International Business Research Research Articles

Microfoundations as a toolkit for international business research

Microfoundations as a toolkit for international business research

Co-evolutionary decoupling in EMNEs’ internationalisation: A Chinese bank's journey of drifting apart from the US-led global financial system

We develop a co-evolutionary decoupling model to explain the decoupling process and its contributors, based on a Chinese bank's dynamic interdependency with the US-led global financial system. This decoupling is the joint outcome of the firm's strategic adaptations in response to economic, institutional, and geopolitical environmental challenges. By incorporating co-evolution and international relations perspectives into international business research, we reveal how and when non-economic environmental factors can decisively hinder a firm's, especially an EMNE's, internationalisation. This study provides new firm-level evidence on the ongoing Sino-US decoupling process, extending our understanding of international business through co-evolution and international relations perspectives.

Disruptive events in strategy and international business research

Disruptive events in strategy and international business research

GEM&L birth and development: A contribution to the ever-expanding field of language-sensitive IB research

The article provides an overview of GEM&L (Research Group on Management & Language), exploring its origins, objectives, and influence within language-sensitive international business (IB) research. Founded in 2012, GEM&L emphasizes the importance of language in management, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among linguistics, communication studies, and business education to address global workplace needs. The paper traces the evolution of language-sensitive IB research, highlighting GEM&L’s contributions through conferences, publications, and special issues that explore the role of language in corporate strategy, knowledge transfer, and multinational team dynamics. Key developments and publications in this field illustrate the shift towards viewing language as a core element of management, beyond mere communication. GEM&L's initiatives emphasize language’s strategic role in organizational behavior, offering insights for further interdisciplinary convergence in research and practice.

Measuring innovation in international business research: how can trademark data help?

Measuring innovation in international business research: how can trademark data help?

International business research that moves Africa

International business research that moves Africa

Winners and losers in Africa: a longitudinal examination of market-share gains by advanced and emerging market multinationals versus local firms

Purpose Market share gain is one of the key objectives for all firms for seeking growth. It is also a fundamental aspect of competitive rivalry. The extant review of the literature points to a gap among market share performances of emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) firms, advanced economy multinationals (AMNEs) and local firms. The purpose of this study is to delineate and contrast the market share performance of EMNEs, AMNEs and local firms in Africa. Design/methodology/approach The study used available longitudinal data (2013–2022) of six industries across four African countries from Euromonitor Passport, a rich, proprietary database. Findings Applying contingency theory, the study shows that, over time, there is no clear-cut winner in all markets and industries. Rather, market share gain is contingent on country and industry settings in Africa. Empirical analysis demonstrates that high-tech EMNE firms operating in Africa will exceed those of high-tech AMNEs and local firms. The findings also show that local firms generally performed better during the pandemic. Originality/value As Africa is a region of interest for scholars and practitioners, critical international business (IB) research contributions in Africa have predominantly focused on foreign investments from a particular nation. The present study enriches the literature by comparing the market share performance of AMNEs, EMNEs and local firms in this important region – during and prepandemic. The study offers theoretical and managerial implications for understanding the long-term performance of these three types of firms.

Comparison Of The Motivation Differences Between Script Teaching Mode And Traditional Teaching Mode For International Business Students in Guangdong Communication Polytechnic

This study examined the differences in motivation between two classes at Guangdong Communication Polytechnic. One class was taught using a traditional teaching method, while the other was instructed using a script teaching mode. This article will explore the motivational differences observed between the two groups. Students completed the Questionnaire of International Business Motivation, which consists of 30 Likert-type questions designed to assess their motivations for studying international business. This questionnaire, adapted from Glynn (2009), aims to provide valuable insights for international business educators and researchers. Motivation in this context was conceptualized through five dimensions: internal motivation and personal relevance, self-efficacy and test anxiety, autonomy, career motivation, and degree motivation (Glynn, 2009). Students initially filled out the questionnaire before the class began and then completed it again after the class had concluded. The results of this study indicate that there are significant differences between the two classes in terms of exam anxiety, self-confidence, autonomy, personal relevance, external motivation, and internal motivation (p < 0.05). Class 3, which adopted the new teaching model, demonstrated superior performance across all these dimensions. In contrast, Class 4, which followed the traditional teaching model, showed notably lower levels in these areas.

