Vikas Kumar

Building capability advantage in a changing global economy

I am Professor of International Business at the University of Sydney Business School and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Management. I am also the Director of the Emerging Markets Research Group at the University of Sydney.

My research examines how firms, industries and nations build the capabilities needed to compete, adapt and grow in a rapidly changing global economy. I am particularly interested in the ways that artificial intelligence, geopolitical disruption, institutional change and emerging markets are reshaping international business and corporate strategy.

Capability Advantage

My current research and public writing are increasingly organised around the idea of Capability Advantage.

Traditional approaches to strategy often explain success through resources, market position or cost advantages. Capability Advantage focuses instead on the deeper organisational and institutional systems that enable firms and nations to learn, coordinate, innovate and adapt over time.

I use this framework to explore questions such as:

How can firms build enduring capabilities rather than merely acquire new technologies?
How is artificial intelligence changing the sources and geography of competitive advantage?
How should businesses respond to geopolitical fragmentation and institutional uncertainty?
Why do some emerging markets develop globally competitive firms while others struggle?
What capabilities must Australia build to engage more effectively with India and the Indo-Pacific?

These ideas connect my academic research with my essays, books, policy commentary, media contributions and engagement with business leaders.

Research and Academic Leadership

My research has been published in leading journals in international business, strategy and management. It covers emerging-market firms, internationalisation, institutional change, innovation, business groups, political and geopolitical influences, and the development of firm-level and national capabilities.

As Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Management, I work with scholars around the world to advance research on multinational enterprises, international strategy and the changing global business environment. I previously served as Head of the Discipline of International Business at the University of Sydney Business School from 2016 to 2022.

Before joining the University of Sydney, I was an Assistant Professor at Bocconi University in Milan. I have also been a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Global Projects Center and the John H. Dunning Fellow at Henley Business School, University of Reading.

I have edited books and journal special issues on emerging-market firms, global competitiveness, India, internationalisation, outsourcing and offshoring. My work increasingly brings these established areas of research into conversation with AI, geopolitics and the changing foundations of global advantage.

Public Writing and Commentary

Alongside my academic work, I write and speak about the implications of global economic change for business leaders, policymakers and society.

My current areas of public commentary include:

Capability advantage in firms and nations
AI and the future of global business
Geopolitics and corporate strategy
Emerging markets and multinational enterprises
India’s changing role in the global economy
Australia–India economic relations
The Indo-Pacific business environment

Through my Capability Advantage essays, I examine how capabilities are actually created: through institutions, talent, organisational learning, infrastructure, ecosystems and sustained investment rather than through assets or ambitions alone.

Connect

Explore my academic publications through my Google Scholar profile and University of Sydney profile.

You can also follow my latest essays, research developments and public commentary through Capability Advantage on Substack, LinkedIn and X.

For academic, media, speaking and collaborative enquiries: