Bringing context back into international business studies: own research experiences, reflections and suggestions for future research

Abstract This paper argues for the inclusion of (cultural and institutional) context into International Business studies. It is based on own research experiences, findings, reflections and conclusions. Particular emphasis is put, among others, on (1) universalities, particularities and singularities in cross-national management research; (2) the superior explanatory power of detailed description of cultural differences compared to the mere provision of cultural distance scores; (3) the relevance of language differences as a topic for International Business studies; and (4) the importance of qualitative research for in-depth, contextualized International Business studies. This paper also calls for more phenomena driven, emic and interdisciplinary International Business research that focuses on real business problems as well as their societal implications.