Alternative finance in the international business context: a review and future research

AbstractFirms increasingly rely on alternative finance (AF) in addition to banks and equity markets, and its usage across countries differs significantly. We conceptualize AF as financing that operates within social, business, and virtual networks that generate informational, collateral, and incentive advantages compared to finance relying on traditional financial intermediaries. Examples of AF include family loans, microfinance, trade credit, community credit cooperatives, person-to-person (P2P), and crowdfunding. While AF is not a new phenomenon, technological development continues to facilitate its increasing prominence. We review the evolution of AF theories, summarize key empirical findings, and describe how AF intersects with international business (IB) research. Specifically, we review how AF feeds into the analysis of comparative financial systems, financial development, comparative corporate governance, and national culture. We conclude that AF has shaped comparative research in IB in important ways, but cross-border research in IB has hardly considered the role of AF. Globalization and technological development and adoption in the financial industry generate rich fields where AF and IB intersect; these have yet to be understood. We describe how IB research, specifically addressing the cross-border dimension, could benefit from integrating insights from AF research, and propose approaches to integrate theories on AF, IB, and internationalization.

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Business Research, Vol. 17, No. 5

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Business Research, Vol. 17, No. 5, 2024

Dynamics of International Business

This AIB Insights issue presents articles associated with the theme of the 2024 Academy of International Business (AIB): Dynamics of International Business. The issue starts with an introductory editorial by AIB 2024 Conference Chair, Catherine Welch. This is followed by articles on data and artificial intelligence regulations and their impact on international business, advancing international business research through “necessary” component analysis, strategies for multinationals to navigate social movements, and a perspectives article addressing how academics can reduce their carbon imprint by redesigning our conference structure to reduce flying.

Using the difference-in-differences design with panel data in international business research: progress, potential issues, and practical suggestions

Using the difference-in-differences design with panel data in international business research: progress, potential issues, and practical suggestions

A “Necessary” Component in Advancing International Business Research

International business research must grapple with the interdependencies and context-specificity of phenomena. We propose necessity-based research as a complementary approach to enhancing the rigor and relevance of such scholarship. By focusing on necessary conditions, we offer guidance for how future research can develop actionable theories that account for the complexity of phenomena and better resonate with firms. We illustrate the potential of necessity-based thinking through the lens of multinational firms’ environmental performance, highlighting how conditions may vary in degree and in combination to achieve the outcome. Embracing necessity-driven research can generate new insights that provide clear explanations while avoiding oversimplification.

Trade policy revisited: how government support initiatives affect international performance in SMEs?

PurposeThis paper aims to understand how government support initiatives can enhance the international performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To address the gap of literature, this paper employed three theoretical lenses to examine both of direct and indirect relationships between two main constructs.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical study is based on data collected from Armenian exporter SMEs. The data collection utilized a random sampling approach, resulting in 138 fully completed questionnaires, yielding a response rate of 28.4%, comparable to previous studies in international business research. This sample includes firms from three main sectors: agriculture, manufacturing and services, reflecting the structure of Armenia's international trade. Relationships were examined using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results of this study indicate that government support initiatives lack a direct impact on international performance, while positing instead an indirect connection between the two constructs through strategic capability and institutional pressures.Originality/valueThe results of this study contribute to the international business literature in several ways. First, it surpasses the conventional examination of government support on firm performance by delving into both the direct and indirect relationships between these constructs. Second, it reveals that not all theoretical viewpoints hold equal strategic importance in explaining the internationalization of SMEs. From the practical point of view, findings help policymakers to maximize a country's export capacity by implementing tailored initiatives, considering the unique requirements of SMEs.

