About

Gerhard Apfelthaler is the Dean of the School of Management at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California, where he is also a professor in International Business. He is also co-founder of several companies including Oak Therapeutics, Inc., (Oxnard, California), Startup Kids (Westlake Village, California), CURE Pharmaceutical (Oxnard, California), and AT Consult (New York, NY and Vienna, Austria).

Before moving to California, he has been the Chair of the Department of International Management at FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences in Graz (Austria). Previously, he served as Commercial Attaché to the Austrian Embassy in Singapore, as Austria’s Deputy Trade Commissioner to the United States (Los Angeles office), as Dean of International Business Studies at FHS Kufstein Tirol, and as coordinator of the international postgraduate program of the Community of European Management Schools (CEMS), among others.

He has studied at the University of Vienna (Vienna/Austria), Taiwan National Normal University (Taipeh/Taiwan), the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration (Vienna/Austria) from which he holds a Doctorate in Economic and Social Sciences. He has published several books, among others “Management Internationaler Geschaeftstaetigkeit” (Managing International Business), Patentschutz in wichtigen Exportmärkten (Patent Protection in Important Export Markets), "Interkulturelles Management“ (Cross-cultural Management), "Internationale Markteintrittsstrategien“ (International Market Entry Strategies), or “US-Recht für Niederlassungsgruender” (US Business Law for Foreign Entrants).

He published articles in leading academic journals including Industrial Marketing Management, the Service Industries Journal, the Journal of World Business, the European Journal of International Management, Global Business Perspectives, the Journal of Small Business Management, the International Journal of Business and Economics, the International Journal of Management Education, and the Journal of International Learning, among others. 

He is also a co-founder and the Associate Editor for the European Journal of International Management. Gerhard Apfelthaler has lectured at universities in a number of countries including Australia, Austria, Colombia, Iceland, Oman, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States. He regularly consults to companies on topics related to international business development, and he is a member of the Academy of Management and the Academy of International Business.

Education

Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration - Doctorate in Business Administration / Cross-cultural Management (1997)

University of California at Los Angeles - Doctoral Course on Comparative Management (1997)

Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration / University of Vienna - M.Sc. in Business Administration and Chinese Studies (1992)

Taiwan National Normal University - Study Abroad / Chinese Language and Culture (1989)

Expertise

• International Market Entry

• International Business Development

• International Marketing
• Exporting
• Managing the Multinational Enterprise
• Cross-cultural Management
• Cross-cultural Marketing
• New Venture Creation
• International New Ventures
• International Entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Publications

Articles (Selection)

Apfelthaler, G., Kraus, S., Cesinger, B. and Stieg, P. (2018). Untangling the antecedents of successful internationalization in family and non-family firms: How knowledge resources and collaboration intensity shape international performance, Journal of Small Business Strategy, Vol. 28 No. 1, 14-27.

Apfelthaler, G. Gartner, W. B. & Kammel, A. (2017). One size does not fit all: generalizing entrepreneurial insights in a world of differences, European Journal of International Management, Vol. 11, No. 3, 251-261.

Apfelthaler, G. & Game, R. (2016). Attitude and its Role in SME Internationalization. Why do Firms Commit to Advanced Foreign Market Entry Modes, European Journal of International Management, Vol. 10, No. 2, 221-248.Apfelthaler, G. (2015).

Standardisation versus adaptation of business practices in Europe: 20 years of the Single European Market and two decades of (scarce) research’, European Journal of International Management, Vol. 9, No. 3, 283–287.

Apfelthaler, G. (2014). Besonderheiten im internationalen Absatz. In W. Pepels (Ed). Vertriebsleiterhandbuch – Direktvertrieb und Spezialabsatz als Wettbewerbsvorteile nutzen. 3. Auflage, Duesseldorf: Symposion, 307-327.

Apfelthaler, G. & Vaiman, V. (2013). International business and international management: roads behind, roads ahead, Global Business Perspectives, 1(1), 29-38.

Apfelthaler, G. (2013). Marktsegmentierung im internationalen Bereich (“International Market Segmentation”). In W. Pepels (Ed.), Marktsegmentierung – Methoden zur erfolgreichen Marktsegmentbearbeitung. 3. Auflage, Duesseldorf: Symposion, 267-281.

Apfelthaler, G. & Vaiman, V. (2012). Challenges and Opportunities of Internationalization in Professional Service Industries. Guest Editorial, The Service Industries Journal, 1-4.

Apfelthaler, G. (2012). Cross-cultural Learning Styles. In N. Seel (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning, Springer: 853-855.

