European Journal of International Management: past, present and future

Abstract

European Journal of International Management (EJIM) is one of
the leading journals in the field of international business. Despite its leading
status, the journal, to date, has not been retrospectively reviewed. Therefore,
the aim of this article is to commemorate EJIM’s 15th anniversary with an indepth
and comprehensive review of the journal’s knowledge output. Using
bibliometric analysis, we find that EJIM has grown immensely in terms of its
impact, with consistent growth in its citations. In line with its European slant,
most articles published in EJIM originate from Europe. In terms of
methodology, the journal has moved from empirical qualitative to empirical
quantitative research. The bibliometric findings show six prominent themes
that include internationalisation in entrepreneurial ventures and small and
medium enterprises, competencies of multinational firms, strategic
management in international business, international human resource
management, national culture and organisational culture. Though the major
focus of the EJIM’s initial years was on international human resource
management, it has more recently shifted its focus to internationalisation
strategies involving entrepreneurial ventures and Small- and Medium-
Enterprises (SMEs). The insights from this retrospective review should be
useful to the editors and editorial board members in appreciating the
achievements of EJIM and shape its future.

Keywords: bibliometric analysis; European Journal of International Management; keyword co-occurrence analysis; performance analysis.