International business and sustainability: Towards an interdisciplinary research agenda

Author

• Jonathan Doh
• Ans Kolk
• Heli Wang

Publication Type

Transcript

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

5-2026

Abstract

The relationship between international business (IB) and sustainability is a complex and multifaceted one. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) both affect and are affected by the social, economic, and ecological (green environment) context in which they are embedded.1 As such, the study of how IB activity influences sustainability and the way that sustainability, in turn, impacts IB, involves incorporating a wide range of drivers, actors, processes, and outcomes. At the same time, sustainability challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, resource scarcity, economic and social inequality and others, are increasingly systemic, multilevel, and intertwined with geo economic, biophysical and governance dynamics that extend beyond traditional IB boundaries. This growing complexity creates a widening gap between the approaches IB scholars adopt, the issues they address, and the contributions they aspire to make.

Keywords

International business, sustainability, MNEs, business enterprises

Discipline

Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics | International Business | Strategic Management Policy

Publication

Journal of International Business Studies

First Page

1

Last Page

12

ISSN

0047-2506

Identifier

10.1057/s41267-026-00867-6

Publisher

Palgrave Macmillan

Citation

Doh, Jonathan; Kolk, Ans; and Wang, Heli. International business and sustainability: Towards an interdisciplinary research agenda. (2026). Journal of International Business Studies. 1-12.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7903

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-026-00867-6