Azevedo, A., Apfelthaler, G. & Hurst, Deborah (2012). Competency Development in Business Graduates: An Industry-driven Approach for Examining the Alignment of Undergraduate Business Education with Industry Requirements, International Journal of Management Education, 10(1), 12-28.

Apfelthaler, G., Shane, M. J. & Hruby, J. (2012). It’s a Jungle Out There. On Managerial Cognition, Change, and Learning during Internationalization, International Journal of Global Management Studies, Vol. 3(2), 22-54.

Durmusoglu, S., Apfelthaler, G., Alvarez, R., Mughan, T., & Nayir, D. Z., (2012). The Role of Export Promotion Service Use on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Goal Achievement: A Multidimensional View of Export Performance, Industrial Marketing Management, 41, 680-691.

Apfelthaler, G. & Nayir, Z. (2009). Editorial. Special Issue on Exports, Export Performance and Export Promotion, in: European Journal of International Management, Vol. 3, Issue 3, 261-265.

Apfelthaler, G. & Domicone, H. (2008). Drawing the wrong borderlines. The concept of culture in a pluralist (management) world, in: Problems and Perspectives in Management, 6 (2), 44-58.

Apfelthaler, G.; Hansen, K.; Keuchel, S.; Neubauer, M.; Ong, S. H.; Tapachai, N. & C. Mueller (2006). Cross-cultural Learning Styles in Higher Education, in: International Journal of Learning, Volume 12, 2005/2006, 

Apfelthaler, G.; Muller, H. J. & Rehder, R. (2002. Corporate Global Culture as Competitive Advantage: Learning from Germany and Japan in Alabama and Austria, in: Journal of World Business, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Summer 2002)., pp. 108-118

Apfelthaler, G. & Kigner, B. 2000. Erfolgsfaktoren Österreichischer Direktinvestitionen in den USA (Critical Success Factors of Austrian Foreign Direct Investment in the USA), In: Journal fuer Betriebswirtschaft (JfB) No. 3, pp. 119-131

Apfelthaler, G. 2000. Why small and medium sized enterprises invest abroad: The case of four Austrian companies with United States operations. In: Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 38, No. 3 (July), pp. 92 – 98.

 

Books (selection)

Apfelthaler, G. & D. Kujawa (forthcoming). The Deadly Sins of International Business. How to avoid the most common mistakes even large companies commit in international markets. New York : Palgrave MacMillan.

Apfelthaler, G.; Fuchs, M. (2009) Management Internationaler Geschäftstätigkeit. („Managing International Business“), 2nd Edition, Wien-Berlin-New York:Springer

Apfelthaler, G.; Buchtela, G.; Kiendl-Wendner, D. & P. Takacs (2008). Patentschutz in wichtigen Exportmärkten. (“Patent Protection in Major Export Markets”). Wien: Facultas.

Schmalzer, T.; Apfelthaler, G.; Hansen, K. & R. Singh (2007). Intercultural Communication Competence. Implications for Learning and Teaching in a Globalized World. New Delhi: MacMillan India.

Apfelthaler, G. ; Hansen, K. ; Ong, S. H., Tapachai, N. (eds., 2006).Intercultural Communication Competencies in Higher Education and Management. London-New York-Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Academic.

Apfelthaler, G. et. al. (2003). Das Recht der USA für Unternehmens- und Niederlassungsgründer. („Principles of US Law for Start-ups and Subsidiaries) Wien:Verlag Österreich.

 

Contributions in Books

Apfelthaler, G. (2020). Österreich in der Internationalen Wirtschaft („Austria in the Global Economy“), in: Kammel, A. & Kolm, B. (eds.), Wirtschaftsstandort Österreich, Wien: Verlag Österreich: 119-130.

Apfelthaler, G. (2019). Interkulturelle Beobachtungen, in: Buch, N. & Oehme, S., Firmengruendung in den USA. Ein Handbuch fuer die Praxis („Starting a business in the USA. A practical guide“), 143-157.

Apfelthaler, G. and Karmasin, M. (2017). Integrated Corporate Social Responsibility Communication – A Global and Cross-cultural Perspective. In: Karmasin, M. et. al., Handbook of Integrated CSR Communication, Hamburg: Springer, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-44700-1_14, 237-250.

Apfelthaler, G. (2014). Besonderheiten im internationalen Absatz. In W. Pepels (Ed). Vertriebsleiterhandbuch – Direktvertrieb und Spezialabsatz als Wettbewerbsvorteile nutzen. 3. Auflage, Duesseldorf: Symposion.

Apfelthaler, G. (2013). Marktsegmentierung im internationalen Bereich (“International Market Segmentation”). In W. Pepels (Ed.), Marktsegmentierung – Methoden zur erfolgreichen Marktsegmentbearbeitung. 3. Auflage, Duesseldorf: Symposion, 267-281.

