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Do we really need more entry mode studies?

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Abstract

This commentary's title is not meant to be a rhetorical question. In congratulating Brouthers (2002) for the JIBS Decade Award, we have an opportunity to assess where we are within this field of inquiry, and what is our trajectory. I believe that we have accomplished a lot in this area of study. Nevertheless, I am concerned about its current trajectory, so much so that I think we should seriously question whether we need more entry mode studies – especially if we are going to get more of the same.

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Notes

  1. At times, the adding of explanations is motivated by suggesting that if we leave out determinants in our empirical examinations, then inference about our existing explanations might be biased. Of course, that will be the case only if a new explanation correlates empirically with an existing explanation. In other words, explanations that we do not consider empirically bias our estimates only if they correlate with the ones that we do consider.

  2. Some question whether this is actually what firms do (e.g., Hennart, 2009).

  3. By predicting that firms adopt more involved entry modes with experience, internationalization theory predicts interdependence of entry modes.

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Acknowledgements

I appreciate helpful comments from an anonymous reviewer, Keith Brouthers, Xavier Martin, Miguel Ramos, and Rob Salomon. All opinions, errors, and omissions are mine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA

    J Myles Shaver

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  1. J Myles Shaver
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Accepted by John Cantwell, Editor-in-Chief, 17 July 2012. This paper was single-blind reviewed.

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Shaver, J. Do we really need more entry mode studies?. J Int Bus Stud 44, 23–27 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2012.24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2012.24

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