The team is headed by Prof. Dr. Nell who is also the current head of the overall International Business institute. Team Nell’s research interests are located at the intersection between strategy and international business. They are centered mainly on the organization of multinational firms, the role and behavior of headquarters and subsidiaries, as well as intrapreneurship-related questions in an international context. Recently, our work draws increasingly on behavioral perspectives, experimental methods, and literature on artificial intelligence. To this end, the team’s research also speaks to the timely and relevant question of how the ongoing digital transformation, including latest AI innovations, influence organizational structures and decision making.

The team’s research has been published in the best journals of the field including the Journal of International Business Studies, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, Research Policy, Journal of World Business, and Journal of Management Studies. A recent paper published in the Journal of International Business Studies ranked Prof. Nell among the top 10 researchers worldwide for research on the management of subsidiaries in multinational corporations. Many of the team’s researchers have won awards for their outstanding research and teaching. For example, in 2021, Assistant Professor Dr. Jelena Cerar won the Stephan Koren PhD award and was nominated for the Buckley Casson PhD Award at the Academy of International Business. Jan Schmitt, a former PhD student of the team, was nominated for the important “Best PhD Award” by the Academy of Management’s IM Division in 2022

One of the highlights of the team’s current research is the research project “Headquarters in Austria”, which is funded by eXplore! and OeNB Jubiläumsfonds, as well as the Austrian Business Agency and Wirtschaftsagentur Wien. The project also includes a range of third mission activities.

In terms of teaching, the team is strongly engaged in the prestigious CEMS Master in International Management for which Prof. Nell is the Academic Director. The team also contributes to the IB specialization on the Bachelor level as well as the Digital Economy Master program. Furthermore, Prof. Nell acts as the Academic Director of the Executive MBA Bucharest program that is offered by WU Executive Academy and teaches strategy-related topics in all MBA programs.