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Abstract
* There exists a tension between the texture and complexity of what we investigate in IB and how we often convey to others our interpretations through research representations.
* Constructing rich, meaning-laden representations of IB research demands greater attention to not only how we write, but also how we read. For illustration, three different 'readings' of a Born Global narrative are offered.
Key Results
* Through the act of interpretation, reading becomes a qualitative method of inquiry. Diverse readings challenge conventions, prompting new questions and alternative ways of describing and explaining IB.
So - what do you think of the comic strip? Surely you didn't skip straight to this written text? Maybe you enjoyed the comic, but quickly moved on? Or did you study it intently? Why did you approach the comic as you did, and what meanings did you discern?
I hope you do not mind me engaging in conversation with you. Prior experience with readings of this introduction by colleagues suggests some will find the comic strip and such conversation inappropriate in a 'scientific paper'. (That this is a scientific paper is, of course, an assumption brought to bear in that particular reading). Others engage more fully with the cartoon and conversation, but when realizing its early positioning in the paper, one colleague exclaimed, "Oh, you are very brave". Different readings of qualitative studies in international business (IB), and particularly the literature on the Born Global, are the central theme of this paper.
Introduction
Dissemination of research - in particular, through printed media such as scholarly books and journals - is widely considered one of the primary responsibilities of social scientists. My intention in writing this article is to introduce and explore with you, the reader, issues concerning how we read research representations anchored in the context of international business (IB). I use the term 'research representations' to refer to the portrayals of our approach to inquiry and related outcomes that we construct and present to others or ourselves. The term captures both initial presentations and re-presentations over time and across communities. 'Context' is the set of circumstances surrounding an event or situation that helps in its interpretation, with international business being defined as firm-level activities that cross international borders. In...