Emerging Directions for International Marketing Research

Where has the international marketing (IM) literature been? What is currently happening in IM research? Where might IM academics focus their research in the future? These three questions are addressed by analyzing the network structure of IM research in a variety of marketing journals. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) is used to examine the intellectual nature of the IM literature. Typically, researchers build on theoretical concepts to advance theory. Supporting the notion of research as a network of complementary and competing ideas, this study uses the published academic document (e.g., article, chapter, or monograph) as the unit of analysis. In specific, we identify how IM’s influential works and dominant research topics are interrelated with MDS-based visual depictions, comparisons, and evaluations. This is done to understand the relationships between prevailing theories more clearly. As such, our results are discussed and used to provide suggestions for future IM theory advancement and knowledge development.