IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intman/v20y2014i1p1-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Concept of Distance in International Management Research

Author

Listed:
  • Ambos, Björn
  • Håkanson, Lars

Abstract

The effect of distance on firms' performance when entering, operating in and across foreign markets is a central issue in international management. However, our understanding of the impact of distance has long been constrained by flawed conceptualizations and unreliable measures. The papers in this issue break new ground both by advancing our theoretical understanding and by introducing new and potentially more useful measures. In this introduction, we provide a brief overview of the evolution of the distance concept before introducing the individual papers. We end by offering observations for future research based on the issues they raise.

Suggested Citation

  • Ambos, Björn & Håkanson, Lars, 2014. "The Concept of Distance in International Management Research," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 1-7.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:20:y:2014:i:1:p:1-7
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intman.2013.10.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075425313000896
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intman.2013.10.003?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. Srilata Zaheer & Margaret Spring Schomaker & Lilach Nachum, 2012. "Distance without direction: Restoring credibility to a much-loved construct," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(1), pages 18-27, January.
    2. Oded Shenkar, 2001. "Cultural Distance Revisited: Towards a More Rigorous Conceptualization and Measurement of Cultural Differences," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(3), pages 519-535, September.
    3. Ricardo, David, 1821. "On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, edition 3, number ricardo1821.
    4. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    5. Bruce Kogut & Harbir Singh, 1988. "The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of Entry Mode," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(3), pages 411-432, September.
    6. Håkanson, Lars & Ambos, Björn, 2010. "The antecedents of psychic distance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 195-210, September.
    7. Laszlo Tihanyi & David A Griffith & Craig J Russell, 2005. "The effect of cultural distance on entry mode choice, international diversification, and MNE performance: a meta-analysis," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 36(3), pages 270-283, May.
    8. Mary M. Maloney & Mary E. Zellmer-Bruhn, 2006. "Building bridges, windows and cultures: Mediating mechanisms between team heterogeneity and performance in global teams," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 697-720, December.
    9. Douglas Dow & Amal Karunaratna, 2006. "Developing a multidimensional instrument to measure psychic distance stimuli," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(5), pages 578-602, September.
    10. Heather Berry & Mauro F Guillén & Nan Zhou, 2010. "An institutional approach to cross-national distance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(9), pages 1460-1480, December.
    11. Oded Shenkar, 2012. "Beyond cultural distance: Switching to a friction lens in the study of cultural differences," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(1), pages 12-17, January.
    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. Drogendijk, Rian & Martín Martín, Oscar, 2015. "Relevant dimensions and contextual weights of distance in international business decisions: Evidence from Spanish and Chinese outward FDI," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 133-147.
    2. Nebus, James & Celo, Sokol, 2020. "Cognitive biases in the perceptions of country distance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(3).
    3. Nebus, James & Chai, Kah Hin, 2014. "Putting the “psychic” Back in Psychic Distance: Awareness, Perceptions, and Understanding as Dimensions of Psychic Distance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 8-24.
    4. Xanthippe Adamoglou & Dimitris Kyrkilis, 2020. "MNEs Entry Strategies through a Distance Framework: A New Perspective," SPOUDAI Journal of Economics and Business, SPOUDAI Journal of Economics and Business, University of Piraeus, vol. 70(3-4), pages 83-105, July-Dece.
    5. Srivastava, Saurabh & Singh, Shiwangi & Dhir, Sanjay, 2020. "Culture and International business research: A review and research agenda," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(4).
    6. Weber, Clarissa E. & Chahabadi, Dominik & Maurer, Indre, 2020. "Antecedents and performance effect of managerial misperception of institutional differences," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(1).
    7. García-Muiña, Fernando E. & Romero-Martínez, Ana M. & Kabbara, Diala, 2020. "Does religion influence location choice in the hotel industry?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(2).
    8. Magnani, Giovanna & Zucchella, Antonella & Floriani, Dinorá Eliete, 2018. "The logic behind foreign market selection: Objective distance dimensions vs. strategic objectives and psychic distance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 1-20.
    9. Håkanson, Lars & Ambos, Björn & Schuster, Anja & Leicht-Deobald, Ulrich, 2016. "The psychology of psychic distance: Antecedents of asymmetric perceptions," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 308-318.
    10. Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & Björn Ambos & Phillip C Nell, 2018. "Conceptualizing and measuring distance in international business research: Recurring questions and best practice guidelines," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(9), pages 1113-1137, December.
    11. Lindner, Thomas & Puck, Jonas, 2024. "Information distance: Conceptual development and empirical tests of a novel measure of cross-national distance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(2).
    12. Conti, Claudio Ramos & Parente, Ronaldo & de Vasconcelos, Flávio C., 2016. "When distance does not matter: Implications for Latin American multinationals," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 1980-1992.
    13. Giovanna Magnani & Antonella Zucchella & Dinorà Eliete Floriani, 2015. "Relativity and asymmetry in distance. The role of strategic distance in the internationalization decisions of Brazilian and Italian firms," DEM Working Papers Series 111, University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Management.
    14. Deligonul, Seyda Z., 2020. "Multinational country risk: Exposure to asset holding risk and operating risk in international business," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(2).
    15. Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & Tatiana Kostova & Kendall Roth, 2017. "An overview of Hofstede-inspired country-level culture research in international business since 2006," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(1), pages 30-47, January.
    16. Ana M. Romero-Martínez & Fernando E. García-Muiña & Agnieszka Chidlow & Jorma Larimo, 2019. "Formal and Informal Institutional Differences Between Home and Host Country and Location Choice: Evidence from the Spanish Hotel Industry," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 41-65, February.
    17. Chikhouni, Abdulrahman & Edwards, Gwyneth & Farashahi, Mehdi, 2017. "Psychic distance and ownership in acquisitions: Direction matters," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 32-42.
    18. Hutzschenreuter, Thomas & Kleindienst, Ingo & Lange, Sandra, 2014. "Added Psychic Distance Stimuli and MNE Performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 38-54.
    19. Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & Tatiana Kostova & Vincent E. Kunst & Ettore Spadafora & Marc van Essen, 2018. "Cultural Distance and Firm Internationalization," Post-Print hal-02312065, HAL.
    20. Fabrice Lumineau & Marvin Hanisch & Olivier Wurtz, 2021. "International Management as Management of Diversity: Reconceptualizing Distance as Diversity," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(6), pages 1644-1668, September.

    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:eee:intman:v:20:y:2014:i:1:p:1-7. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/601266/description#description .

    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.