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To help businesses throw light on potential sources of geographic advantage, Accenture researchers assessed the competitiveness of countries using the five dimensions: talent, capital, resources, innovation, and consumers and trade. This paper aims to present the results of that assessment.

For each of the five dimensions, Accenture researchers identified key indicators – characteristics that suggest how well positioned an economy is to compete in a multi‐polar world. They assessed each indicator using a range of primary and secondary data variables. Primary data were drawn from a global survey of more than 400 business leaders, conducted for Accenture by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Secondary data were drawn from sources such as the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations and the World Bank.

The paper offers an up‐to‐date assessment of how national resources and capabilities foster competitive advantage based on five issues – talent, capital, resources, innovation, and consumers and trade.

Locating to excel at innovation requires not just a focus on input factors – such as local investment in R&D and education – but also a focus on output measures – such as being able to locally produce valuable new products, services and business processes.

For leaders of companies seeking to re‐locate to compete in a multi‐polar world – that is, one with a diffusion of economic power across a wider range of regions and countries – the article explains why the best choice is to execute a diversified geographic strategy.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the contours of the emerging business education and institutions in a multi‐polar world and to identify the causes of the strategic convergence of management education, to explore the limitations of the dominant models of management education and to propose a range of strategic alternatives for business schools operating in the diversity of a multi‐polar world.

The paper provides a critical review of the development of Anglo‐American modes of business education, and an evaluation of alternative strategic approaches to business school development that might engage with different contexts of business.

There is a tension between the continuing ascendancy of dominant Anglo‐American paradigms of management education, and the increasing recognition of the diversity of a multi‐polar world. This tension may be resolved by business schools following more distinctive strategies that are responsive to local contexts.

The research suggests business schools work towards greater recognition of culturally diverse business models, and develop tools of analysis appropriate to this context. Further research is necessary of the efforts to develop different approaches to business education, and of the strengths and limitations of these approaches.

The analysis offers a rationale for exploring different strategies for business schools, and proposes some different models to examine.

This paper provides a critical assessment of the development and convergence of international business schools and business education, and an outline of alternative possibilities.

The purpose of this paper is to explore current trends in multi-polar world with the aim of assessing new drivers and challenges in cross-border M & A.

A case study analysis of cross-border M & A is described and discussed.

The paper indicates strategic motivations and implementation challenges of cross-border M & A under current pressures of a world characterized by multiple centers of economic power.

This paper evidence new direction in cross-border M & A research for reinterpreting existing paradigms and developing new ones.

To describe the wide range of possible applications of high temperature superconductors (HTSCs) (e.g. magnetic bearings, levitation systems or electrical machines) several appropriate calculation algorithms have been developed. They determine the force interaction between a superconductor and any even multidimensional magnetic field excitation system. Especially good agreements between experiments and computed results have been obtained for the Vector‐Controlled Model, which seems to be the best approximation of the macroscopic superconductivity behaviour. The validation of this model by means of measurements makes it a powerful tool for the design and optimisation of any HTSC application in the field of force generation. It can be used not only for the designing of levitation applications, but also to help the understanding of the flux penetration, flux trapping and magnetisation of bulk superconductors in non‐uniform magnetic fields. By means of this model, the force interaction between superconductors and external magnetic fields for practical multi‐polar configurations, e.g. superconducting levitation systems or inherently stable superconducting bearings has been determined. Furthermore, the time dependency of the forces taking flux flow and flux creep into account, can be considered.

Conceptual analyses of buyer‐seller interaction in services are rare, particularly with reference to banking and financial services in general. This paper tries to apply the industrial network paradigm to relationships between firms and commercial banks in Portugal. It is argued that relationship banking is complex and embedded in an aggregate structure: banking networks. Three Portuguese case studies of corporate banking relationships are discussed. The paper examines the linkages between banks and factoring firms connected to the corporate banking relationships. It is argued that these linkages are forms of multi‐organizational partnering, in notion very similar to “internal” networks.

This paper aims to provide insights on the void between the needs and demands of bank finance from female entrepreneurs and the supply, as well as the approaches of banks for that finance. In addition, it creates a conceptual framework recognising a tripartite and dynamic partnership amongst female entrepreneurs, banks and governments as essential to female entrepreneurship-development, based on Zambia as the context.

Concepts and theories are explained to construct a conceptual framework using the lens of multi-polar network theory and stakeholder engagement theory. In-depth discussions are facilitated through a bilateral partnership between each party and tripartite partnerships amongst female entrepreneurs, banks and governments.

The framework presents how female entrepreneurs, banks and governments are interconnected in the network as mutually benefiting stakeholders and shows their collective contribution to female entrepreneurship-development within certain contexts. The findings suggest that the sustainable development of female entrepreneurship depends on a dynamic tripartite partnership amongst female entrepreneurs, banks and governments.

