COVID-19 and the Dynamics of Distance in International Business

Abstract

Distance is a central concept in the teaching of international business (IB). However, most textbooks treat distance as static or slowly changing. We argue that distance is inherently a dynamic construct, as highlighted by the impact of COVID-19 on international business activities. Using the popular CAGE framework as a baseline, we illustrate the implications of distance being dynamic by introducing likely effects of COVID-19 on distance, and by discussing in depth barriers to the movement of people as an important aspect of distance. We conclude with implications for the application of distance in corporate decision making and international business teaching.