University of Bergen in cooperation with European Business History Association

1st World Congress on Business History /20th Congress of the European Business History Association“Business History around the World”
Thursday 25 – Saturday 27 August 2016, Bergen, Norway
Today business and globalization are under fire. Both multinational and local
businesses are challenged by a combination of an insecure macroeconomic
environment and expectations about commerce’s social role. Recent economic data
has called into question the inevitability of high growth rates in even the mostdynamic emerging markets, such as China and Brazil, and raised questions about theviability of old and new business models. Much of Europe has not completely
recovered from the 2008 Crisis and its aftershocks. In contrast to many other
downturns, US growth does not seem large enough to compensate for weaknesses inother regions. Inconsistent financial flows to and from OECD countries have added to
the volatility and extent of economic growth in developing countries. To what extent
is business responsible? The historical origins of this development deserve revisiting
existing theoretical frameworks and empirical research. Are the visible hands ofenterprise responsible for “great leaps forward” as well as economic crisis?
The joint Congress on Business History invites scholars to submit papers. TheCongress’s mission is to capture current best practice, encourage new innovativeideas and to compare content, approaches, and methodology across the world. The
organizers are particularly interested in attracting contributions with cross-borderimplications, rather than national case studies. As historians, our research interestsand methodologies go beyond comparative statistical data, focusing rather on
historical contextualization, institutional development as well as individualcontributions to business over time. The program committee welcomes papers on awide-range of topics, but our special interest is in the various dimensions of crossborder business. These include but are not limited to the following attitudinal,institutional, and methodological research questions:
1) How do regions, cultures, and individuals shape commercial competencies?
2) Are successful international businesses global or regional? What defines thedifferences?
3) How do firms from emerging markets enter foreign markets?
4) Are businesses of similar size and in similar sectors the same or different
across cultures?5) What are the different patterns of internationalization? Do sectors such asautomotive or chemical behave differently?
6) What models for international business serve as alternatives tomultinationals?
7) How do macroeconomic and political environments shape the form andcontent of international business?
8) What are the effects of foreign direct investment on home and hostcountries?
9) How do small- and medium-sized firms get a global reach?
10) What factors help or hinder internationalization?
11) Do First-Movers control markets or do markets adapt?
12) What firms are good at adaptation, and why?
13) What is the impact of illegal and “grey areas”, such as crony capitalism, oninternational business activities?
14) How do bubbles, competition, and regulation affect internationalization?
15) To what extent are national, firm, or sectoral patterns of development pathdependent?
16) How do firms decide international entry strategies and target markets?
17) How has technology affected internationalization?
18) How can international and other business theory be best combined withhistorical methodology? Are new technologies in business history changing its
agenda, methods, and goals?
19) How do government policies affect globalization?
20) How does cross-border business affect corporate social responsibility?
The organizers invite scholars working on different national and regional patterns ofbusiness development, especially research that deals with comparative topics andcross-border flows reflecting more than one destination, not work with purely
national scope and implications. We particularly want to attract research oninternational business and comparative research, reflecting worldwide diversity ofbusiness models, sectors, and actors. Our global meeting provides a forum forbroadening our approaches to opening the discipline to a new generation of scholars.
In addition to proposals for individual papers, scholars are particularly invited topropose entire panel sessions. For full panel sessions, we strongly recommend
integrating a variety of comparative national or regional differences.
Our goal is to maximize the program’s capability to highlight global comparisons offirms, industries, entrepreneurial families, markets, actors, business organizations,industrial clusters, and other dimensions of business. Consequently, single papers
which are not international in scope will be merged into sessions with a comparative
approach along supranational, industrial, market or other categories. Despite ourspecific orientation, the Program Committee will also consider submissions notdirectly related to the conference theme.
The congress fees for attendees from OECD countries who register early will be
Norwegian crowns (NOK) 1700 (about Euro 185, US-dollars 208), regular registration
NOK 2000. For NON OECD attendees and students, the early-bird rate will be NOK
750 (Euro 105) and regular NOK 900 (Euro 120). In addition, the local organizer willhave a travel fund for colleagues coming from non-OECD countries. Anothercommittee is looking into further funding. Please contact the local organizers forassistance.
Session proposals and single paper proposals can be submitted online through thecongress website or the EBHA-website beginning on October 1. (www.ebha.org). An
explanation will guide applicants about the format of the proposals (length ofabstract, cv, etc.). Please use that platform for submissions.
Deadline of all proposals is 31 December 2015.
All applicants will receive a mail recognizing the reception of the proposal.
E-mails concerning acceptances will be sent by the end of February 2016.
The program-committee consists of Andrea Lluch (National Scientific and TechnicalResearch Council, Buenos Aires, Argentina, alluch@conicet.gov.ar), Christopher
Kobrak (EBHA / University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, Canada, email
Chris.Kobrak@rotman.utoronto.ca), Andrea H. Schneider (EBHA / GUG, Germany,ahschneider@unternehmensgeschichte.de) and Takashi Shimizu (BHSJ / University ofTokyo, Japan, tshimizu@waka.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp).
Local organizer:
Harm Schröter (harm.schroter@ahkr.uib.no)
University of Bergen
Visit Address: Øysteinsgate 1
Postal Address: Postboks 7805
5020 Bergen, Norway

http://www.uib.no/en/bhbergen2016
http://www.ebha.org