AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings - Academy of International ...

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administering an online survey. I conclude by discussing feedback and provide some brief reflections on this
particular fieldwork. The overall aim of this paper is to provide a critical insight into the challenges of
conducting a firm study in order to help others who are conducting comparable studies. (For more information,
please contact: William Stopford Harvey, University of Sydney, Australia: w.harvey@sydney.edu.au)
Mixed Methods as a Research Strategy in International Business - From Simple Designs to Value Added
Contribution
Leila Hurmerinta, Turku University
Niina Nummela, Turku University
The aim of the research was to obtain a comprehensive picture of the empirical research design in IB studies
having the focus on mixed methods studies. For that purpose we decided to conduct a systematic review
process of recent studies in the field during ten years period. The objective of the review was threefold; first,
we were interested in which research methods had been used, second, how they had been used and third,
what was the value added that this research design had brought to the studies in question. The initial results
confirmed our assumption of the increase in the use of mixed methods research design. Further, the correlation
between the value added (facilitation, validity or knowledge) and the combination of mixed methods was not so
simple. This required more in-depth analysis of the underlying factors determining the choice of the method.
(For more information, please contact: Leila Hurmerinta, Turku University, Finland: lthupe@utu.fi)
Identifying International Strategies through Content Analysis
Birgitte Grogaard, University of Calgary
Inger G. Stensaker, NHH
Helene Loe Colman, Norwegian Business School
In this study, we propose the use of content analysis of readily available secondary data to identify international
strategies. This method has several benefits. First, access to multinationals and key informants can be both
difficult and time consuming to achieve. Second, measures found in increasingly sophisticated quantitative
methods do not necessarily capture important complexities of international strategies. We compare the results
of our content analysis with in-depth interviews and internal strategy documents from three of the largest
Norwegian MNEs. The findings support our use of content analysis of secondary data, showing significant
alignment with the results from our analysis of in-depth interviews and internal strategy documents. Based on
our findings, we argue that the proposed research method can provide valuable insights to identify international
strategies when access is challenging as well as complement other methods by providing more information
about combinations of different strategic elements. We also suggest that this method can be a useful tool for
comparison across larger numbers of firms. (For more information, please contact: Birgitte Grogaard, University
of Calgary, Canada: bgrogaar@ucalgary.ca)
Session: 2.4.9 - Special Session
Current Issues in Japanese Business Studies: Special Session of AJBS Best Papers
Presented On: July 2, 2012 - 14:30-15:45
Chair: Elizabeth L. Rose, Aalto University School of Economics
The Effect of Two Staffing Decisions on Subsidiary Performance
Naoki Ando, Hosei University
No abstract available. (For more information, please contact: Naoki Ando, Hosei University, Japan:
nando@hosei.ac.jp)
AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings
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