39th LISBON International Conference on Business Studies (LICBS-26) Oct. 8-10, 2026 Lisbon (Portugal)

LICBS-26


International Business Business, Economics & Management (General)



Call for papers/Topics



 



Topics of Interest for Submission include, but are Not Limited to:



1. Internal Functional Areas



These are the core "pillars" of any business. While they can be studied independently, they are deeply interrelated in practice (e.g., Marketing needs a budget from Finance).



Human Resource Management (HRM)





  • Recruitment and Selection: Job analysis, interviewing, and onboarding.




  • Training and Development: Upskilling, appraisals, and career pathing.




  • Motivation Theory: Taylorism, Maslow’s Hierarchy, Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory.




  • Organizational Structure: Hierarchy, spans of control, and delegation.




  • Industrial Relations: Labor unions, collective bargaining, and conflict resolution.





Finance and Accounts





  • Sources of Finance: Internal (retained profit) vs. External (shares, loans, venture capital).




  • Financial Statements: Balance sheets, Income statements (P&L), and Cash flow statements.




  • Ratio Analysis: Profitability, liquidity, and efficiency ratios.




  • Investment Appraisal: Net Present Value (NPV), Payback Period, and Internal Rate of Return (IRR).




  • Budgeting: Variance analysis and break-even points.





Marketing





  • The Marketing Mix: The 4 Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) or 7 Ps for services.




  • Market Research: Primary vs. secondary data, qualitative vs. quantitative.




  • Branding and Positioning: Perceptual mapping and USP (Unique Selling Point).




  • Digital Marketing: SEO, social media strategy, and e-commerce.




  • Product Life Cycle: Introduction, Growth, Maturity, and Decline.





Operations Management





  • Production Methods: Job, batch, flow, and cell production.




  • Lean Production: Just-in-Time (JIT), Kaizen, and waste reduction.




  • Quality Management: TQM (Total Quality Management) and benchmarking.




  • Supply Chain & Logistics: Inventory management and global sourcing.





2. Strategic and Global Context



These topics look at the "Big Picture"—how a business positions itself against competitors and within the world.



Business Strategy





  • Strategic Analysis: SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, and Porter’s Five Forces.




  • Growth Strategies: Ansoff’s Matrix (Market Penetration, Product Development, etc.).




  • Competitive Advantage: Cost leadership vs. Differentiation.




  • Change Management: Managing resistance and organizational culture.





Business Environment & Ethics





  • Business Ownership: Sole traders, partnerships, private/public limited companies, and NGOs.




  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Sustainability and ethical sourcing.




  • Legal Frameworks: Employment law, consumer protection, and competition law.




  • Globalization: Multinational corporations (MNCs) and international trade.





3. Interrelated Themes



These concepts "bridge" the functional areas and are essential for leadership.





  • Decision Making: Using data (Finance/Marketing) to choose a direction.




  • Entrepreneurship: Innovation, risk-taking, and business planning.




  • Leadership vs. Management: Autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire styles.




  • Stakeholder Theory: Balancing the needs of owners, employees, customers, and the community.




  • Communication: Internal vs. external channels and barriers to effective messaging.