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

Abstract

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.

Keywords:

• International business
• context
• research experiences
• future research

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Markus Pudelko

Professor Markus Pudelko is Director of the Department of International Business at Tübingen University School of Business and Economics. He earned Master degrees in Business Studies (University of Cologne), Economics (Sorbonne University) and International Management (Community of European Management Schools - CEMS) and a PhD (University of Cologne). Before joining Tübingen University, he worked for eight years for the University of Edinburgh Business School. His current research is on headquarters-subsidiary relationships, multinational teams, the impact of language on international business, trust, international HRM, Chinese and Japanese management and cross-cultural management. He has published on these topics in books, book chapters and journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Human Resource Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, Leadership Quarterly and Long Range Planning. He received several research awards, among others by the Academy of Management and the Academy of International Business.