Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

7-2020

Abstract

Insights from social network research have generated significant advancements in disciplines such as sociology, economics, and psychology. In comparison, the incorporation of social network ideas into international business (IB) research remains more limited. The purpose of this special issue is to foster further research on social networks in IB. In our introductory essay, we provide a brief overview of network research in the IB domain to give a sense of some of the major ongoing themes and to illustrate how the social network approach can provide fresh insights and add substantive value to the field. To emphasize the considerable potential of using social network theories and ideas to advance research and understanding in IB, we also indicate some future directions. We follow these with a summary of the five articles in the special issue.

Keywords

social networks, network theory, network analysis, multinational firms, interorganizational ties, subsidiary-HQ relationships, inter-personal ties, inter-location ties, literature review

Discipline

International Business | Strategic Management Policy

Research Areas

Strategy and Organisation

Publication

Journal of International Business Studies

Volume

51

First Page

714

Last Page

736

ISSN

0047-2506

Identifier

10.1057/s41267-020-00319-9

Publisher

Palgrave Macmillan (part of Springer Nature): Hybrid journals [society-owned]

Copyright Owner and License

Publisher

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00319-9

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