AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings - Academy of International ...

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An Emic-Etic Research Approach for Under-Researched Countries: Lessons from the LEAD Project for the
International Business Research Community
Betty Jane Punnett, University of the West Indies
Terri Lituchy, Concordia University
This paper discusses the importance of understanding management issues in under-researched areas of the
world, and the use of both emic and etic research to examine these issues. The paper uses a research project
focusing on Africa and the African Diaspora, to illustrate the emic-etic combination. The project began with
emic, culture specific, research the Lead project (Lituchy et al., 2011) and used this to develop an etic
approach, a large scale survey, to be administered in a variety of African countries, as well as among the
African Diaspora. Kamoche (2011) said "Africa remains relatively under-researched in the fields of
management…international business" (p.1) and "the scope for further research into the management of people
in Africa is enormous" (p.4). This supports earlier calls for research on management in Africa (Journal of
Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 2009). Bolden and Kirks (2009) suggested that there is a need
for grounded conceptualizations of leadership drawn from research within Africa, using a variety of
methodological approaches. The paper builds on these ideas and explains why it is critical to understand
management outside of Western, developed countries, and why the emic-etic combination design provides
insights that cannot be identified with only one approach. (For more information, please contact: Betty Jane
Punnett, University of the West Indies, Barbados: eureka@caribsurf.com)
Qualitative Insights into Concept Formation: The Case of the 'Born Global'
Lisa Hewerdine, University of Sydney
Catherine Welch, The University of Sydney
This paper highlights the potential for qualitative research to contribute to what is one of the fundamental
activities of any field: the development, interrogation and reformulation of concepts. We draw on the born
global literature as an illustrative example or case of concept formation but as the purpose of our paper is
primarily methodological, our emphasis is placed on the central topic of concept formation, rather than a review
of the BG literature per se. We present three vignettes and our empirical study showed us that qualitative case
research can be extremely useful in demonstrating complexities associated with concepts that can otherwise be
overlooked. To provide a framework for our analysis, we turned to the political scientists whose scholarship
provided us with a vocabulary and framework for evaluating concepts. Using this literature, we argue that there
are grounds for rethinking the born global concept as denoting a particular class of firm. We conclude by
suggesting the term can be reconceptualised as an internationalisation pathway that firms may take, depending
on contextual factors. (For more information, please contact: Lisa Hewerdine, University of Sydney, Australia:
lisajane@bigpond.net.au)
Assessing Group Variation: Methodological Considerations for Emerging Markets Research
Alexander M. Settles, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Valentina V. Kuskova, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Liudmila V. Petrova, National Research University Higher School of Economics
While cross-cultural research is not new, available methodological recommendations are not always applicable
for comparative studies in emerging markets. The purpose of this paper is to call more attention to comparative
studies to expand our understanding of the differences between the emerging and developed markets, examine
methodological trends in the field of emerging market research, and provide a comprehensive review of
methods of assessing group variation. (For more information, please contact: Alexander M. Settles, National
Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia: asettles@hse.ru)
AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings
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