Journal and author impact metrics: An editorial

This editorial offers a few thoughts on making sense of journal and article impact metrics. The editorial advocates measures of journal productivity and author impact that go beyond the use of a single measure of journal impact factor. The editorial includes data on the ranking of business and finance journals by journal productivity-impact metrics as well as journal impact factor values that editors sometimes refer to in off-site “Meet the Editors” sessions. Members of tenure and promotion committees frequently refer to impact factors of the journals candidates' publications appear in. Such metrics sometimes are the primary rationale for hiring, promoting, and firing faculty candidates even though the metric dominating thinking is unrepresentative of most faculty candidates' scholarly impacts and is highly unrepresentative of the majority of articles in all academic journals. This editorial suggests the use of multiple metrics for evaluating journals and candidates scholarly contributions. The editorial demonstrates a proposal for using a weighted journal productivity-impact factor and the creation of formal templates for evaluating the impact of individual candidate's scholarly contributions.     

A brief commentary on the past,present and future trajectory of the Journal of World Business

In this brief commentary, we reflect on 50 years of the Journal of World Business and its predecessor, Columbia Journal of World Business. Commenting from our roles as authors, editorial board members, reviewers and advocates for the journal, we chronicle important trends in JWB's editorial emphasis and publication record, trends that are reflective of broader changes in the global business environment and the field of International Business. We derive a series of themes that have ebbed and flowed during the period, and reflect on these patterns and their implications for IB scholarship. We conclude by deriving insights from past contributions that can shed light on future directions in the international business field.     

Ensuring Impact: Thought Leadership in Logistics and Supply Chain Research

Achieving impact in research is the goal of any singular article and for the journal, in total. This editorial helps to define how impact in scholarship and practice is achieved in the Journal of Business Logistics. We encourage scholars to “get out ahead” of practice by identifying problems that truly matter to industry and to conduct those inquiries using state‐of‐the‐art methods, such that relevance, rigor, and impact are fully realized.     

Relevant for Whom? An Essay to Celebrate JBBM’s 21st Anniversary,in Favor of Paying Greater Attention to the Needs of Students and Practitioners and Less to the Interests of Peers

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To argue that useful research into business-to-business marketing must have practical relevance and that this may call for alternative methodologies to the positivistic “scientific” model favored by leading marketing journals; to suggest that citation by academic peers as measured by impact factors is only one of several criteria relevant to the assessment of academic papers; and to propose a less formulaic presentation of research to make it more accessible to students and practitioners.

Methodology/approach: Informed comment as a participant observer based on extensive experience as an academic administrator (Head of Department, Dean and Deputy Principal), Past Chairman of the Scottish Business Education Council, Past President of the Academy of Marketing, Past Chairman and Trustee Chartered Institute of Marketing, Founding Editor of 3 academic marketing journals and author of more than 50 books and 150 articles and papers.

Findings: Academic research in marketing has become distorted as a result of an excessive emphasis upon journal impact factors reported in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), which relate to only a limited selection of published research into the subject of marketing. Not only that, but the research reported largely conforms to a positivistic model that is less appropriate for social and behavioral sciences than for the pure sciences that it seeks to imitate. Nonetheless, publication in journals included in the SSCI counts for more in decisions for academic appointment and preferment than do other publications that may be demonstrated to have equal or greater impact on the audiences for which they are intended. It is argued that this imbalance should be redressed with greater attention given to instrumental knowledge and its impact on practice.

Research implications: The author’s purpose is not to disparage or call into question the quality of academic research published in the top journals, rather it is to draw attention to the distinction proposed by Shankar that recognizes the existence of an external audience and the distinction between instrumental and reflexive knowledge.

Practical implications: It is recommended that academic peer review be continued for academic papers, which would be identified as such, but that other kinds of contribution such as thought pieces, case studies, commentaries, reports, and so on be published subject to appropriate editorial review.

Originality/value/contribution: A point of view with growing support.     

