IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/jintbs/v47y2016i8d10.1057_s41267-016-0005-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

From the Editors: Can I trust your findings? Ruling out alternative explanations in international business research

Author

Listed:
  • Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra

    (Northeastern University)

  • Ulf Andersson

    (Mälardalen University
    BI Norwegian Business School)

  • Mary Yoko Brannen

    (University of Victoria)

  • Bo Bernhard Nielsen

    (University of Sydney
    Copenhagen Business School)

  • A. Rebecca Reuber

    (University of Toronto)

Abstract

The complex nature of international business research, with its cross-country and multilevel nature, complicates the empirical identification of relationships among theoretical constructs. The objective of this editorial is to provide guidance to help international business scholars navigate this complexity and ensure that readers can trust their findings. We provide suggestions for how to rule out alternative explanations, explaining key considerations not only in empirical analyses, but also in theory building and in research design. Our discussion covers both qualitative and quantitative studies, because we believe that it is imperative to understand how trustworthiness is established in both traditions, even for international business researchers who self-identify with only one. This enables scholars to have a broader scope of knowledge when interpreting past research in the field and to be more adept at explaining their design choices to a diverse audience.

Suggested Citation

  • Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Ulf Andersson & Mary Yoko Brannen & Bo Bernhard Nielsen & A. Rebecca Reuber, 2016. "From the Editors: Can I trust your findings? Ruling out alternative explanations in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(8), pages 881-897, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:jintbs:v:47:y:2016:i:8:d:10.1057_s41267-016-0005-4
    DOI: 10.1057/s41267-016-0005-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41267-016-0005-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41267-016-0005-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Estrin, Saul & Meyer, Klaus E. & Nielsen, Bo B. & Nielsen, Sabina, 2016. "Home country institutions and the internationalization of state owned enterprises: A cross-country analysis," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 294-307.
    2. Daniel C Bello & Tatiana Kostova, 2012. "From the Editors: Conducting high impact international business research: The role of theory," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(6), pages 537-543, August.
    3. Mark F Peterson & Jean-Luc Arregle & Xavier Martin, 2012. "Multilevel models in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(5), pages 451-457, June.
    4. John Cantwell & Mary Yoko Brannen, 2011. "Positioning JIBS as an interdisciplinary journal," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(1), pages 1-9, January.
    5. Yves Doz, 2011. "Qualitative research for international business," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(5), pages 582-590, June.
    6. Usha C V Haley & David M Boje, 2014. "Storytelling the internationalization of the multinational enterprise," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(9), pages 1115-1132, December.
    7. Catherine Welch & Rebecca Piekkari & Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki & Eriikka Paavilainen-Mantymaki, 2011. "Theorising from case studies: Towards a pluralist future for international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(5), pages 740-762, June.
    8. Joseph L C Cheng & Witold J Henisz & Kendall Roth & Anand Swaminathan, 2009. "From the Editors: Advancing interdisciplinary research in the field of international business: Prospects, issues and challenges," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(7), pages 1070-1074, September.
    9. David Reeb & Mariko Sakakibara & Ishtiaq P Mahmood, 2012. "From the Editors: Endogeneity in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(3), pages 211-218, April.
    10. John H Dunning, 1998. "Location and the Multinational Enterprise: A Neglected Factor?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 29(1), pages 45-66, March.
    11. Joseph L C Cheng & Julian Birkinshaw & Donald R Lessard & David C Thomas, 2014. "Advancing interdisciplinary research: Insights from the JIBS special issue," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(6), pages 643-648, August.
    12. D Eleanor Westney & John Van Maanen, 2011. "The casual ethnography of the executive suite," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(5), pages 602-607, June.
    13. Mary Yoko Brannen & Mark F Peterson, 2009. "Merging without alienating: interventions promoting cross-cultural organizational integration and their limitations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(3), pages 468-489, April.
    14. Abhijit V. Banerjee & Esther Duflo, 2009. "The Experimental Approach to Development Economics," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 1(1), pages 151-178, May.
    15. John Cantwell & Anke Piepenbrink & Pallavi Shukla, 2014. "Assessing the impact of JIBS as an interdisciplinary journal: A network approach," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(7), pages 787-799, September.
    16. Dan V Caprar, 2011. "Foreign locals: A cautionary tale on the culture of MNC local employees," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(5), pages 608-628, June.
    17. Anna Jonsson & Nicolai J Foss, 2011. "International expansion through flexible replication: Learning from the internationalization experience of IKEA," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(9), pages 1079-1102, December.
    18. Robert A Burgelman, 2011. "Bridging history and reductionism: A key role for longitudinal qualitative research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(5), pages 591-601, June.
    19. Sea-Jin Chang & Arjen van Witteloostuijn & Lorraine Eden, 2010. "From the Editors: Common method variance in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(2), pages 178-184, February.
    20. Jose M Cortina & Tine Köhler & Bo Bernhard Nielsen, 2015. "Restriction of variance interaction effects and their importance for international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(8), pages 879-885, October.
