International Business Studies Research Articles

A Stakeholder-Based View of the Evolution of Intellectual Property Institutions (WITHDRAWN)

In this article, we address several limitations of prior international business (IB) studies that investigate how and why intellectual property rights (IPR) institutions evolve in ways of consequence to multinationals. To do this, we develop a dynamic stakeholder-based view (SBV) of micro- and macro-processes shaping the evolution of formal institutions. The SBV micro-processes include (1) establishment of endogenous and exogenous stakeholders, (2) formation of stakeholders’ interests, (3) evaluation of stakeholders’ salience, (4) governance of the focal institution, and (5) interpretation of the impacts from institutional governance. The SBV macro-processes include (1) feedback loops among the micro-processes and (2) the stickiness of each stakeholder process. We demonstrate the explanatory power of our framework by offering historical examples of how and why the SBV processes have shaped the heterogeneous evolution of IPR institutions in China, the U.S., and other countries. We argue that IPR institutions, despite experiencing significant convergence in places, diverge across countries in ways of consequence to multinationals due to the stickiness of stakeholder processes. We also illustrate that the third SBV micro-process, evaluation of stakeholders’ salience, most immediately explains IPR institutions’ evolution. Our work challenges recent assertions about the evolution of IPR institutions and what this means for multinational firms doing business across borders.

The declining share of primary data and the neglect of the individual level in international business research

Complementing Nielsen and colleagues’ (2020) analysis of methodological trends in the Journal of International Business Studies over the past 50 years, we examine similar data on methods published in a wider range of leading international business (IB) journals. Our analysis shows a clear decline of studies based on primary data relative to secondary data, and a persistently low level of individual-level studies among the growing body of research using secondary data across all IB journals considered. We discuss the main mechanisms driving these trends and identify the problems of IB’s increasing exposure to the risks inherent in secondary data. We also discuss the implications related to neglecting individual-level data for theory advancement in IB, such as a disregard for novel secondary data opportunities at the individual level and the risk of reduced theoretical pluralism. In doing so, we substantially extend the debate initiated by Nielsen and colleagues (2020).

Imposing versus Enacting Commitments for the Long‐Term Energy Transition: Perspectives from the Firm

Imposing versus Enacting Commitments for the Long‐Term Energy Transition: Perspectives from the Firm

Universal research ethics and international business studies

Research ethics have received comprehensive institutional attention at least since the creation of the U.S. Panel on Scientific Responsibility and the Conduct of Research in 1989. Over the last decade, business scholars have focused on a variety of important questions in research ethics, with significant attention being focused on the “grey” areas of questionable research practices. This editorial adopts a different approach. The normative foundations of research ethics, and the core values that should inform research in international business studies, are identified and related to AIB’s new and revised ethics codes. Explanations for the persistence and growth of research misconduct and detrimental research practices are provided. Finally, best practices for institutionalizing research ethics in international business studies are identified.

International business, innovation and ambidexterity: A micro-foundational perspective

Research on international business and innovation has accumulated a vast body of knowledge which has assisted in comprehending complex international management issues in diverse international settings. Yet, the existing studies have not paid sufficient attention to the multifaceted aspects of innovation and ambidexterity. We join the conversation with international business and innovation by suggesting that investigating the micro-foundations from a multidisciplinary perspective situated in varying international contexts can advance our collective understandings of the phenomena in important ways. This paper has three general objectives. First, we show that innovation and ambidexterity has been a long-standing issue in international management and business studies and provide an overview of the puzzles that underpin and trigger this special issue. Second, we highlight the key insights and contributions of the papers included in this special issue by reviewing their theoretical underpinnings, methodological approaches and findings. Finally, we outline a future research agenda that can help advance on international business and innovation research.

