Call for Papers

From the perspective of celebrating the 100 years of friendship between Japan and Estonia the aim of the conference is to highlight and analyze different angles and aspects of the connections and communication in the economic relations between Europe and Asia. Asian markets are valuable and attractive for Europe, and the EU is an important trade partner in Asia. Japan is the second-largest partner in Asia and due to the recent EPA and SPA the connectivity in various areas between Europe and Japan is growing.

Even though interest in entering to the Japanese market is growing steadily, the trade relations are often considered as challenging because of the specific legal requirements and cultural characteristics of the Japanese market and society. Cultural factors and experiences play an important role in extending the relations and marketing one´s own products on the target market. During the conference we discuss the importance of culture and communication in international business in promoting the trade relations. We invite academics and practitioners to discuss new dimensions in international business in Japan from the viewpoints of international trade, marketing and organizational culture. Furthermore, we intend to address new challenges of marketing in Japan – due to the global pandemic the numbers of people relaying on e-commerce and online sales is growing, which also means a shift in marketing strategies and communication.

Chosen PhD and MA students have the opportunity to present their current research related to mentioned topics. Presentation should be up to 20 minutes and each presenter receives feedback from the organizers and other participants. Students are encouraged to send abstracts addressing all the relevant themes, especially:

• European/Estonian trade and business relations with Japan
• Organizational governance/ organizational culture in Japan
• Marketing in Japan and the EU trade with East Asia
• Role of culture in marketing and economic cooperation between the EU and Japan
• Understanding the Japanese culture and mindset in mutual relations

University of Tartu and the Estonian Business School invite master's and doctoral students to the conference event "Economy and Culture between the European Union and Japan", which will take place on 14-15. October at the University of Tartu and focuses on the economic relations between the European Union and Japan, with special emphasis on the role of culture in the successful establishment and maintenance of these relations. We invite students to participate and send short summary. The abstracts should be 300-500 words, in English, and submitted by 30 September, 2021 to the main organizer (Elo Süld, elo.suld@ut.ee). 

We will provide certificates of attendance to all students of University of Tartu who participate during the full program. The organizers of the conference are also seeking an opportunity to publish selected research papers based on presented at the conference in a special edition of the peer reviewed journal.

The scientific committee participating of members from University of Tartu and Estonian Business School will review abstracts and send all decision letters by September 22, 2021 in order to maintain their position in the programme. Presenters failing to submit full papers will be moved to poster presentations. Presenters who do not register before the 15 September, 2021 deadline may also forfeit their spot in the agenda.

Timeline

• 1 June 2021                  Call for Abstracts Open
• 30 September 2021      Deadline for Submission of Abstracts
• 5 October 2021             Abstract Decision Letters Emailed
• 5 October 2021             Registration Deadline (participating, not presenting)