Northeastern University recently convened a group of international business experts to discuss new trends and research in emerging markets across the globe.

Attendees represented colleges and universities in countries including the U.S., England, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Thailand, and Brazil. The presenters will each be writing chapters for the Advances in International Management 2015 Volume, which will be published by Emerald Publishing. This year, the annual publication will focus on emerging markets and multinational enterprises. The conference, held Sept. 27-28, served as the springboard for attendees to share their work, learn more about their colleagues’ research, enrich their studies, and collectively build a cohesive volume.

Northeastern’s Center for Emerging Markets in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business co-sponsored the conference in partnership with the Center for International Business Studies at Texas A&M University and Emerald Publishing. “CEM is today a leading center for research on multinationals from emerging markets, and this conference adds further to our reputation,” said Ravi Ramamurti, Distinguished Professor of International Business and Strategy and director of D’Amore-McKim’s Center for Emerging Markets.

The international business experts discussed a range of topics at the conference, including why some firms are more successful than others in emerging markets, how companies can overcome corruption to achieve success, and the competitive advantages of new multinationals spawned by emerging markets. A common theme of these discussions was how emerging markets are both importing and exporting innovative business models, and how these ideas can strengthen economies and benefit society.

Ellie Banalieva, the Gary Gregg Faculty Fellow and an associate professor of international business and strategy at Northeastern, played a leading role in organizing the conference. She said the emerging markets landscape has never been more fertile for international business researchers to examine. She noted that Africa is increasingly considered as the next frontier for growth in emerging markets, with South Africa recently joining Brazil, Russia, India, and China among the BRICS nations as the world’s major emerging markets. She also pointed to the rise of the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, which had one of the largest IPOs ever in the United States.

“The growth potential is undeniable in these markets,” Banalieva said.

Banalieva is a co-editor on the forthcoming Advances in International Management 2015 Volume along with by Laszlo Tihanyi, B. Marie Oth Professor in Business at Texas A&M University; Timothy M. Devinney, professor and Leadership Chair in International Business at the University of Leeds; and Torben Pedersen, professor at Bocconi University.