Developing international business scholarship for global societal impact

Abstract

The purpose of this JIBS editorial is to outline the vision and mission of the new JIBS Societal Impact Advisory Committee (SIAC). We define “societal impact” as research that has potential effects outside academia, for example, on communities, economies, environments, and other actors. We propose that societal impact is especially important for international business (IB) research but also particularly challenging, given the cross-national dimensions of IB and the differing social, economic, and political preferences faced by MNEs across the contexts in which they operate. We reference the Responsible Research in Business and Management (RRBM) movement and other professional association initiatives as potential sources of inspiration and guidance for understanding the societal impact of IB research generally and the vision and mission of the SIAC in particular. We outline some implications for IB scholarship to improve its societal impact and conclude by describing SIAC’s roles and responsibilities as related to JIBS authors, editors, reviewers, and the broader IB scholarly and practice communities.