Maria Elo
Professor
The Faculty of Business and Social Sciences
University of Southern Denmark
Question 1: What are your key areas of research?
Maria Elo: My key areas of research relate to my background in business and industry. I concentrate on international business, internationalization and entrepreneurship, addressing different types of companies from informal micro-firms to MNEs, how and why different companies internationalize and organize international activities, how business networks evolve and influence businesses and the role that entrepreneurial ecosystems play in international entrepreneurship. However, I am also working on migration and diasporas in these contexts, addressing who these people doing international business and entrepreneurship are, for example, examining resources of skilled migrants and returnees, forms of migrant and diaspora entrepreneurship, transnational and family businesses dynamics, as well as human mobility and -stickiness. Especially, some less perceived aspects in international business and entrepreneurship, such as diaspora networks, diaspora investments and remittances form an important part of my research.
Question 2: What are you currently working on?
Maria Elo: I collaborate with several teams. We are currently working on issues such as entrepreneurial ecosystems in the developing countries, migration and diasporas, e.g. from India, Ukraine, Russia, the role of linguistics and heritage in diaspora and economy, and international talent management reflecting the businesses and people on the move. I am also working on sectoral and country-based issues, e.g. on the automotive aftermarket, circular business and waste management, international food business, migration regimes, Guinea Bissau, Tanzania and Central Asia. At the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), we have a renowned SDU Climate Cluster, and I am combining these climate migration concerns with related potential, like women’s entrepreneurship and circularity. Furthermore, I am trying to contribute to different discussions on policies and governance of resources and capitals, particularly human capital and its mobility. Hence, there are very pragmatic entrepreneurial issues as well as policy concerns that I am working on.
Question3: What are a few of your personal hobbies?
Maria Elo: I am afraid that my work is my passion and hobby as well. Additionally, I like reading, gardening, renovating and spending time in the Finnish and Greek archipelago. Generally, I tend to find research on the real world more interesting than most of the commercial offerings to consume time.
Question 4: What advice would you give to someone new to IE research?
Maria Elo: International entrepreneurship is a fascinating field of research connecting many disciplines and involving endless nuances, layers and contexts. Perhaps one of the challenges is to find orientation, something to focus on and to contribute to in this plurality of choices. One advice would be to think what your unit of analysis is, if it is on the individual- entrepreneur level or on the firm level, or on some other more aggregated level or on a combination of those. That already provides some guidance for the direction of themes and possible collaborations.