Methodological challenges and insights for future international business research

Given the diverse, interdisciplinary, and multilevel nature of international business (IB) research, it is critical to address methodological challenges prior to data collection. Thus, we suggest that an ounce of methodological prevention is worth a pound of cure. We describe the following challenges: (1) researching an important and relevant issue; (2) making meaningful theoretical progress; (3) recognizing, anticipating, and resolving dilemmas in research design and execution decisions; (4) integrating quantitative and qualitative research by using mixed methods; and (5) reducing the “distal proxy fallacy” through measurement error management. We then offer specific and actionable recommendations and implementation guidelines for authors, journal editors, and reviewers for addressing each of these methodological challenges with the overall goal of advancing IB theory.