Leonidou, LC; Barnes, BR; Spyropoulou, S; Katsikeas, CS. 2010. Assessing the contribution of leading mainstream marketing journals to the international marketing discipline. INTERNATIONAL MARKETING REVIEW 27 (5): 491-518

[Eugene Garfield]

Leonidou, LC; Barnes, BR; Spyropoulou, S; Katsikeas, CS. 2010. Assessing the 
contribution of leading mainstream marketing journals to the international 
marketing discipline. INTERNATIONAL MARKETING REVIEW 27 (5): 491-518.

Author Full Name(s): Leonidou, Leonidas C.; Barnes, Bradley R.; Spyropoulou, 
Stavroula; Katsikeas, Constantine S.
Language: English
Document Type: Article
Author Keywords: International marketing; Marketing; Publications
KeyWords Plus: EMPIRICAL-RESEARCH; METAANALYSIS; MANAGEMENT

Abstract: Purpose - Growing globalization in recent decades has been 
responsible for the emergence of a new stream of research focusing on 
international marketing. However, compared to domestic marketing knowledge, 
this field has received relatively less attention from mainstream marketing 
journals. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study that 
assesses the contribution of leading mainstream marketing journals to the 
international marketing discipline.
Design/methodology/approach - A total of 508 international marketing-focused 
articles were identified from the top ten mainstream marketing journals during 
the period 1975-2004. Each article was content-analyzed in terms of six major 
aspects: article nature, authorship characteristics, research design, scope of 
research, research methodology, and thematic areas.
Findings - The paper revealed that: although there was an increase in the 
number of articles with an international focus over time, in most journals their 
share was limited; most of the articles were of an empirical nature, with an 
increasing trend over time; articles were mainly written by multiple authors, 
who were in most cases US-based; research designs of the studies reported 
were increasingly more formalized and causal, as well as statistical and cross-
sectional; the scope of research provided a balanced coverage of country 
settings, product groups, and units of analyses; methodological aspects, 
especially sample sizes, response rates, and analytical methods, improved over 
time; and a wide array of thematic areas was examined, with issues pertaining 
to the macro-environment, marketing mix, and buyer behaviour attracting 
heightened attention.
Originality/value - Although many insightful attempts have been made in the 
past to review, assess, and consolidate extant research on international 
marketing, this paper focuses specifically on the contribution of top mainstream 
marketing journals to the international marketing field. This can assist in 
identifying possible gaps in the international marketing literature that have to 
be filled by future research on the subject. It specifically helps: to reveal the 
actual involvement of these influential journals as outlets for publishing 
research that focuses on international dimensions of marketing; to identify the 
characteristics of scholars publishing international marketing articles in such 
journals; to evaluate the methodological content of these international 
marketing-related articles; and to establish trends regarding the evolution of 
the international marketing field from the standpoint of leading mainstream 
journals.

Addresses: [Leonidou, Leonidas C.] Univ Cyprus, Sch Econ & Management, 
Nicosia, Cyprus; [Barnes, Bradley R.] Univ Sheffield, Sch Management, 
Sheffield, S Yorkshire, England; [Spyropoulou, Stavroula; Katsikeas, 
Constantine S.] Univ Leeds, Sch Business, Leeds, W Yorkshire, England

Reprint Address: Leonidou, LC, Univ Cyprus, Sch Econ & Management, Nicosia, 
Cyprus.

E-mail Address: leonidas at ucy.ac.cy
ISSN: 0265-1335
DOI: 10.1108/02651331011076563
URL (not open access): http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02651331011076563