International Business Research, Issue: Vol.19, No.2

Geopolitical Fragmentation and Export Network Diversification: MNE Strategy in U.S. Semiconductor Value Chains

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 04:19:17 +0000

The global semiconductor industry is undergoing a structural transformation driven by geopolitical fragmentation, industrial policy, and supply chain risk re-evaluation. While prior research emphasizes national competitiveness and trade volumes, less attention has been paid to how export reconfiguration alters multinational enterprise (MNE) strategy within global value chains. This study examines U.S. integrated circuit (IC) exports from 2015–2024 through an international business lens, focusing on partner diversification, strategic realignment, and value chain positioning. Using partner-level trade data and concentration indicators, the paper documents a post-2021 shift away from China-linked export dependence toward regionalized trade networks involving North America, Southeast Asia, and Europe. The findings suggest that U.S. semiconductor exports are transitioning from efficiency-driven globalization toward alliance-based resilience. The study contributes to international business research by linking export structure to firm strategy, policy alignment, and supply chain governance in technology-intensive industries.

A Critical Intrinsic Valuation of Facebook and Google

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 05:10:34 +0000

This study is a faculty-student research collaboration that formed part of the formal assessment of the Financial Statement Analysis MBA Accounting Program course taught at a United States university. This study is particularly important because company valuation is an inherently complex and challenging topic for instructors to teach and students to learn. To address these shortcomings, the students using a team-based learning approach and working under the guidance and direction of the instructor, performed a critical comparative valuation analysis of Google and Facebook to determine intrinsic value. The students implemented a blended approach comprising discounted cash flow, residual operating income, and market-based multiples valuation models as well as ratio analysis and user engagement metrics. One finding is that the students, via the team-based learning approach, achieved the learning outcomes in a unique and interesting way using real companies. Second, in contrast to certain professional equity analysts influenced by agency costs, Facebook and Google appear overvalued overall. Third, to better understand company valuation, the analysis needs to extend beyond financial statements, ratio analysis, and valuation models. This is because current events and key metric fluctuations can materially impact firm valuations. This study which has strong pedagogical impact evidenced by the overall student feedback, contributes by helping educators to be facilitators in supporting and enabling students to effectively use the novel team-based learning approach to independently learn and to master in a bite-sized way, cumbersome key technical valuation concepts; and to hone their employable skills that are becoming increasingly valued by employers today.

Examining the Effects of Familiness and Corporate Social Responsibility on the Sustainable Longevity of Family-owned SMEs

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 02:40:17 +0000

This study examines the effects of familiness on the sustainable longevity of family firms and validates the mediating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in this relationship. Data were collected from the owners of 230 family Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Tunisia using a second-generation technique, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that CSR practices significantly mediate the relationship between family specific resources (familiness) and the sustainable longevity of family SMEs. This study provides valuable theoretical and contextual contributions to the family firm literature.

Steering the Singularity: How Venture Capital Shapes the Governance and Future of Superintelligence

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 02:27:35 +0000

Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing toward increasingly general and autonomous systems, intensifying concerns about safety, governance, and societal impact. While technical alignment research and regulatory approaches have been widely examined, venture capital (VC) a key upstream institution shaping frontier AI trajectories remains underexplored. This study reveals that venture capital functions as a governance mechanism: by embedding incentives, control rights, and investment time horizons, it systematically shapes documented safety practices, transparency norms, and deployment pacing across frontier AI organizations. An interdisciplinary review is conducted integrating AI governance, innovation economics, and labor-market research, and a VC positioning typology, Accelerator, Guardian, Neutral Investor, and Bridge Builder is developed and linked to observable governance expectations and oversight mechanisms. Comparative case analyses of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Scale AI synthesize publicly documented governance features, including evaluation pipelines, staged-release controls, auditing practices, and disclosure norms. These findings are triangulated with global survey evidence documenting productivity gains alongside risks related to labor disruption, compute concentration, and uneven governance readiness. Because the evidence is drawn from publicly documented cases and secondary surveys, the study advances a conceptual framework and testable governance propositions rather than causal estimates. The review identifies a structural tension between acceleration-optimized investment models and the long-horizon stewardship demands of frontier AI governance, motivating hybrid policy investment approaches that align capital allocation with AI safety and societal resilience.

Hedging Grain Price Risk through Insurance-plus-Futures: The Case of China's Corn Industry

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 23:30:17 +0000

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of Insurance-plus-Futures (IPF) programs in hedging grain price risk in China’s corn industry. Using data from four representative IPF models, the study assesses farmer income protection and hedging performance in futures markets. Results show that IPF models significantly mitigate income volatility, with the IPF-plus-Bank model offering the highest compensation rate. However, hedging effectiveness varies across models due to differences in market correlation and volatility. Notably, the integrated IPF-plus-Bank-and-Order model achieves the most robust risk-hedging efficiency by effectively anchoring basis risk. The findings highlight the importance of product design, pricing accuracy, and market infrastructure in enhancing agricultural risk management. The study offers policy insights for improving the scalability and efficiency of agricultural financial innovation.

Agility and Organizational Transformation in Post-Merger Contexts: A Qualitative Process Study

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 01:37:38 +0000

This study examines how organizational agility supports learning and transformation across successive post-merger and acquisition (M&A) contexts. Drawing on an in-depth qualitative case study of an organization operating in the information technology sector and engaged in multiple acquisitions, the analysis examines how firms manage adaptation across successive post-M&A phases. Building on established literature on dynamic capabilities and organizational learning, the study identifies four recurring transformation modes—absorption, integration, coexistence, and recreation—which describe how organizations interpret, coordinate, and reconfigure knowledge, structures, and practices following acquisitions. Rather than unfolding as a linear sequence, these modes operate in overlapping and iterative ways, reflecting the ongoing nature of transformation in highly dynamic environments. The findings suggest that organizational agility functions as an integrative mechanism that supports coherence and continuity amid repeated change. Agility facilitates learning across cognitive, structural, and cultural domains, enabling organizations to adapt while maintaining internal alignment. By offering a qualitative, case-based interpretation of post-M&A transformation, the study provides insights into organizational processes that underpin sustained adaptation in dynamic contexts. The analysis contributes to existing discussions on mergers and acquisitions by highlighting agility as a coordinating mechanism in continuous organizational transformation and by illustrating how learning processes evolve across successive integration cycles.

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Business Research, Vol. 19, No. 2

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:01:15 +0000

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Business Research, Vol. 19, No. 2, 2026