A stakeholder-based view of the evolution of intellectual property institutions

In this article, we address several limitations of prior international business studies that investigate how and why intellectual property rights (IPR) institutions evolve in ways of consequence to multinationals. To do this, we develop a dynamic stakeholder-based view (SBV) of micro- and macro-processes shaping the evolution of formal institutions. The SBV micro-processes include (1) establishment of endogenous and exogenous stakeholders, (2) formation of stakeholders’ interests, (3) evaluation of stakeholders’ salience, (4) governance of the focal institution, and (5) interpretation of the impacts from institutional governance. The SBV macro-processes include (1) feedback loops among the micro-processes and (2) the stickiness of each stakeholder process. We demonstrate the explanatory power of our framework by offering historical examples of how and why the SBV processes have shaped the heterogeneous evolution of IPR institutions in China, the US, and other countries. We argue that IPR institutions, despite experiencing significant convergence in places, will continue to diverge across countries in ways of consequence to multinationals due to the stickiness of stakeholder processes. We also illustrate that the third SBV micro-process, evaluation of stakeholders’ salience, most immediately explains IPR institutions’ evolution. Our work challenges recent assertions about the evolution of IPR institutions and what this means for multinational firms doing business across borders.

International business education: What we know and what we have yet to develop

International business education (IBE) scholarship is extensive and is continuously growing. Nevertheless, to date there is no systems perspective overview of the literature dedicated to this topic. Using latest advancements in scientometric analysis, this study structures and visualizes the entire IBE scholarship, which allows to identify gaps in research and propose a number of future research directions. Data extracted from 894 peer-reviewed documents made available through the Scopus database allows to map the scholarship across five identified research directions in IBE – IB, political economy environment, and education; student learning and experience; the lingua franca and communication; interrelationship of IBE and the ecosystem; and business school curricula and internationalization. The scholarship was also compared to the Academy of Management Learning and Education and to the Journal of International Business Studies together with the Journal of World Business journal scholarships to recommend further prospective directions for the future development of IBE.

Unraveling the effects of cultural diversity in teams: A retrospective of research on multicultural work groups and an agenda for future research.

Our 2010 Journal of International Business Studies article, “Unraveling the Effects of Cultural Diversity in Teams: A Meta-analysis of Research on Multicultural Work Groups,” attempted to take stock of existing research on cultural diversity in teams, to reconcile conflicting perspectives and past results, and provide a better understanding of the mechanisms and boundary conditions under which diversity affects team outcomes. To guide our analysis, we developed a theoretical framework outlining how cultural diversity leads to both process gains and losses in teams, and specifying the contextual conditions under which diversity contributes to effective team outcomes. We tested our hypotheses in a meta-analysis of research on cultural diversity in teams, encompassing 108 primary studies with a combined sample size of 10,632 work groups. The results suggested that cultural diversity does not have a direct impact on team performance but rather that the effect is indirect, mediated by process variables such as creativity, cohesion, and conflict; and is moderated by contextual influences such as team tenure, the complexity of the task, and whether the team is co-located or geographically dispersed. Unexpected findings raised important questions about the dynamics of diverse teams and underscored the need for further examination. In this Retrospective, we reflect on progress made in research on culturally diverse teams over the last decade, highlight remaining gaps and open questions, and propose an agenda for future research.

Dealing with dynamic endogeneity in international business research

Dynamic endogeneity occurs when the current values of a study’s independent variables are affected by the past values of the dependent variables, which can lead to biased estimates. Our analysis of 80 empirical papers published in the Journal of International Business Studies uncovers cases of inappropriate treatment of dynamic endogeneity. Our simulations reveal factors that lead to bias in a fixed effects estimator and highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the system generalized method of moments estimator. We demonstrate our points with an empirical study of the impact of the international experience of managers and board members on firm internationalization. We show how using a fixed effects estimator rather than a generalized method of moments estimator can lead to differences in regression results. We also show the proper use of a generalized method of moments estimator.

КОРПОРАТИВНИЙ ФОРСАЙТ В МЕНЕДЖМЕНТІ МІЖНАРОДНОГО БІЗНЕСУ

Питання корпоративного форсайту набувають значну актуальність в управлінні мультинаціональними компаніями. Мета дослідження спрямована на визначення та систематизацію сучасних наукових поглядів щодо застосування корпоративного форсайту в сфері менеджменту міжнародного бізнесу. До основних результатів дослідження відноситься таксономія цінності застосування корпоративного форсайту за предметними областями дослідження міжнародного бізнесу. Також в статті запропоновано матрицю видів корпоративного форсайту. Вона надає можливість ідентифікувати недостатньо вивчені питання використання корпоративного форсайту в міжнародному бізнесі, до яких, зокрема, належить процес інтернаціоналізації підприємства. В подальшому значної наукової уваги заслуговують питання особливостей корпоративного форсайту в міжнародних компаніях в умовах діджиталізації та четвертої промислової революції.

