Qualitative Methodologies in International Business

Qualitative methodologies occupy a central role in understanding complex phenomena in international business, offering rich, context-sensitive insights into cross-border management, cultural dynamics and strategic decision-making. By privileging depth over breadth, these approaches enable researchers to explore how local norms, institutional frameworks and social practices shape international market entry, alliance formation and organisational adaptation. Common designs include case studies, which investigate contemporary events within real-world settings; grounded theory, which generates theory inductively from systematic data analysis; and ethnographic fieldwork, which immerses the researcher in host-country cultures to observe practices and meanings directly. Flexible pattern matching and narrative analysis further facilitate the comparison of empirical observations with theoretical propositions, while reflexive practices ensure that researcher assumptions and positionality are made transparent. Sampling strategies such as purposive or theoretical sampling guide the selection of informants and cases to achieve conceptual saturation, maximising the explanatory power of qualitative inquiry. Across these methods, triangulation of data sources—interviews, documents, visual materials and participant observation—enhances credibility and practical relevance. In an era of globalised value chains and digital connectivity, qualitative research continues to illuminate the lived experiences of managers and stakeholders, informing policy, guiding multinational strategies and fostering more inclusive and sustainable forms of international collaboration.

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Qualitative Methodologies in International Business publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in qualitative methodologies in international business across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Case study approach: An in-depth examination of a single or small number of entities (such as firms or projects) to explore complex phenomena within their real-life context.

Grounded theory: An inductive methodology in which theory emerges from systematic coding and constant comparison of qualitative data.

Reflexivity: The process by which researchers critically examine their own assumptions, positionality and potential biases throughout the research process.

Contextualisation: The practice of situating research findings within the specific cultural, institutional and organisational settings in which data are collected.

Conceptual saturation: The point in data collection when further sampling yields no new thematic insights, indicating adequate coverage of the research phenomenon.

References

1. Purposeful sampling and saturation in qualitative research methodologies: recommendations and review. Review of Managerial Science (2025).
2. Qualitative research: extending the range with flexible pattern matching. Review of Managerial Science (2021).
3. Grounded Theory: A Guide for Exploratory Studies in Management Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods (2021).
4. Case study research: opening up research opportunities. RAUSP Management Journal (2019).
5. Putting qualitative international business research in context(s). Journal of International Business Studies (2021).
6. Something borrowed, something new: Challenges in using qualitative methods to study under-researched international business phenomena. Journal of International Business Studies (2022).
7. ‘Thinking About How We Think’: Using Bourdieu’s Epistemic Reflexivity to Reduce Bias in International Business Research. Management International Review (2023).