Title: The future of international business research and the relevance gap: a German perspective

Authors: Michael-Jorg Oesterle, Sven Laudien

Addresses: Chair in International Management, University of Bremen, School of Business Administration and Economics, Hochschulring 4, D-28359 Bremen, Germany. ' Research Assistant at the Chair in International Management, University of Bremen, Germany

Abstract: This paper provides a review of the ongoing discussion on what might, or should be, the next important research fields in international business. Based on a critical analysis of this debate, we focus on one of the major disciplinary problems of business administration and especially of international business: the practical relevance of research. To support our findings, we present an overview of studies dealing with the rigour-relevance problem within international business. In general, all results indicate a relevance gap in international business research. Consequently, we try to show ways to strengthen practical relevance in international business research.

Keywords: international business journals; international business research; practical relevance; rigour-relevance problems; international management; Germany; business administration.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2007.012916

European Journal of International Management, 2007 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.39 - 55

Published online: 24 Mar 2007 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article