THE IMPACT OF THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK QUALITY ON THE OWNERSHIP STRATEGY. EVIDENCE FROM EU FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS IN SOUTH AND CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is considered by scholars as a critical factor for economic growth and development. The recent economic crisis in the European Union (EU) has brought up again the discussion of the key drivers specific to the attraction of FDI. In addition to strict economic factor, the literature emphasises the role of institutions in a country as determinants in attracting FDI inflows. This study is one of the first to address the ownership strategy of multinational enterprises from the EU region undertaking FDI in former transitional economies in South (SEE) and Central Eastern Europe (CEE) using the concept of the quality of institutions. An analysis of the impact that the quality of market supporting institutions in determining ownership structure has of foreign affiliates in former transitional economies is attempted using an econometric model on institutional, regulatory, country specific and company level data based on a sample of 285 EU companies undertook FDI in 4 South and Central Eastern European countries during 1995-2015. We apply and advance the institution-based view of strategy by integrating it with resource-based and transaction cost considerations, incorporating three of the most important theoretical paradigms of international business studies.

Analyzing the reliability of Chinese outward FDI studies: a replication approach

PurposeMany academic studies in international business empirically test the determinants of Chinese outward (O)FDI. A weakness with these studies is the limited critical evaluation given to the way in which Chinese OFDI data is collected and used. Chinese multinational enterprises (C)MNEs frequently establish special purpose entities in tax havens to transit FDI via intermediary jurisdictions. The purpose of this paper is to develop an alternative approach for measuring CMNE OFDI and subsequently explore how the results of previous studies may have been confounded use of tax havens by MNEs. The authors address the latter question by replicating widely cited quantitative studies.Design/methodology/approachReplication approach.FindingsThrough the replication of several studies, this paper finds high levels of discrepancies in general sign and significance between global ultimate ownership modeling results and those using officially recorded FDI data. More specifically, the main areas impacted by using official data rather than data which accounts for the use of tax havens are cultural proximity, geographic distance and natural resource seeking.Practical implicationsThis paper looks at studies, which use official FDI data to understand CMNE behavior. It is important to note, however, that there are many hundreds, if not thousands, of studies that use other national-level FDI data to draw similar types of inferences about MNE activity. In this sense, the authors’ critical evaluation of CMNE work holds a much broader and, arguably, more important question: How reliable, in general, are studies, which use officially recorded FDI data? The results from this paper have already caused reflection on the impact of tax haven use on official FDI collection organizations, such as the OECD.Social implicationsThe social implications of companies using tax havens to route FDI is immense. The use of tax havens not only aids in tax minimization for companies, but also obscures the true providence and identity of companies. This is problematic in a society, which increasingly desires to understand where, how and by whom a product or service was created prior to consumption.Originality/valueThis paper argues that the tendency for Chinese MNEs to establish offshore holding companies in tax havens has given rise to significant biases in official FDI statistics. Through the use of global ultimate ownership data, the authors have put forward an alternate approach to measure genuine CMNEs’ OFDI activity, one which confronts and deals with their pervasive engagement with tax havens. Through the replication of several Chinese OFDI location choice studies, it was possible to understand how methodological issues stemming from the use of official FDI data may influence prior econometric results. In doing so, the authors hope to have sparked a debate which may lead to a re-evaluation of earlier received wisdom regarding Chinese MNE investment strategy and behaviors. This in turn should foster improved theorizing regarding the Chinese MNE and its outward investment activities.

Bringing context back into international business studies: own research experiences, reflections and suggestions for future research

This paper argues for the inclusion of (cultural and institutional) context into International Business studies. It is based on own research experiences, findings, reflections and conclusions. Particular emphasis is put, among others, on (1) universalities, particularities and singularities in cross-national management research; (2) the superior explanatory power of detailed description of cultural differences compared to the mere provision of cultural distance scores; (3) the relevance of language differences as a topic for International Business studies; and (4) the importance of qualitative research for in-depth, contextualized International Business studies. This paper also calls for more phenomena driven, emic and interdisciplinary International Business research that focuses on real business problems as well as their societal implications.

