An advanced meta-ranking for the expanding international business field – Journal status and future trajectories

Tuselmann, Heinz ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6628-1675, Sinkovics, Rudolf R ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4471-5054 and Pishchulov, Grigory ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8787-1869 (2025) An advanced meta-ranking for the expanding international business field – Journal status and future trajectories. Journal of World Business, 60 (2). 101609. ISSN 1090-9516

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Abstract

We re-examine and advance the landscape of academic journal publishing, specifically focusing on international business (IB) journals. While previous journal rankings have identified sixteen domain-specific IB journals, a renewed look at the journal space shows that the landscape of publications for IB has grown, while at the same time, mostly, retained or even improved its quality propositions. Utilizing state-of-the art machine learning methods including Classification and Regression Trees (CART) and random forests next to data envelopment analysis (DEA) for performance evaluation as well as fuzzy clustering methods, our meta-ranking identifies opportunities for mid-range journals with potential for ascension to higher quality clusters. Comparative analysis further suggests Journal of World Business (JWB) as a candidate for future inclusion in elite journal lists such as the FT50 list, alongside the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS). Overall, our results show the IB journal landscape is developing towards a quality-based growth trajectory. This advancement has the potential to bolster the long-term competitiveness of the discipline by expanding the scope of its scholarship. Furthermore, it enhances the discipline's influence within the broader management and business ecosystem.