Recently, the second International Business 30-Person Forum, with the theme of “China's International Business Research for a Global Audience,” was successfully hosted by the School of Management, Shandong University. The forum included sessions such as the opening ceremony, group discussions, and report summaries.
Participating Experts
Forum Initiator: Wu Changqi.
Experts from Hong Kong, China (in order of surname): Li Jiatao, Lü Wenzhen, Ma Xufei.
Experts from Mainland China (in order of surname): Bu Maoliang, Chen Limin, Chen Xuchang, Deng Ziliang, Lü Ping, Ren Rong, Tian Xiaocong, Tong Li, Wan Guoguang, Wei Tian, Xie Luqun, Xie Zhenzhen, Xu Hui, Xu Yuehua, Yan Haifeng, Zhou Nan, Zhang Xiao, Zhang Haina.
Opening Ceremony
Professor Wu Changqi, Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of Shandong University, introduced the forum's origins, conceptual framework, and core activities. He emphasized that the founding purpose of the International Business 30-Person Forum was to respond to the initiative of the National MBA Education Steering Committee to designate “International Business Management” as a core course in MBA education. The forum aims to invite senior scholars in the field of international business to share teaching and research experience with course instructors, while also encouraging the active participation of young scholars in the research and teaching activities of international business management. The forum focuses on the theoretical and practical issues faced by Chinese enterprises going global under the new global landscape.
Professor Ma Xufei from The Chinese University of Hong Kong reflected on his own transformation over more than twenty years from a practitioner to a scholar, and then to a journal editor and department head. He shared three insights on international business research: First, research must maintain rigor while paying more attention to the unique phenomena occurring during the “going global” process of Chinese enterprises. Second, team and academic community building should align with the internationalization practices of Chinese enterprises, promoting closer collaboration. Third, academic service is not only about publishing papers but also about helping enterprises, communities, and the country through research and teaching, thereby enhancing the interactive influence between academia and practice.
Professor Yan Haifeng, Vice President of East China University of Science and Technology, stressed that China's economy already occupies a central position globally, and the need for Chinese enterprises to go global is strong, yet they face significant challenges. He particularly pointed out the severe shortage of talents in international management and foreign-related law, noting that the state and ministries have listed the cultivation of transnational talents as a key task. Simultaneously, MBA education is facing difficulties in student recruitment and teaching. Addressing this contradiction, he called for international business scholars to conduct research that is closer to corporate realities, serving both enterprise development and contributing to national policy and think tank construction, thereby driving substantive impact from academic research in international business.
This session was presided over by Professor Xu Yuehua from the School of Management, Shandong University.
Group Discussion on Key Research Issues in International Business
Forum members held group discussions on multiple topics, including key research issues faced by China’s international business scholars, opportunities and challenges in China’s international business, and the charter of the Forum of Chinese Scholars in International Business Management. This session was presided over by Professor Deng Ziliang from the National School of Development, Peking University.
The forum invited top scholars in the field of international business (IB) from universities in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions of China. Through group discussions and report summaries, it conducted in-depth discussions on the forum’s organizational structure, new trends and challenges in the development of the international business discipline, and corresponding strategies, providing guidance and insights for the development of international business management in China and globally.