Methodological practices in international business research: An after-action review of challenges and solutions

We combine after-action review and needs-assessment frameworks to describe the four most pervasive contemporary methodological challenges faced by international business (IB) researchers, as identified by authors of Journal of International Business Studies articles: Psychometrically deficient measures (mentioned in 73% of articles), idiosyncratic samples or contexts (mentioned in 62.2% of articles), less-than-ideal research designs (mentioned in 62.2% of articles), and insufficient evidence about causal relations (mentioned in 8.1% of articles). Then, we offer solutions to address these challenges: demonstrating why and how the conceptualization of a construct is accurate given a particular context, specifying whether constructs are reflective or formative, taking advantage of the existence of multiple indicators to measure multi-dimensional constructs, using particular samples and contexts as vehicles for theorizing and further theory development, seeking out particular samples or contexts where hypotheses are more or less likely to be supported empirically, using Big Data techniques to take advantage of untapped sources of information and to re-analyze currently available data, implementing quasi-experiments, and conducting necessary-condition analysis. Our article aims to advance IB theory by tackling the most typical methodological challenges and is intended for researchers, reviewers and editors, research consumers, and instructors who are training the next generation of scholars.

Services in International Business Studies: A Replication and Extension of Merchant and Gaur (2008)

International trade in services is a dominant feature of the global economy but it has not received a corresponding level of attention in international business research. In this study, we review the status of research on the internationalisation of services and service firms in the international business domain in order to derive questions for future research. We replicate and extend Merchant and Gaur’s (Management International Review 48, p. 379–396, 2008) review of research on the internationalisation of non-manufacturing firms for the following 10 years (2009–2018) for five leading international business journals. In addition to providing a qualitative content analysis of the literature, we extend the study to all research published by 2018 to identify research gaps and emerging research themes. Overall, we find that while research on service internationalisation has increased, the field remains fragmented and lacks theoretical and conceptual development applicable to the internationalisation of services. This creates opportunities for future research.

International ambidexterity in firms' innovation of multinational enterprises from emerging economies: an investigation of TMT attributes

PurposeExtant research has integrated ambidexterity perspective into international business studies and calls for emerging market multinational enterprises (EM MNEs) to implement exploration and exploitation activities simultaneously in foreign markets. However, less attention has been paid to empirically test whether and how international ambidexterity can benefit the innovation performance of EM MNEs. Based on the data of international manufacturing firms in China, this paper explores the relationship between international ambidexterity and innovation performance and investigates four contingency factors of top management team (TMT): two external resource accumulation elements (i.e. TMT business ties and TMT political ties) and two internal resource integration elements (i.e. TMT contingency rewards and TMT social integration).Design/methodology/approachThe author conducts multiple hierarchical linear regression analysis to test the hypothesis by collecting survey data from 227 MNEs from several Economic Development Zones located in Zhejiang province in China.FindingsThe results show that international ambidexterity is positively related to innovation performance, and the international ambidexterity–innovation performance relationship is amplified when TMTs build strong ties with external business partners and political departments, when EM MNEs link top managers' income to team collective performance and create a highly social integrated TMT.Originality/valueThe results contributes to answer the question that how well EM MNEs will succeed and enrich the context specificity of international ambidexterity. The findings also help us better understand the inconsistent empirical findings in organizational ambidexterity by uncovering the contingency role of several TMT attributes.

Assessing the Role of Host Country Human Rights Protection on Multinational Enterprises’ Choice of Investment Strategy

Although international business studies have examined the role of non-market factors in multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) foreign ownership, there is a limited focus on the role of host country human rights records on MNEs’ ownership decisions. Further, there is little understanding of the differences in ownership decisions between the developed country multinational enterprises (DMNEs) and emerging-market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) as influenced by the non-market context of their host countries. This study, therefore, explores the links between the host country’s human rights governance and MNEs’ ownership strategy in cross-border acquisitions. We argue that clarity in human rights governance in the host country will encourage MNEs to establish higher stakes in local targets and that this relationship will be stronger for DMNEs than for EMNEs. Our findings, which support these hypotheses, offer insights into the relationship between MNE investment strategy and human rights governance, and inform the debate on the differences between internationalization strategies of EMNEs and DMNEs.

