Rediscovering local roots and interactions in management

Theory and practice in the field of management have been challenged by the emergence of deep transitions such as those driven by globalization, the rise of social and environmental issues, and the diffusion of digital technologies.

Events such as the ensuing geopolitical crises and the pandemic further contribute to spur management scholars to feel the call to produce impactful research with theoretical and managerial implications on the relationship between location and strategy (Bathelt and Li, 2022).

As a consequence, scholars and practitioners have been asked to design new business models and rethink value chains in a twofold direction (Mazutis et al., 2021). First, the relevance of local roots sheds light on the way people create and shape places, as much as places shape people and their organizations, suggesting a need to rethink how all lives ‘take place’ in places, as well as how all business happens in paces (Sternad et al., 2017). Second, a need for new interactions emerges, suggesting that businesses are deeply connected to their roots, that are their homes, from which they draw inspiration, identity, and sources of competitive advantage (Soderstrom and Weber, 2020).

Rediscovering local roots and specific assets, as well as developing new ways of interaction among the economic actors and their stakeholders, can help firms to design effective and innovative strategies to create and share values (Mair et al., 2016), with positive economic, social, and environmental impacts (Attig and Brockman, 2017).

Several research questions stimulate an interdisciplinary debate in the field of management. These questions relate to the ability of firms and managers to move, among the others, between global and local relations, near/physical and far/digital interactions, reshoring and offshoring activities, omnichannel competition and retail interactions, market transactions and system operating structures, traditional and innovative approaches, social/local benefits and financial/global performances, business ethics and ethics in business.

In the same way, different theories, methodological approaches, and units of analysis are required to generate scientific research that has an impact not only in terms of theoretical contribution but also on the real business world. Coordinators: