Five decades of business research into exporting: A bibliographic analysis

Although exporting has established itself as an important field of research within the overall international business discipline, no attempt has yet been made to provide a bibliographic analysis showing how the subject has evolved over time. This article reports the findings of a study which provides a systematic analysis of the content of 821export business-related articles published in 75 academic journals during the period 1960-2007. The analysis focuses on five major areas: characteristics of authors involved in exporting research; major contributors of exporting publications based on their productivity; characteristics of manuscripts published on exporting; exporting articles with the greatest impact in the field; and specific themes that exporting research has covered over time. The outcome of this analysis revealed that exporting literature has experienced a phenomenal advancement during the last five decades, characterized by continuous refinement, improved quality, and extensive topical coverage. Some guidelines for potential future research on the subject are provided.