The future of international business research and the relevance gap: a German perspective

This paper provides a review of the ongoing discussion on what might, or should be, the next important research fields in international business. Based on a critical analysis of this debate, we focus on one of the major disciplinary problems of business administration and especially of international business: the practical relevance of research. To support our findings, we present an overview of studies dealing with the rigour-relevance problem within international business. In general, all results indicate a relevance gap in international business research. Consequently, we try to show ways to strengthen practical relevance in international business research.