Advancing New Theory Development in the Field of International Management

Abstract

0This paper seeks to re-engage international management (IM) scholars in conducting research that aims to develop breakthrough knowledge for major advancement. 0 a "phenomenon-motivated, existing-theory informed, and interdisciplinary-based" investigative approach is proposed based on an analysis of the new theory development process with illustrations from the influential works of a select group of pioneering researchers in IM and related fields. 0 Five emerging IM phenomena resulting from recent changes in the global business environment are recommended for study using the proposed investigative approach to create new theories that have both scholarly and practical significance.

Overcoming institutional voids via arbitration

“…We address these questions by integrating theory from law, a discipline that is not often leveraged in international business (IB) (Cheng, Guo, & Skousen, 2011;Lan & Heracleous, 2010). In the context of market entries via IJVs, the laws underlying the contract and its enforcement are critical (Beamish & Lupton, 2016;Lumineau & Malhotra, 2011;Zhou & Poppo, 2010).…”

The Role of Online Discussion Forums in Newcomers' Labour Market Integration in Canada

“…Scholars argue that to provide new insights about the phenomenon and to advance research, studies need to use new data sets and methods (Cheng et al, 2011;Shenkar, 2004). Thus, this study examines contextually rich online forum data to increase our understanding of the role of online forums in newcomers' labour market integration and to advance international business research, in particular research concerning global mobility and international careers.…”

“…Phenomenon-based research is about discovery of new relationships, patterns and facts that help us better understand the phenomenon, and these discoveries may in turn lead to new avenues for future theory development (Cheng et al, 2011;Doh, 2015aDoh, , 2017Miller, 2007;Von Krogh et al, 2012). In phenomenon-based research, the initial primary focus needs to be on the questions about the phenomenon and researchers should not focus too much on theory and theoretical contributions initially as this may prevent discovery of new and rich details about the phenomenon (Hambrick, 2007;Helfat, 2007;Von Krogh et al, 2012).…”

“…Several international business scholars have called for more phenomenon-based research in International Business to examine new phenomena that are relevant to organizations and management (e.g., Cheng et al, 2011;Doh, 2015aDoh, , 2015bDoh, , 2017Hambrick, 2007;Helfat, 2007;Von Krogh et al, 2012;Wrona and Gunnesch, 2016). International business and management scholars argue that the international management research is running out of new interesting ideas and that the research increasingly examines topics and uses data sets, concepts, and methods borrowed from other business fields, such as strategy (Buckley, 2002;Shenkar, 2004).…”

“…In addition, these studies typically focus on testing and expanding on existing theories, rather than developing new theories (Cheng, 2007). Scholars argue that there is a need for more phenomenon-based research to discover and investigate new big ideas as the field of international management is increasingly losing its uniqueness in knowledge development (Buckley, 2002;Cheng et al, 2011). There is also an increasing need for more research examining new phenomena that have implications not only for theory, but also for practice (Doh, 2015a(Doh, , 2015b(Doh, , 2017Von Krogh et al, 2012).…”