Dedication

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This research volume is dedicated to Daniël Van Den Bulcke, professor emeritus of international business (IB), who passed away on January 8th, 2014. He was 74 years old.

Daniël or Danny Van Den Bulcke was a beloved member of the University of Antwerp. He served this institution as a faculty member from 1985 to 2004, and remained actively engaged with the university and the IB research and teaching community after his retirement until his sudden passing.

Danny will be remembered for his thoughtful and principled leadership, as well as his warm persona. He was a renowned academic expert in IB and highly respected among his peers for his many contributions to the intellectual development of the field.

Danny was a pioneer of IB research and teaching in the Benelux and beyond. He taught at no less than ten Belgian institutes and universities, including the Universities of Leuven, Ghent, Limburg, Brussels and of course Antwerp. At the University of Antwerp, he lectured at the Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB), the Faculty of Applied Economics, the Institute of Transport and Maritime Management (ITMMA) and the Antwerp Management School (AMS). He was also a visiting professor at five Dutch universities, and instrumental in establishing IB research and teaching in Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, the Philippines, Poland, Thailand, and Vietnam. Many of his students from across the world kept in touch with him long after their graduation.

During his career, Danny authored many books and articles, all of these addressing the subject matter of this research volume, namely multinational enterprises, markets and institutional diversity. He was often one of the very first researchers to address emerging issues in international business - mostly at the request of public policy institutions, including the United Nations, the European Centre for the Study and Information on Multinationals, the International Labour Organisation and the Belgian Ministry of Economic Affairs. He also ran a large number of education-based, international development projects in countries such as Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Madagascar, Laos, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam. He was awarded the Sanqin Prize by the Shaanxi Province in China and the Friendship Prize by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Experts for his many contributions to the educational development of Chinese universities.

He will be remembered by most as a founding father and the Chairman of the European International Business Academy (EIBA), which he ran for many years. He was also Vice-President of the Academy of International Business (AIB) and a Fellow of both EIBA and AIB. During each EIBA yearly conference, he was the friendly host of every new face attending the event, and he deeply influenced many future IB scholars through the doctoral tutorials he organized from 1987 until 2004.

During his long and distinguished career, Danny traveled the world many times over and developed deep friendships with numerous people around the globe. He truly embodied the belief that increased international exchange can make the world a better place, and he did make it a better one.

Danny is survived by his wife, two daughters, and five grandchildren.