International business research presents unique methodological challenges that stem from the differences in cultural, linguistic, and contextual factors among target markets. Key issues are the definition and understanding of national culture and cultural differences, including the measurement of cultural differences. Quantitative research in IB often relies on the operationalization of cultural and institutional differences, yet these are not without challenges such as cross-cultural equivalence, cultural response biases, translation issues, data and sampling challenges and interpretative differences in meaning. This course presupposes that students have a foundational understanding of regression analysis and multivariate statistics, upon which the module builds. In particular, we explore significant challenges in general research methodology and those specific to International business.

Professor Rebecca Piekkari

Rebecca Piekkari is Marcus Wallenberg Chaired Professor of International Business at Aalto University School of Business in Finland. She has published extensively on the use of qualitative research methods, particularly the case study, in the field of International Business. Together with Catherine Welch, she has edited two volumes on qualitative research published by Edward Elgar: Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods for International Business (2004) and Rethinking the Case Study in International Business and Management Research (2011) that are used in doctoral education internationally. In 2021, she received, together with Catherine Welch, Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki and Eriikka Paavilainen-Mäntymäki, the Journal of International Business Decade Award for the article ‘Theorising from case studies: Towards a pluralist future for international business research’. She is Fellow of the Academy of International Business and the European International Business Academy.

Professor Sjoerd Beugelsdijk

Sjoerd Beugelsdijk (PhD Tilburg University, 2003) holds the J. Willis Cantey Chair and is professor in international business and economics at the Darla Moore School of Business of the University of South Carolina. He has published more than 50 refereed articles in journals such as the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Organization Science, Organization Studies, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, and Regional Studies and Journal of Economic Geography, 5 books (with MIT Press and Cambridge University Press) and made many contributions to edited books.  Sjoerd Beugelsdijk has held visiting positions at several universities including University of South Carolina, Copenhagen Business School, Bocconi University, and KU-Leuven. He has served as a head of department, academic director of the undergraduate international business program in Groningen, and director of research. Dr. Beugelsdijk received over 1 million euros in competitive research grants of the Netherlands and Flemish Organisation for Scientific Research. He has supervised 10 PhD projects and is the deputy editor for the Journal of International Business Studies. He was elected Fellow of the Academy of International Business (AIB) in 2020, was awarded the silver medal in 2019 by the AIB for his contribution to the field of international business, and received recognition as excellent teacher in three different universities.