    21. Mehdi Boussebaa & Shuchi Sinha & Yiannis Gabriel, 2014. "Englishization in offshore call centers: A postcolonial perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(9), pages 1152-1169, December.
    22. Burgelman, Robert A., 2011. "Bridging History and Reductionism: A Key Role for Longitudinal Qualitative Research," Research Papers 2045r, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    23. Mary Zellmer-Bruhn & Paula Caligiuri & David C Thomas, 2016. "From the Editors: Experimental designs in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(4), pages 399-407, May.
    24. Agnieszka Chidlow & Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki & Catherine Welch, 2014. "Translation in cross-language international business research: Beyond equivalence," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(5), pages 562-582, June.
    25. Ulf Andersson & Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Bo Bernhard Nielsen, 2014. "From the Editors: Explaining interaction effects within and across levels of analysis," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(9), pages 1063-1071, December.
    26. Peter Lamb & Jörgen Sandberg & Peter W Liesch, 2011. "Small firm internationalisation unveiled through phenomenography," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(5), pages 672-693, June.
    27. David M Gligor & Carol L Esmark & Ismail Gölgeci, 2016. "Building international business theory: A grounded theory approach," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(1), pages 93-111, January.
    28. Carlisle E. Moody & Thomas B. Marvell, 2010. "On the Choice of Control Variables in the Crime Equation," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 72(5), pages 696-715, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ilgaz Arikan & Oded Shenkar, 2022. "Neglected elements: What we should cover more of in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(7), pages 1484-1507, September.
    2. Herman Aguinis & Kelly P. Gabriel, 2022. "International business studies: Are we really so uniquely complex?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(9), pages 2023-2036, December.
    3. Hoorani, Bareerah Hafeez & Plakoyiannaki, Emmanuella & Gibbert, Michael, 2023. "Understanding time in qualitative international business research: Towards four styles of temporal theorizing," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(1).
    4. Fortwengel, Johann & Gutierrez Huerter O, Gabriela & Kostova, Tatiana, 2023. "Three decades of research on practice transfer in multinational firms: Past contributions and future opportunities," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(3).
    5. Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric & Olarreaga, Marcelo & Carrère, Céline & Fugazza, Marco, 2016. "On the heterogeneous effect of trade on unemployment," CEPR Discussion Papers 11540, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Chabowski, Brian R. & Samiee, Saeed & Hult, G. Tomas M., 2017. "Cross-national research and international business: An interdisciplinary path," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 89-101.
    7. Reddy, Kotapati Srinivasa, 2015. "The State of Case Study Research in Mergers & Acquisitions: A Review of the Literature in Different Management Streams," MPRA Paper 63939, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2015.
    8. Birgitte Grøgaard & Michael A. Sartor & Linda Rademaker, 2022. "What merits greater scholarly attention in international business?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(7), pages 1508-1518, September.
    9. Klaus E Meyer & Arjen Witteloostuijn & Sjoerd Beugelsdijk, 2017. "What’s in a p? Reassessing best practices for conducting and reporting hypothesis-testing research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(5), pages 535-551, July.
    10. Reddy, Kotapati Srinivasa, 2016. "Institutional Voids and Tax litigation in Emerging Economies: The verdict of Vodafone cross-border acquisition of Hutchison," MPRA Paper 74264, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2016.
    11. Nielsen, Bo Bernhard & Raswant, Arpit, 2018. "The selection, use, and reporting of control variables in international business research: A review and recommendations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(6), pages 958-968.
    12. Cheung, Zeerim & Aalto, Eero & Nevalainen, Pasi, 2020. "Institutional Logics and the Internationalization of a State-Owned Enterprise: Evaluation of International Venture Opportunities by Telecom Finland 1987–1998," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(6).
    13. Catherine Welch & Eriikka Paavilainen-Mäntymäki & Rebecca Piekkari & Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki, 2022. "Reconciling theory and context: How the case study can set a new agenda for international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(1), pages 4-26, February.
    14. Jiatao Li & Haoyuan Ding & Yichuan Hu & Guoguang Wan, 2021. "Dealing with dynamic endogeneity in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(3), pages 339-362, April.
    15. Jacqueline Mees-Buss & Catherine Welch & D. Eleanor Westney, 2019. "What happened to the transnational? The emergence of the neo-global corporation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(9), pages 1513-1543, December.
    16. Nielsen, Bo Bernhard & Asmussen, Christian Geisler & Weatherall, Cecilie Dohlmann, 2017. "The location choice of foreign direct investments: Empirical evidence and methodological challenges," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 62-82.
    17. Martin, Xavier, 2013. "Solving theoretical and empirical conundrums in international strategy research by matching foreign entry mode choices and performance," Other publications TiSEM 7645ea46-0b9a-4fc0-ae33-a, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    18. Venkateswaran, Ramya Tarakad & George, Rejie, 2020. "When does culture matter? A multilevel study on the role of situational moderators," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 99-122.
    19. Dahms, Sven, 2019. "Foreign-owned subsidiary knowledge sourcing: The role of location and expatriates," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 178-188.
    20. Kotabe, Masaaki & Kothari, Tanvi, 2016. "Emerging market multinational companies’ evolutionary paths to building a competitive advantage from emerging markets to developed countries," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(5), pages 729-743.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:jintbs:v:47:y:2016:i:8:d:10.1057_s41267-016-0005-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.