Dear colleague,

We take great pleasure in inviting you to the XVI Iberian International Business Conference (IIBC), which will again bring together a dynamic group of international business researchers, especially researchers from Spain and Portugal.

The conference will take place October 14-15 in Valencia, Spain, and will be hosted by the Faculty of Economics at the University of Valencia. Participants are invited to share their research, develop new ideas and expand their networks in a friendly and warm atmosphere.

The theme of the conference is: Opportunities and challenges for Iberian firms: regionalization and sustainable growth in a new landscape. A number of prominent intellectuals have suggested that the Covid-19 pandemic will result in a more fragmented and regionalized world economy. In this regionalization trend, external relationships and local knowledge will become critical. Capabilities other than those associated with product expertise, such as advanced regional knowledge or institutional and political links are likely to be key determinants of competitiveness in this new era. Additionally, political activity and corporate social responsibility will be prioritized for counteracting the negative impact of the pandemic.

Companies and governments are not immune to these shifts that require economic, politic and social actors to collaborate on potential solutions. Due to their unique geographical, institutional and cultural position between regions, Iberian multinationals could become key actors that connect various regions. As such, they could play an important role in driving the development of spillovers and sustainable growth in certain regions, such as Latin America to confront these new challenges. In this process, SMEs are no longer secondary agents. Instead, they are called to lead the change with new business models based on physical presence abroad and novel management formulas designed to bring them closer to customers around the world. Digitalization and sustainability are immediate challenges for firms aiming to operate globally or regionally in global value chains in a socially responsible way, regardless of their size, industry or location.

While the theme of the conference encourages work focused on these contemporary topics, manuscripts on traditional aspects of international business are also welcome as well as research focused on geographical locations other than Iberia. We expect IIBC 2021 to offer opportunities to strengthen cooperation among Iberian IB researchers and support the development of an increasingly active IB research community.

We look forward to seeing you in Valencia.