On the afternoon of March 14, 2025, at the National Economics University, the English-taught PhD Program (E-PhD) hosted a seminar titled "Internationalization in Competition: Simulation and AI Approaches.".
The seminar welcomed Dr. Michael Wolfesberger from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Institute for International Business, as the guest speaker. From the E-PhD Program's academic committee, the event was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Quang Canh, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bach Ngoc Thang from the Institute for Sustainable Development, Dr. Luong Thai Bao from the Institute for Banking Technology, faculty members, doctoral students from both English and Vietnamese programs, and other interested participants.
Opening the seminar, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bach Ngoc Thang welcomed and thanked the guest speaker, faculty members, doctoral students, and all attendees. He introduced Dr. Michael Wolfesberger as an Assistant Professor of International Business at WU Vienna. Michael's research interests lie at the intersection of non-market strategy, global strategy, and AI. One of his research streams focuses on how multinational corporations (MNCs) leverage non-market resources in their internationalization decisions and how non-market environments affect MNC performance. In his second research stream, Michael employs simulation methods and machine learning to study internationalization decisions in competitive contexts. Michael has received national and international awards, including the Stephan-Koren-Preis (awarded for WU's best dissertations), EIBA's Best Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Award in International Business, and Northeastern University's Award for Best Dissertation in International Management from the Academy of Management.
During the seminar, the speaker presented his research: In oligopolistic market contexts, multinational corporations' foreign market entries are viewed as competitive moves against rivals to maintain competitive parity. This research workshop first examines the literature on competitive dynamics and interactions. In the second step, the study introduces a simulation to model the cross-border organizational expansion of two competing firms using two general theories of international expansion to explore structured variations in performance outcomes. Based on this simulation, the speaker demonstrated how we can use deep reinforcement learning to train these firms to discover profit-optimizing internationalization strategies for different parameters at industry and firm levels. The results and theoretical implications of this research were discussed. Additionally, challenges in publishing research and experiences with doctoral studies in Europe were explored.
Concluding the seminar, on behalf of the English-taught PhD Program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bach Ngoc Thang expressed gratitude to the speaker for dedicating time to share valuable research experiences. The seminar provided substantial knowledge benefits for doctoral students and interested participants.
This scientific seminar represents a regular activity within the series of seminars under the English-taught PhD program at the National Economics University over recent years. The seminar series aims to serve doctoral students, young researchers, and faculty interested in economics, business, management, and other interdisciplinary fields within social sciences. This seminar series provides a platform for faculty and researchers to exchange ideas, connect, and collaborate on research initiatives.
Selected images from the seminar:
Article and Photos: Institute for Sustainable Development
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