Perceptual Differences of Marketing Journals: A Worldwide Perspective

The practice of evaluating faculty and business schools based on their journal publications has increased the emphasis on research output in peer reviewed journals. Since journal standings are a frequently debated issue, this study seeks to examine the perceptual differences of journals between different segments of marketing academics. Based on a worldwide online survey, journals are assessed in terms of four subjective quality metrics: journal familiarity, average rank position, percent of respondents who classify a journal as top tier, and readership. It is demonstrated that an individual's geographic origin, research interests or journal affiliation can have a significant impact on journal rankings.     

Wirtschaftsinformatik – Evolution of the Discipline as Reflected by Its Journal

In 1959, the journal “elektronische datenverarbeitung” (electronic data processing) was founded. Later it was renamed as “Angewandte Informatik” (applied computer science). Due to the diversification of computer science and the emergence of the discipline “business and information systems engineering” (BISE) the journal was focused on this discipline. Accordingly, the name was changed to WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK (the German word for BISE). Fifty volumes of the journal reflect major developments and varying topics of the discipline. By installing a broad editorial board comprised of researchers and practitioners as well as by cooperation with the major scientific associations the journal became the central publication in the field. The paper gives a survey of organization, design, thematic focuses, and important subjects. Thus, by browsing through the contents of the journal the development of the scientific discipline Wirtschaftsinformatik is illustrated.

Operationalizing peace through commerce: Toward an empirical approach

Most scholars would agree that the goal of business is to create value. Yet, can there be anything more valuable than peace? This article tackles the following research question: How can, or do, businesses advance peace? It explains why peace through commerce is a topic worthy of study and sets out an empirical approach to operationalize it. The implementation of that approach remains in the future, but in this article, I seek to examine the contours of a possible approach. The proposed study will demonstrate how some businesses have already begun to move toward advancing peace and will give direction for how businesses could follow suit in the future. With both a content analysis and a panel data analysis, there would be data to help determine an index for peace through commerce, which would contribute a great deal to the existing body of literature. The proposed study will help scholars and practitioners alike understand the relationship between business and peace better.     

A retrospective review of the first 35 years of the International Journal of Research in Marketing

The International Journal of Research in Marketing (IJRM) publishes groundbreaking research on a range of topics related to marketing. Academics, scholars, and practitioners value the journal for its original and well-executed content. Using bibliometrics, this study summarizes the journal’s first 35 years in terms of its publication trends, authorship patterns, citation structure, and themes, as well as the clustering of IJRM’s articles published between 1984 and 2018. This study identifies the IJRM’s most influential articles, most prolific contributors and their affiliations, and frequently used keywords and reveals their semantic associations along with factors influencing citations of the IJRM corpus. As the first objective assessment of the journal’s first 35 years, the review also suggests some potential avenues to target future submissions.     

JBBM at 21 with a Tribute to David T. Wilson: Founding Editor of the Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This article documents the contributions of David T. Wilson to the field of business-to-business marketing in general and his contributions as founding editor of the Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing (JBBM).

Methodology: In-depth interviews were conducted with David T. Wilson’s doctoral students to discuss the impact he had on their education in business-to-business marketing and in their personal lives. The list of dissertations, which Dr. Wilson chaired, co-chaired, or served on committee, was compiled through the cooperation of libraries at Texas A&M University and The Pennsylvania State University. This list was verified through ProQuest, a global information-content and technology company that provides solutions, applications, and products for libraries. Further, information in this article was derived from a literature review of David’s early JBBM editorials and scholarly articles, as well as those of the current sitting editor.

Findings: Results of this research demonstrate David T. Wilson’s long-term commitment to the field of business-to-business marketing over his 33-year career at The Pennsylvania State University. His influence is demonstrated through his research, teaching, and service related to business-to-business marketing.

Research implications: David T. Wilson’s vision for JBBM was to position it as a theoretical journal with an international editorial review board and a global impact, including handing the editorial reigns over to David Lichtenthal, the current sitting Editor since 1995 and Wilson’s 16^th doctoral student out of a career total of 38.

Practical implications: It is the responsibility of the editorial review board to understand the journal’s past to help guide the future. Therefore, understanding the contributions of David T. Wilson, as the founding editor, to JBBM and the field of business-to-business marketing is useful to scholars and managers alike. This understanding provides a valuable historical context.     

Business students' and practitioners' ethical decisions over time

This paper compares the ethical decisions and attitudes of business students and practitioners. Recent unpublished data from a national study of over 1600 students are contrasted with information reported previously. Students are found consistently to make less ethical choices than practitioners, and there is some indication that students are making less ethical choices in the 1980s than in the 1960s. In addition, both students and practitioners agree that buyers should beware, view the role of business more narrowly, and find fewer incentives to behave ethically over time. Codes of ethics appear to be less influential than the individual's strong personal value system and one's superiors behaving ethically; support for codes is declining. The paper concludes with observations about the limitations and possibilities for survey research in this area drawing on other studies that used the same instrument utilized for this paper. Some implications for future research are suggested.James R. Glenn, Jr. is Professor of Management in the School of Business at San Francisco State University. His research focus is on the ethical dimensions of decisions made in business, professional and medical organizations. His writing on decision making, research and teaching business ethics has appeared in several periodicals and books. He is currently revisingEthics in Decision Making (John Wiley, 1986) for a second edition.M. Frances Van Loo is Associate Professor of Economic Analysis and Policy, and Business and Public Policy at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley where she is Director of the Public and Nonprofit Management Program. Her research uses a variety of social science disciplines to study business, public, and nonprofit policy issues.     

The world of global business 1965–2015: Perspectives on the 50th anniversary issue of the Journal of World Business: Introduction to the special issue

The field of international business (IB) has evolved considerably since 1965 and the Journal of World Business has evolved along with it. In the 50th anniversary special issue, established and emerging scholars reflect on the changing contexts, environments, and phenomenon of IB and how these changes are reflected in the literature. In this introductory article, we summarize and synthesize these contributions, as well as offer our own perspective on the journal, the field, and the interactions between the two.     

Everything Old is New Again: The Age of Consumer-Centric Supply Chain Management

Over the past several decades, the disciplines of marketing and logistics grew apart from their common historical origins as marketing became more behavioral and more quantitative, while logistics leaned toward a more operational orientation. We argue in this editorial that social and technological changes in the past 20 years, coupled with the effects of the COVID pandemic, have created the conditions for the two disciplines to reconnect. We propose that scholars and practitioners consider a consumer-centric approach to supply chain management. Such an approach advocates that the entire supply chain should focus on consumer experience rather than mere customer service and that experiences might include issues such as last-mile delivery, supply chain visibility, and consumer values. We also introduce the papers appearing in this issue of the journal.     

A Ten-Step Model for Academic Integrity: A Positive Approach for Business Schools

The problem of academic dishonesty in Business Schools has risen to the level of a crisis according to some authors, with the incidence of reports on student cheating rising to more than half of all the business students. In this article we introduce the problem of academic integrity as a holistic issue that requires creating a␣cultural change involving students, faculty, and administrators in an integrated process. Integrating the extensive literature from other scholars, we offer a ten-step model which can create a positive culture for academic integrity. The successful implementation of a well-crafted academic integrity program can have a positive impact on business schools and improve the reputation of tomorrow’s business leaders.     

Empirical Business Ethics Research and Paradigm Analysis

Despite the so-called ‘paradigm wars’ in many social sciences disciplines in recent decades, debate as to the appropriate philosophical basis for research in business ethics has been comparatively non-existent. Any consideration of paradigm issues in the theoretical business ethics literature is rare and only very occasional references to relevant issues have been made in the empirical journal literature. This is very much the case in the growing fields of cross-cultural business ethics and undergraduate student attitudes, and examples from these fields are used in this article. No typology of the major paradigms available for, or relied upon in, business ethics has been undertaken in the wider journal literature, and this article addresses that gap. It contributes a synthesis of three models of paradigms and a tabulated comparison of ontological, epistemological and methodological assumptions in the context of empirical business ethics research. The author also suggests the likely (and usually unidentified) positivist paradigm assumptions underlying the vast majority of empirical business ethics research published in academic journals and also argues for an increased reliance on less positivist assumptions moving forward.     

