Moderating Variables in Business Research

This paper explains the rationale for introducing the moderating variables in the models built in business research to identify the causal relationships among the variables/constructs. The study is based on the search for moderating variables in business-related research published during the last 36 years (1980- 2016), available in online databases EBSCO, ProQuest, JSTOR, Science Direct, SAGE and Emerald. The study identifies the variables/constructs being majorly used as moderators in business research. The methods used for studying moderation have been identified and multi-group moderation through structural equation modeling (using AMOS) has been recommended and elaborated. The findings and suggestions of the study are likely to be highly useful for researchers in the field of commerce and business management in identifying the moderating variables and practically applying multi-group moderation in business research