Neglected elements: What we should cover more of in international business research.

Abstract

The international business (IB) field is maturing and developing conceptual frameworks, dedicated applications, and precise tools. In the course of this progression, the field has started to break away from its disciplinary roots, establishing parsimonious models using finely tuned but confined approaches. While fruitful in solidifying the sovereignty of the field, this progression comes at the expense of detecting and building on major undercurrents that define the rich IB context. We return here to the foundations of IB research to identify neglected elements and offer suggestions as to why they should and how they can be incorporated to deepen and strengthen the field’s reach and impact. We discuss the neglected elements in five clusters, namely audiences and actors (intended readers and key players), locations (research sites), environmental layers (contextual tiers), history (prior paths), and interactions (among players and elements). We highlight how those clusters taken together on their conceptual underpinnings and empirical proxies will support IB research, first by way of producing a virtuous cycle of theory-to-issue research to open the perennial “black box”; and second by enabling eclectic, interdisciplinary research and retrospective investigation using a multifaceted lens.