Grand Challenges within IB: Conducting Qualitative Research in the Covid Environment

Abstract

The new circumstances imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic create considerable uncertainty about the future nature of International Business (IB). This presents IB scholars with a ‘grand challenge’ of conducting research to inform theorizing about the new situation. Such research needs to be exploratory and highly sensitive to the nuances of new and evolving situations; in other words, qualitative and phenomenon-driven. We discuss the methodological implications of conducting qualitative research under the restrictions imposed by the pandemic and its aftermath. We argue that the IB discipline can use this disruption to remould traditional methodological practices and encourage technologically innovative methods.