The contributions of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to international business research

International business (IB) researchers have been slow to embrace a configurational approach in hypothesis formulation and empirical analysis. Yet, much of what IB scholars study is inherently configurational: various explanatory factors and their interplay simultaneously determine the outcome(s) studied, such as governance choice or firm-level performance. The mismatch between the nature of the empirical phenomena studied on the one hand, and hypothesis formulation and empirical methods deployed on the other, explains why many quantitative empirical studies in IB are overly reductionist, relying on hypotheses that assume linear (or simple, curvilinear), unifinal, and symmetrical effects. In this Editorial, we introduce IB scholars to contemporary configurational thinking and its analytical tool, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). We discuss this tool’s main tenets, advantages, and disadvantages. We review the limited prior IB research using this approach and present a wide range of IB phenomena where it could be usefully applied. We propose that contemporary configurational thinking and fsQCA can help scholars produce insights more closely aligned with the complex realities of international business than conventional research approaches.

Trends and changes in Thunderbird International Business Review journal: A bibliometric review

AbstractThunderbird International Business Review is amongst the most influential journals in the field of international business studies. It started in 1959 as a result of a collaboration with the Thunderbird School of Global Business Management in the United States. The key objective of the journal is to combine academic and practical issues thereby appealing to international business academics and executives. This approach has led it to be amongst the most well‐read and cited journals due to its ability to incorporate articles on current international business topics. The aim of this article is to analyze how the journal has grown and changed. A bibliometric analysis of the journal is conducted with a specific focus on the last 15‐year time period in order to understand the trends and predict future projections. The most cited articles, authors, and countries are stated. In addition, the topics covered are discussed, which shows the journal shifting from a broad reliance on international business topics such as foreign direct investment, export performance, and multinationals to diversifying into more inter‐disciplinary topic areas such as entrepreneurship and innovation. The role of the journal impacting the topics covered in other journals is also discussed. Future research trends are provided that discuss potential new growth areas that need to be covered in terms of further progressing the field of international business studies.

Working in culturally diverse teams

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how working in culturally diverse teams influences team-level cultural intelligence (CQ) development and how team-level CQ influences performance. The use of culturally diverse work teams continues to grow within organizations, however, their relationships with team-level CQ are not well understood. CQ is a set of knowledge, skills and abilities that assist in adapting to new and unfamiliar cultural environments and when interacting in culturally diverse situations. At the individual-level, CQ has been demonstrated to positively impact multicultural teams but team-level CQ has rarely been examined to understand how it is developed and whether it impacts team performance.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a quantitative methodology and a longitudinal research design to test two sets of hypotheses. Set 1 of the hypothesis tested the development of team-level CQ after working in culturally diverse teams, and Set 2 tested the influence of team-level CQ on team performance.FindingsData from 23 teams (86 individual participants) support the hypothesis that working in culturally diverse teams develops team-level CQ. In addition, partial support for the hypotheses that team CQ will positively influence academic performance is demonstrated.Research limitations/implicationsThe research contributes to the CQ literature by lifting the level of analysis from the individual to a team-level to consider team-level effects. The authors conclude that working in culturally diverse teams develops team-level CQ overtime. Once team-level CQ has been developed, the authors demonstrated a positive relationship between the motivational facet and team academic performance. Thus, when considering the influence of team-level CQ on performance, it is important to consider the relationship with each of the CQ facets. Few studies have considered how team-level CQ impacts team performance outcomes, and based on the results the authors would suggest additional research that continues to unpack the CQ construct into its constituent parts.Practical implicationsThe results have important practical implications with respect to the development of team-level CQ. Based on the results, the authors support the use of highly culturally diverse teams in business schools for the development of skills because they provide the opportunity for team members to learn from each other. The use of CQ, CQ development and performance relationships provides important insights into how individuals, particularly students, can learn from each other when working in culturally diverse teams about other cultures and then bring this knowledge with them when working in academic teams.Social implicationsAs an important practical social implication, an opportunity to work in cross-cultural teams during international business studies could be considered as an “equalizer” for students who cannot afford to study abroad given the time consuming and costs aspects. So, cross-cultural teamwork could be considered in a wider extent by different business schools worldwide. Additionally, cross-cultural teamwork exposes students to intense interactions with different races and cultures during their study period and makes graduates significantly more work-ready.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the CQ literature by lifting the level of analysis to consider team-level effects and has important implications for the development and outcomes of team-level CQ.