Apfelthaler, G. (2012). Cross-cultural Learning Styles. In N. Seel (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning, Springer: 853-855.

Apfelthaler, G. (2010). The World is Creative. A Short Guide to International Business Development for the Creative Industries. In R. Punkenhofer (Ed.), A Way Beyond Creative Industries. Vienna:Folio, 336-343.

Apfelthaler, G.; Hansen, K.; Keuchel, S.; Mueller C.; Neubauer, M.; Ong, S.H. & Tapachai, N. (2010). Cross-cultural Differences in Learning and Education: Stereotypes, Myths and Realities. In:  D. Palfreyman & D. L. McBride (Eds.), Learning and Teaching Across Cultures in Higher Education. New York and London: Palgrave MacMillan (1st paperback edition), 15-35.

Apfelthaler, G. (2009). BERI-Index. In C. Wankel (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Business in Today's World, Vol. 1 (pp. 136-138). Los Angeles / London: Sage.

Apfelthaler, G. (2009). Export Assistance Program. In C. Wankel (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Business in Today's World, Vol. 2 (pp. 639-640). Los Angeles / London: Sage.

Apfelthaler, G.; Neubauer, M. & C. Müller (2007). Das Lernverhalten von Studierenden in unterschiedlichen Kulturen. In: Koubek, A.; Möstl, F.; Pöllinger, M.; Prisching, M. & P. Reininghaus, Bene Meritus. Festschrift für Peter Schachner-Blazizek zum 65. Geburtstag. Graz: Leykam, 351-368.

Apfelthaler, G.; Hansen, K.; Keuchel, S.; Mueller C.; Neubauer, M.; Ong, S.H. & Tapachai, N. (2007). Cross-cultural Differences in Learning and Education: Stereotypes, Myths and Realities. In:  D. Palfreyman & D. L. McBride (Eds.), Learning and Teaching Across Cultures in Higher Education. New York and London: Palgrave MacMillan, 15-35.

Apfelthaler, G., Hansen, K., Keuchel, S., Mueller, C., Neubauer, M., Ong, S. H. and Tapachai, N. (2006). Asians and Europeans – Similar and Yet Different: A Comparison of Students’ Attitudes towards Learning and Studying across Four Continents. In: Apfelthaler, G. ; Hansen, K. ; Ong, S. H., Tapachai, N.,Intercultural Communication Competencies in Higher Education and Management. London-New York-Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Academic, 11-35.

Apfelthaler, G., Erten, C. (2005). Cultural Determinants of Management in Eastern Europe. In: Tschandl, M. and Azucena Perez Alonso (eds) (2005), The Challenge of EU Enlargement, Graz:Leykam Verlag, 65-79.

 

Case Studies

Apfelthaler, G. (forthcoming). Frigopol Enters South Africa. Choosing the right market entry strategy.

Apfelthaler, G., Lin, H., Grant, H. and Farrell, C. (2017). Learning from Global Innovative SME Export Assistance Programs. Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

Apfelthaler, G. & Pelle, S. (2014). Candy for Africa. Perfetti Van Melle Enters the African Confectionary Market. The Case Centre Case No. 314-104-1.

Apfelthaler, G. & Pelle, S. (2014). Teaching note for Candy for Africa. Perfetti Van Melle Enters the African Confectionary Market. The Case Centre Case No. 314-104-8.

Apfelthaler, G. & Grabner, J. (2012). Sodacious Enters Germany. A Cartoon-based Case Study in International Business Expansion. ECCH (European Case Clearing House) Case No. 512-007-1.

Apfelthaler, G. & Grabner, J. (2010). Teaching Note for Sodacious Goes Enters Germany. A Cartoon-based Case Study in International Business Expansion. ECCH (European Case Clearing House) Case No. 512-007-8.

Apfelthaler, G. & Grabner, J. (2010). Sodacious Goes International. A Cartoon-based Case Study in International Business Expansion. ECCH (European Case Clearing House) Case No. 510-063-1.

Apfelthaler, G. & Grabner, J. (2010). Teaching Note for Sodacious Goes International. A Cartoon-based Case Study in International Business Expansion. ECCH (European Case Clearing House) Case No. 510-063-8.

Apfelthaler, G., Azevedo, A. & Kujawa, D. (2010). Auer Waffeln (A). An Austrian Company’s Tale of Growth, Globalization and Decline. ECCH (European Case Clearing House) Case No. 510-075-1

Apfelthaler, G., Azevedo, A., Kujawa, D. & J. Hruby (2010). Teaching Note for Auer Waffeln (A). An Austrian Company’s Tale of Growth, Globalization and Decline. ECCH (European Case Clearing House) Case No. 510-075-8