Blockchain meets marketing: Opportunities,threats, and avenues for future research

Blockchain technology is having an increasingly profound impact on the business landscape. Blockchain—a means for storing information and transactions in secure, decentralized manner—has many potential applications for marketing. However, marketing research and practice are still tentative about the use of blockchain and are yet to fully understand it and embrace it. The goal of this editorial is to advance in this direction and offer a path toward incorporating blockchain technology into our scholarly marketing thinking. We review the basic terminology and principles of the blockchain process, provide a comprehensive overview of the potential impact of blockchain on several core marketing areas and propose research questions that can help advance both research and practice as this technology develops.This editorial is accompanied by five research notes written by leading marketing scholars, which explore applications of blockchain to the following marketing topics: Advertising (Joo et al., 2022), Branding (Colicev, 2022), Creative Industries (Malik et al., 2022), Pricing (Zhang, 2022), and Privacy (Marthews & Tucker, 2022).     

The Impact of Academic Research on Business Practice Experiences from Marketing

In the past four decades, academic researchers have developed a variety of concepts they claim are relevant to business practice. This article analyzes the impact of eight of these concepts from a decision-oriented perspective. Four of them – econometric models, diffusion models, causal analysis and mental accounting – have yet to exert a significant influence on business practice. In contrast, concepts like price decisions and structures, conjoint measurement, decision support systems and pricing processes – all developed to solve practical problems – have proven to be highly useful. It seems evident that overly complex methodology, abstract reasoning and the reliance on incidental data substantially hinder the success of concepts in practice. On the other hand, concepts that provide managers with economically valuable insights are well-received in business practice. The impact of practical experience on the definition of research projects has remained limited. This is due less to the reluctance of the parties involved and more to the objective obstacles such as confidentiality and the complexity of problems. Academic researchers are encouraged to more assertively seek out research guidance from business practitioners, and practitioners should more actively provide recommendations needed for relevant research.     

The open academic: Why and how business academics should use social media to be more ‘open’ and impactful

The mission of Business Horizons is to publish research that practitioners can understand to help them change their thoughts and actions. However, this mission remains an elusive ideal for many business school academics as they struggle to overcome the research-practice gap. To help scholars bridge this gap, we present social media as a boundary-spanning technology to be open to connecting with, learning from and working with academics and other stakeholders outside their field. Social media can be used as a boundary-spanning technology to help bridge the research-practice gap. To support this idea, we present a process model of five research activities—networking, framing, investigating, disseminating, and assessing—and describe how social media can make each activity more open. We present a framework of four social media-enabled open academic approaches—connector, observer, promoter, and influencer—and outline some do’s and don’ts for engaging in each approach. We also discuss the potential dark side of openness through social media and offer some coping strategies. As per the mission and scope of Business Horizons, this article aims to help business academics rethink and change their practices so that our profession is more widely regarded for how our research positively impacts business practice and society in general.     

Contextualizing international business research: Enhancing rigor and relevance

Context differentiates international business (IB) from traditional Business research. Along with many IB scholars, we argue that context should be much more adequately emphasized in IB research. Location differences are commonly ignored; complexity and polycomplexity--and other levels of analysis issues--are rarely acknowledged; and the relevance of models and theory developed in Western contexts is not adequately questioned or explored. This paper suggests contextualization guidelines for scholars to enhance the rigor of their research and to make their IB research more relevant for practitioners. In conclusion we suggest solutions for closing rigor and relevance gaps in IB research by enhancing contextualization.