The conceptual framework has important implications when setting up a nation’s enterprise development strategies and policies promoting inclusivity and diversity amongst a nation’s entrepreneurs. The contributions and the dynamic relationship of the three stakeholder groups should be acknowledged and considered to achieve sustainable development in female entrepreneur enterprises. The framework can be generalised to other emerging economies with similar social, economic and cultural profiles to Zambia, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries with patriarchal norms.

This paper extends multi-polar (network) theory and stakeholder management engagement theory, previously explained in homogeneous firms, to more complex and dynamic partnerships amongst heterogeneous organisations, i.e. female entrepreneurs, banks and governments.

The purpose of this paper is to present the gist of a conversation with Africa Ariño, conducted by Santiago Ibarreche, about her career as an Expert Researcher in the areas of Strategic Alliances, Strategic Management, International Ventures and her experiences as an International scholar who is now in an interesting project about “Internationalizing in Africa and from Africa”.

This paper is an interview.

The interview explores Ariño’s career her achievements and continued search for excellence in terms of teaching, research and service in academia, especially in her contributions in the areas of strategic alliances and the importance of Africa as the future of businesses.

The interview in this special section, A Life in Research, brings out an individual scholar’s experience and history, not only as recognition of scholarly impact but also as recognition of the person.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a “change” stance towards the current situation of business education. Drawing on a theoretically embedded model, the authors hold a critical stance towards understandings of stability in the business education industry. In this respect, a model of change drivers is proposed for the industry and the authors elaborate on how business schools enact responses to comply with change pressures. Compliance with those pressures enables business schools to gain legitimacy from stakeholders and enhance their survival prospects.

The authors’ theoretically‐informed analysis draws on a combination of literature review and personal observations of business schools’ behavioural patterns.

The authors submit that the business school industry experiences four main sources of change: multi‐polar competition, new organizational species, content and mode of education and institutionalization. These sources of change impact on the fading margins of business schools. Drawing on the insights of the evolutionary model, the authors suggest that business schools engage in a process of continuous change and adaptation to these sources of pressure. In this manner, they conform to the adaptation model featured by the Red Queen metaphor; business schools must keep running and moving in order to stay in the same place.

The paper proposes a roadmap of main change drivers, which business schools may take into consideration to provide a systematic response to environmental changes.

In contrast to authoritative statements and elaborations on the situation of the business education industry, the paper provides a theoretically informed, systematic model of change.

This article aims to provide insight into the future of financial markets and regulation in order to define what would be the best strategy for Europe.

First the authors define the potential changes in financial markets and then the tools available for the regulator to tame them. Finally, they build five scenarios according to the main evolutions observed on the financial markets and on the tools used by the regulator to modify these trends.

Among the five scenarios defined, two present highly unstable features since the regulator refuses to choose between financial opening and independently determining how to regulate finance in order to preserve financial stability. Three of them achieve financial stability. However, they are more or less efficient or feasible. In terms of market efficiency, the multi-polar scenario is the best and the fragmentation scenario is the worst, since gains of integration depend on the size of the new capital market. Regarding sovereignty of regulation, fragmentation is the best scenario and the multi-polar scenario is the worst, because it necessitates coordination at the global level which implies moving further away from respective national preferences. However, the more realistic option seems to be the regionalisation scenario: this level of coordination seems much more realistic than the global one; the market should be of sufficient size to enjoy substantial benefits of integration. Nevertheless, the “European government” might gradually increase the degree of financial integration outside Europe in line with the degree of cooperation with the rest of the world.

Foresight studies on financial markets and regulation are quite rare. This may be explained by the difficulty to forecast what will be their evolution in the coming decades, not least because finance is fundamentally unstable. This paper provides a framework to consider what could be the best strategy of regulators in such an unstable environment.

In this interview with Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group (ABG), he talks about the international journey of ABG, governance issues, experience with acquisitions, Indian management styles, challenges for multinationals from emerging economies and his vision of the future. This paper seeks to report the issues discussed in this interview.

The paper is an interview.

The ABG is a Fortune 500 conglomerate and a world leader in most of the business segments it operates in. The interview sheds light on the international process and strategy, management philosophy, corporate values framework, approach to and experience with international acquisitions, the need for global mindset, control and coordination issues and an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the Indian economy and firms, in the words of a well‐known and high‐profile Indian business leader.

With the changing global economic landscape, there is a growing interest in the way multinationals from emerging economies leverage their country‐ and firm‐specific advantages to compete against mature Western multinational firms in both the developed and developing markets. The perspectives of the Chairman of a highly successful Indian multinational provide a fertile ground for the cross‐national transfer of best practices in a multi‐polar world.

Having transformed his company to become a global market leader, Mr KM Birla provides unique insights into the psyche and strategic mindset of his corporation. This interview takes the reader through a journey that traces the evolution of a 150‐year old, large, family‐owned enterprise into a world class, professionally managed global corporation.