Daniella Fjellström

A critical exploration of ‘access’ in qualitative International Business field research: towards a concept of socio-cultural and multidimensional research practice

Purpose – Researchers often face challenges in locating and obtaining relevant and meaningful information during qualitative international business (IB) field research in other countries. This process constitutes an immensely critical phase, which determines the success or failure of the research endeavour. The purpose of this paper is to discuss “access” as a multidimensional and contestable concept that poses particular challenges in international and multicultural research contexts. Design/methodology/approach – This paper builds on the experience as field researchers in China/Hong Kong (120 in-depth interviews) and the need to disseminate acquired field experiences, in particular concerning “access”. The multifaceted issue of “access” is rarely featured on the IB methodological agenda, and has become a silent feature of qualitative IB research. Findings – This paper is devoted to this nexus: the lack of focus on “access” issues, and the rich sources of acquired, but mostly veiled, field experiences th...

Knowledge Transfer in Reshoring

Knowledge is a key resource in any organization, and during a reshoring process, transferring knowledge to the home market is crucial. This study offers an in-depth comprehension of the factors influencing the knowledge transfer process in companies conducting in-house reshoring. We applied a qualitative multiple case study approach of Swedish organizations that fulfilled the criteria for in-house reshoring. Similar to other knowledge transfer processes, knowledge transfer during in-house reshoring is influenced by cultural, linguistic, and physical distances. Furthermore, reshoring motivation has an impact on the actors’ knowledge transfer motivation. This investigation clarifies knowledge transfer in the context of reshoring, and exposes the challenges of knowledge transfer during reshoring. The study signifies the importance of understanding reshoring motivation for the success of reshoring. It moreover contributes to the research on knowledge transfer by providing evidence of the influence of the role of knowledge on the choice of knowledge transfer methods. In addition, the study extends the research on the reverse direction of knowledge transfer, in terms of in-house reshoring scenarios.

International business negotiations in Brazil

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to explore an innovative strategy for studying the Brazilian negotiators unique and paradoxical characteristics from a cultural point of view to acquire a b ...