their own research. Please contact Dr. Kislaya Prasad, CIBER Director, if interested.