Introduction from the Editors

Citation

Cairns, G. (2005), "Introduction from the Editors", Critical Perspectives on International Business, Vol. 1 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/cpoib.2005.29001daa.001

Introduction from the Editors

Introduction from the Editors

Welcome to the fourth and final issue of Volume 1 of critical perspectives on international business (CPOIB). Within this issue, we include two peer-reviewed academic papers. The first “Organizational space: a new frontier in international business strategy?”, by Henry Wai-chung Yeung. Drawing upon recent theoretical developments in economic geography, Yeung constructs a relational perspective on business organization. In so doing, he reveals the need for a critical reexamination of existing management and organization theories to take account of how space and boundaries may influence the strategy, structure, and performance of business organizations. In the second paper, “Architectonics of McDonald’s cohabitation with Wal-Mart: an exploratory study of ethnocentricity”, David Boje, Esther Enríquez, M. Teresa González, and Eduardo Macías, build on Bakhtin’s notion of architectonics to develop a dialogic theory and method to research the globalization and localization of McDonald’s and Wal-Mart. From their exploration of these businesses, the authors suggest a framework to analyze the architectonics of other organizations.

These two papers are followed by Douglas Kellner’s review essay entitled “Dialectics of something and nothing: critical reflections on Ritzer’s globalization analysis”. In this essay, Kellner critically considers George Ritzer’s writings and, in particular, his recent book The Globalization of Nothing. Kellner highlights Ritzer’s neglect of the dialectic of production and consumption and questions the use of the terms “nothing” and “nothingness”.

This issue includes the first “Field reports” section to be included in CPOIB. This section, which will be a regular feature of the journal, provides a space for reflections on current issues and recent events as well as an opportunity to give voice to activists and non-academics. In this issue, “Field reports” includes two contributions considering the events surrounding the G8 summit held at Gleneagles, Scotland, in July 2005. In the first piece, “Whatever happened to the revolution?”, Paul Kingsnorth, author of One No, Many Yeses: A Journey to the Heart of the Global Resistance Movement, compares the pre-9/11 anti-globalization protests, such as Seattle in 1999 and Genoa in 2001, with those present at the G8 summit at Gleneagles. While the radicalism of earlier protests appears to have dissipated, Kingsnorth argues that the forces that shape the global resistance movement have by no means dispersed. This is followed by an innovative piece entitled “Academia, the G8 and other misfortunes: notes on two journeys” by Steffen Böhm and George Cairns, both academics and activists. Böhm and Cairns reflect on their individual experiences during the first week of July 2005, which include attendance at academic management conferences in Berlin and Cambridge, the G8 Alternative conference in Edinburgh, Live8 events and participation in the protest at Gleneagles. Their piece provides valuable insights into the relationship between the anti-globalization movement and academic studies of critical management.

The impact of the anti-sweatshop movement is taken up in the book review by Joanne Roberts of Andrew Ross’s Low Pay, High Profile: The Global Push for Fair Labor. Demonstrating the positive influence that protestors and activists can have on commercial practices, Ross reflects upon the greater ethical awareness on the part of some business organizations. Despite these encouraging results, Ross also elaborates on the spread of poor working conditions beyond the textiles industry and the developing world. Consequently, the work of the anti-sweatshop movement must continue.

The completion of this issue comes shortly after the International Critical Management Studies Conference, held from 4-6 July 2005 at the Judge Institute of Management, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, which included a “critical perspectives on international business” stream. In addition to a range of stimulating papers, this stream included fruitful discussions on the nature of the journal and its future development. Thanks to all those who participated in the conference stream, we look forward to your future contributions to the journal. We will be promoting CPOIB at other conferences in the coming year, including the Academy of International Business UK Chapter Conference, to be held from 7-8 April 2006 at the University of Manchester, Manchester, UK (please check the CPOIB website for details: www.dur.ac.uk/dbs.cpoib). Please contact us if you wish to contribute to CPOIB and its related activities (joanne.roberts@durham.ac.uk or gcairns@essex.ac.uk).

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all those individuals and institutions that have supported the production CPOIB’s first volume, including contributors to the journal, members of the editorial advisory board, Emerald, Durham Business School, Durham University, UK, and the Department of Accounting, Finance and Management, Essex University, UK. We are particularly grateful to all those who have acted as peer-reviewers, and, last but not least, a special thank you to our managing editor Paula Fernandez.

George Cairns, Joanne Roberts