Department of Management Studies

Research in International Business

International Business - cutting edge in research and teaching
Aalto BIZ researchers, photo Aino Huovio

Our Past and Present

The unit of International Business focuses on developing strategic and managerial capabilities needed to succeed in an increasingly complex and culturally diverse global environment.

Since 1989 our faculty has pioneered business education in Finland by offering a full-fledged M.Sc. programme taught entirely in English with real-life teaching cases and engagement of international business professionals.

We strive to be the leading International Business unit in Europe. We continue this pioneering spirit by developing innovative research and teaching in International Business. Combining strong research with the multicultural background of our faculty and students enables us to educate professionals with competences and skills needed to anticipate and respond to global challenges in a creative and responsible manner.

Cutting-edge research

Research in the International Business Unit focuses on international management, cross-boundary collaboration, and methodology. Our current research areas include:

  • Language sensitive research in international business
  • Cultural and institutional differences
  • People management in the international context
  • Sustainability and corporate social responsibility
  • Cross-sector and cross-border collaboration
  • International mergers and acquisitions
  • International entrepreneurship
  • Research methodology

Our faculty hosts regular international research seminars and is actively engaged in research collaboration with other top international scholars.Our faculty is well known for cutting-edge contributions to:

Publications in top journals 

Our unit is one of the leading International Business units in Europe – it reflects in awards given to our faculty, as well as publications in top-ranked academic journals, such as:

  • Academy of Management Review,
  • Human Resource Management,
  • Human Resource Management Journal,
  • International Business Review,
  • Journal of International Business Studies,
  • Journal of Management Studies,
  • Journal of World Business.

Our International Network

We work in close cooperation with leading international companies and other public, private and non-profit organizations. We encourage strong international cooperation among scholars, and an open, cooperative atmosphere within the community of IB faculty and students.

We have several international scholars visiting and working with us every year. Furthermore, our own faculty and doctoral students are active in international research networks, such as:

Academy of International Business (AIB)

Academy of Management (AOM)

European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS)

European International Business Academy (EIBA)

Nord-IB Doctoral Programme.

Headquarters Location Research Project

Contact information

School of Business

Ekonominaukio 1

Kauppakorkeakoulu, jonka edustalla istuu neljä opiskelijaa. Kuva: Unto Rautio / Aalto-yliopisto

Administration

Head of Department: Johanna Moisander

Unit Coordinator: Rebecca Piekkari

Secretary: Manuela Shampemba

Recent publications

Language-based discrimination in multilingual organizations

Hilla Back, Rebecca Piekkari 2024 Journal of World Business

Organisational Culture in MNEs

Carl F. Fey, Yian Chen 2024 Encyclopedia of International Strategic Management

Rigour vs. Reality: Contextualizing Qualitative Research in the Low-Income Settings in Emerging Markets

Minna Halme, Rebecca Piekkari, Stelvia Matos, Marleen Wierenga, Jeremy Hall 2024 British Journal of Management

Harmonious passion

Rita Järventie-Thesleff 2024 Elgar Encyclopedia of Innovation Management edited by Eriksson, P., Montonen, T., Laine, P-M, & Hannula, A., forthcoming in 2025, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.

Process innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises

Omid Aliasghar, Arash Sadeghi, Elizabeth L. Rose 2023 Journal of Small Business Management

Boundary spanners

Wilhelm Barner-Rasmussen, Kristiina Mäkelä 2023 Encyclopedia of International Strategic Management

The Measurement and Communication of Effect Sizes in Management Research

Carl F. Fey, Tianyou Hu, Andrew Delios 2023 Management and Organization Review

Understanding failure of strategic episodes

Rita Järventie-Thesleff, Jari Ylitalo 2023

Entrepreneurial decision-making in start-up location choice: The role of founder’s cognitive process and decision-making heuristic

Daria Kautto, Perttu Kähäri, Anna-Riikka Smolander 2023 Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research (FER)
More information on our research in the Aalto research portal.
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