Social network analysis in international business research: An assessment of the current state of play and future research directions

The theory of networks has attracted increasing attention in international business (IB) research. However, despite its growing theoretical utilization, the systematic description, modelling and analysis of network relationships has been scarce in IB. The field has taken a stand in favour of conventional methodological approaches, which hinders the close interaction between theoretical development and empirical reality in network-based IB research. This study seeks to contribute to this body research by incorporating social network analysis (SNA) as an innovative and promising research tool and aims to shed light on the richness of SNA in fostering IB research, through adding more nuanced network understanding. In particular, it calls attention to its potential applications through exemplifying around two fundamental IB phenomena: firm internationalization and multinational enterprises (MNEs). It concludes by suggesting future directions for utilising SNA in the IB field.