Open strategy and the multinational firm

PurposeDistance has been a core concept and issue in international business and management research. While scholars argue that distance through internationalization is increasing costs, distance is also associated with positive implications such as the integration of more diverse knowledge. Still, many firms struggle to manage distance effectively and efficiently in their multinational contexts. The purpose of this study therefore is to propose Open Strategy – increasing transparency and inclusion in the strategy process – as an attractive concept for managing distance.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper where the authors introduce Open Strategy to the IB community.FindingsThe authors argue that opening the strategy of multinational enterprises, enables firms to leverage diversity by re-combining the firms diverse and distant knowledge. It also reduces distance by moving beyond formal mechanisms of control and coordination to improve joint understanding, cooperative commitment and strategy implementation. The framework shows how firms can move beyond established dogmas in international business research by rendering their strategy processes more open.Originality/valueLeveraging the Open Strategy literature, the authors are able to find a way to respond to the challenge of increasing distance, in fact even arguing that distance can be beneficial if framed as diversity.

Foreign divestment: the missing piece in international business scholarship

As international business (IB) scholars seek to invigorate the field and steer it away from what some deem a “research coma” resulting from a narrowing scope, the significance of foreign divestment (FD) has once again been relegated amidst other pressing topics. We advocate for elevating FD to the same level of importance as foreign direct investment (FDI). Despite emerging a decade after seminal contributions on FDI, FD has suffered from a notable lack of attention in IB research and educational curricula. However, FD, like FDI, is a common practice among firms and is gaining prominence in light of recent disruptions such as geopolitical conflicts, economic decoupling, digital transformation, and growing skepticism towards globalization. We identify two main setbacks to overcome: the persistent view of FD as merely a misstep in firms' internationalization strategies, and its perception as a subordinate aspect within broader themes of internationalization, including emerging topics such as deglobalization and decoupling. As we elaborate in this commentary, delving into FD at a more granular level can uncover disruptive spillovers that require pushing the boundaries of extant theorizing in IB; neglecting FD leaves the field incomplete and hampers its ability to fully grasp the complexities of global business dynamics.

Speed of the internationalisation process. The role of objective vs. subjective perceptions of time

AbstractTime is often neglected as a factor in international business research. In this paper, objective and subjective perspectives of time are incorporated into the study of speed of a firm's internationalisation process. The concept of speed is defined as the relationship between distance and time, and therefore we propose a theoretical framework that applies these two perspectives of time both to distance and to time, and differentiate between three levels of analysis: individual, organisational, and environmental. Our framework also incorporates two mediating constructs: learning speed and risk perception. Ten hypotheses are proposed that contribute towards a better understanding of the temporal dimension of the internationalisation process.

Rethinking Nationalism in International Business Research: Shift to Social Constructivism

Rethinking Nationalism in International Business Research: Shift to Social Constructivism

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Business Research, Vol. 17, No. 4

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Business Research, Vol. 17, No. 4, 2024

A Look into the Future: The Impact of Metaverse on Traditional Theories and Thinking in International Business

Recent advances in technology (e.g., the Internet of Things, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Cloud Services, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain), the shift towards digital products, and the increased use of digitalisation by firms have enhanced consumers’ experience and transformed how companies operate, create products/services, and offer value to multiple stakeholders on a global scale. These technological innovations have led to the phenomenon known as the Metaverse. The Metaverse does not refer to any one type of technology but is a broad (and often speculative) shift in how we interact with different technologies in the same space. In the context of International Business (IB), the recent emergence of Metaverse appears to make geographical, sectoral, and operational barriers less relevant, raising complex questions about how current IB theories can explain the world-spanning, sectorally fluid, and centrifugal behaviour of firms in the era of digital globalisation. In this paper, we obtain a critical understanding of the important opportunities and challenges that the Metaverse and the fluidity of digital technologies bring to the IB field. Specifically, we discuss how traditional theories can be effectively utilised to explain firms’ internationalisation, and adapted to reflect the new technological era. We propose a framework for new approaches to IB research to help advance research on Metaverse and IB, which can provide important opportunities for future work in this field.