The New Frontiers of International Business: Development, Evolving Topics, and Implications for Practice

This handbook takes a three-part approach that helps to understand and chart scholarship in the discipline of International Business (IB). The chapters in part 1 briefly discuss the scholarly landscape in IB, identify new ways of advancing the current literature, and highlight some ways in which to do so. The chapters in part 2 discuss current topics IB scholars should focus on, how to understand them, the challenges involved, and the role of interdisciplinary outreach. The chapters in part 3 discuss IB’s broader societal role along several dimensions of relevance to scholars and practitioners.

IB researchers, management scholars, and practitioners can use this book to enhance their current knowledge and nurture new ideas based on the chapters written by some of the world’s leading experts.

Hemant Merchant (Ph.D., Purdue University) is a professor of Global Business at the University of South Florida (St. Petersburg campus) in the USA. Previously, Professor Merchant was the Dean’s Endowed Research Fellow at Simon Fraser University (Canada). His most recent position was at Florida Atlantic University (USA). In late 2016, he was honored with a Global Achievement award for ＂...outstanding contributions to [the University’s] mission to ensure student success in a global environment.＂ Professor Merchant was recently ranked as the world’s 10th most prolific International Management scholar whose numerous award-winning endeavors have focused on the drivers of companies’ financial and non-financial performance. These companies include SMEs and larger firms that compete globally in manufacturing and/or non-manufacturing industries. Professor Merchant has written extensively about value creation through joint ventures and the performance implications of corporate strategic architecture when companies venture into international markets. Over the last 30+ years, Professor Merchant has regularly shared his insights with academic and practitioner audiences throughout the world.

Dr. Merchant currently is a Consulting Editor at the Journal of International Business Studies, the discipline’s top-ranked journal, and Associate Editor at Asian Business and Management. Until 2019, he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Asia Business Studies. Dr. Merchant has also served as the ’Strategy’ editor at the International Journal of Emerging Markets, ’Strategy & Business Environment’ editor at the Journal of Asia Business Studies, and ’Strategic Management & International Business’ editor at the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences. Additionally, Dr. Merchant serves (or has served) on the editorial boards of several well-regarded journals--many of them are leading in the Strategy and International Business disciplines.