Despite extensive interest by scholars, practitioners, and public policy makers, only a few studies provide a review of entry mode research (Entry mode research). Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) and International Business Review (IBR) had published the most entry mode articles in the timeframe reviewed, followed by a wide variety of other international business, management, and marketing journals. This demonstrates that entry mode research is eclectic in nature and that journals with varying focus have chosen to publish entry mode studies.
In sum, transaction cost theory has been applied the most in entry mode research because the cost of governing a partner in a joint venture or alliance arrangement will significantly impact the survival of a firm operating in a foreign market (Brouthers & Brouthers, 2000; Madhok, 1997). Also, new theories and constructs have emerged (beginning in the late 1990s) as important explanations for phenomena studied in entry mode research-such as institutional theory (first applied in 1999), organizational capabilities (1998), and uncertainty (1995). With this in mind, it appears that entry mode research originally relied on theories based on economics (e.g., transaction cost analysis, foreign direct investment, etc.) and anthropological (e.g., culture and cultural distance) perspectives. However, more recent studies have applied theories originating from other fields of study, such as sociology (e.g., institutional theory), and have increasingly integrated multiple theories to provide a better understanding of these phenomena. This trend shows a clear transition from a relatively homogeneous perspective, to a much more complex theoretical understanding of entry modes.
Statistical methods used:.
We found that the statistical method most commonly used in entry mode research is logistic regression. Logistic regression analysis was used in a total of 66 studies.
