Trevino and Doh's discourse-based view: Do we need a new theory of internationalization?

This counterpoint examines the relevance of Trevino and Doh's proposed new discourse-based view of internationalization for the field of International Business (IB). Trevino and Doh introduce their framework to address gaps in Internationalization Process Theory (IPT), which does not account for the underlying processes that lead to the initial managerial decision to internationalize. Framing our counterpoint around recent debates on how interdisciplinary research fields determine which new ideas to adopt, we explore whether the introduction of the discourse-based view adds sufficient novelty to justify the risk of fragmentation within IB. To stimulate debate around this question, we explore a number of issues, such as (1) whether the constructs found in the discourse-based view are distinct from pre-existing IB concepts, (2) the relative value of isolating the initial decision to internationalize within the broader internationalization process, and (3) the degree to which Trevino and Doh have isolated discourse as a primary mechanism driving the decision to internationalize. We conclude with a call for more dialog around the questions of how IB can embrace greater openness while still maintaining coherence and advancing collective knowledge.