ASSAAR does not publish manuscripts that merely criticize previous work without providing new insights into how the limitations of previous work can be resolved. ASSAAR is interested in papers that are constructive in nature, and so which suggest how our established theories or received understandings of issues in international business can be positively adapted or revised, or extended to offer new perspectives and insights on newly emerging international phenomena.

ASSAAR welcomes submissions in any of the six sub-domains of international business studies:

  1. the activities, strategies, structures and decision-making processes of multinational enterprises
  2. interactions between multinational enterprises and other actors, organizations, institutions, and markets
  3. the cross-border activities of firms (e.g., intrafirm trade, finance, investment, technology transfers, offshore services)
  4. how the international environment (e.g., cultural, economic, legal, political) affects the activities, strategies, structures and decision-making processes of firms
  5. The international dimensions of organizational forms (e.g., strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions) and activities (e.g., entrepreneurship, knowledge-based competition, corporate governance)
  6. Cross-country comparative studies of businesses, business processes and organizational behavior in different countries and environments.

Submissions qualify as having substantial international business content, and therefore potentially suitable for ASSAAR, where at least one of the six sub-domains listed above is a primary focus of attention within the main line of argument being developed in the paper. The major theme of ASSAAR paper should highlight the insights that can be derived for the international aspects of business activity as such. Papers in which international business is in the background, or in which international business issues are secondary or peripheral to the main argument being developed, are not suitable for ASSAAR.

Hence, a paper is applicable for ASSAAR when the core argument developed and examined is inherently international in character, which is not judged by the nature of the data used as such in any accompanying empirical investigation. Thus, a single country study of a question such as “are MNEs more R&D-intensive than purely domestic firms?” would qualify as potentially relevant for ASSAAR.

Studies of inward or outward FDI in a particular country have long been an established part of the international business literature; for ASSAAR the issue is whether a paper contributes to new conceptual development within the relevant stream of literature. Conversely, a study that uses a cross-country dataset to test whether a theory of some aspect of business already established in a domestic context can be applied globally, while controlling for country effects (sources of international heterogeneity or variation), would not qualify as appropriate for ASSAAR.

Likewise, unsuitable for ASSAAR would be a cross-country comparative study of domestic business activities in a context in which it is known that international connections are significant, and yet the effect of these international connections is disregarded.

ASSAAR is launching multidisciplinary journal that welcomes submissions from scholars in business disciplines (e.g., accounting, finance, management, marketing) and from other disciplines (e.g., economics, political science) if the manuscripts fall within the ASSAAR domain statement. Papers are especially welcome which combine and integrate theories and concepts that are taken from or that can be traced to origins in different disciplines.

ASSAAR publishes methodologically pluralistic journal. Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies are both encouraged, as long as the studies are methodologically rigorous. Conceptual and theory-development papers, empirical hypothesis-testing papers, and case-based studies are all welcome. Mathematical modeling papers are welcome if the modeling is appropriate and the intuition explained carefully.

ASSAAR does not publish manuscripts about teaching materials/methods, literature reviews or manuscripts aimed solely at a practitioner audience. Manuscripts that make no theoretical contribution to international business studies (e.g., replication studies) or that have no specific relevance to the domain of international business studies should not be sent to ASSAAR.

Empirical submissions utilizing student samples are usually discouraged, except where a strong, explicit justification for their legitimacy is provided. Papers that classify or rank journals or scholars along various dimensions are generally discouraged.

Submissions to ASSAAR must follow the journal’s Style Guide, including formatting, length and references. Poorly written or structured papers will be promptly returned to the authors.