From Homogenization to Pluralism: International Management Research in the Academy and Beyond

The article focuses on the effects of economic globalization on the field of management science. The continued growth of international business enterprises means that a corresponding importance must be placed on research into their management problems and practice. This obvious fact has been recognized, and there has been a large increase in research in this area published in the leading scholarly periodicals of the discipline. There is, however, a worrisome tendency for researchers to employ the paradigms of research into North American, primarily U.S. management. This ignores the differing cultural, social, and economic ideas and practices persons of different nations bring to the management of the same international operation. Research into these businesses requires a pluralistic approach if it is to accurately reflect their real world operations.