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Review Article
A retrospective overview of Transnational Corporations Review: An analysis of
past, present and future contributions
Vinod Kumar
a
, Sudhanshu Joshi
b
,
c
,
*
, Manu Sharma
d
a
Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
b
PM Gati Shakti Centre of Excellence in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, School of Management, Doon University, India
c
Centre for Supply Chain Improvement, Derby Business School, The University of Derby, Derby, UK
d
Department of Business Management, Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun, India
ARTICLE INFO
Keywords:
Transnational Corporation Review (TNCR)
Bibliometric analysis
R-Studio
VOSviewer
ABSTRACT
Transnational Corporations Review (TNCR) is a prominent international journal that publishes quarterly research
on emerging markets on various micro to macro-level issues, addressing economists, policymakers, and research
experts. This study attempts to demonstrate a retrospective investigation of the TNCR's productivity and target
results across 15 volumes published in 2009–2023. Using VOSviewer software, different methods and tools are
used for bibliometric analysis on several factors, such as research topic coverage, publications and their impact,
top cited authors, the number of citations and co-citations received, and the methodology used in all contributions
to TNCR. In addition, R Studio was used to develop graphical visualization and analyze the Journal's thematic
evolution. Across more than 14 years of life, TNCR contributed 503 research documents across multidisciplinary
themes. Most themes covered that broadly define the TNCR over this time include globalization, international-
ization of firms, global supply chains, and institutional innovations: survey, time series, and quantitative studies.
The essential purpose of the published work is to examine existing theories related to international trade and
transnational corporations. Co-authorship trends are changing from single-authorship to collaborative research.
The study is a comprehensive retrospective evaluation of the TNCR. The review shall be helpful to potential
contributors, editors, and other stakeholders of the Journal.
1. Introduction
Transnational Corporations Review (TNCR), published by Routledge,
Taylor &Francis, was founded in 2009 and is among a few unique
journals dedicated to international business and economics that
encourage various contributors, including academics, policymakers, and
industry practitioners. Across its journey, TNCR constantly increased its
research reputation; it started with 35 publications in 2009, 45 docu-
ments in 2010, and increased to 60 publications in 2022 and 10 in 2023
(till 31 December 2023) and 2488 total citations. The progressive growth
of TNCR can be understood through the available quantitative figures in
Scopus. According to Scopus, TNCR ranked 133 among 436 journals
under the business and international management category; the cite
score of TNCR is 4.3, and source-normalized impact per paper (SNIP) of
1.492, which shows that TNCR has a mean value of 1.492 citations across
the journals in the domain of international business and management.
TNCR has an SJR index of 0.17, indicating that the published articles
have received an average of 0.17 citations (SJR, 2021). TNCR is featured
in the Australian Business Dean Council's list of quality journals (ABDC,
2024). The overall h-index of TNCR is 22, which implies that at least 22
articles have received at least twenty-two citations (excluding self-
citations). TNCR is an indexed journal in the Emerging Source Citation
Index (ESCI), Scopus, ABS Guide 2021, and EBSCO. In addition, the
indexing demonstrates that the journal is among the fastest-growing in
terms of academic rigor over time. It aims to provide details on theo-
retical and industrial research based on the scientific research findings of
the existing scholarly research literature. The elementary journal focuses
on international management, trading, and economics to enhance in-
ternational trading. The study gives a review analysis of TNCR from 2009
to 2023. The review analysis helps the journal to identify leading trends
(Donthu et al., 2021a,b,c), and various authors in the recent past have
successfully analyzed international management journals (Ratten et al.,
2020;Donthu et al., 2020); the authors have performed a bibliometric
review on international business studies for the period. Authors discussed
* Corresponding author. PM Gati Shakti Centre of Excellence in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, School of Management, Doon University, India.
E-mail address: sudhanshujoshi@doonuniversity.ac.in (S. Joshi).
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Transnational Corporations Review
journal homepage: www.journals.elsevier.com/transnational-corporations-review
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tncr.2024.200075
Received 27 October 2023; Received in revised form 10 April 2024; Accepted 8 June 2024
Available online 21 June 2024
1925-2099/©2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Zhejiang University. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
various attributes, including prominent authors, publication trends, and
citations per document were analyzed. Previously, Casprini et al. (2020)
reviewed 32 years of internationalized business research from 72 Inter-
national Journals to showcase research productivity and authors' influ-
ence using co-author analysis and keyword co-occurrence. Ding, Zhao, &
Wang, 2022 conducted a visualized analysis using 4194 records using
VOSviewer and citespace. Similarly, Donthu et al. (2021a,b,c) contrib-
uted a comprehensive research review of the International Journal of
Information Management. Similarly, other journals from allied areas like
internationalization (Dabi
c et al., 2020), Economic Research (Wang
et al., 2020), corruption in international business (Bahoo et al., 2020;
Prakash et al., 2020), International Finance (Burton et al., 2020), CSR
and SMEs performance (Maldonado-Erazo et al., 2020), Franchising in
emerging markets (Bretas and Alon, 2021) and technology intervention
in international trade (Lacka et al., 2020).
The review identified publication trends, most prominent author(s),
their affiliations, country self and co-citations. TNCR is well known for its
International business research. The TNCR's reach and its value to In-
ternational Business is demonstrated by its inclusion in the journal
ranking published by the Australian Business Deal Council (ABDC).
Constant upward trends and growth of TNCR motivate the retrospective
investigation to know the existing domains and emerging trends. The
explicated research insights carried out by authors contributed to TNCR
are essentially required to analyze from the viewpoint of the contribu-
tions to the field and guide future research directions. Viewed through
the lens of bibliometric analysis, the elucidated research insights
contributed by authors to TNCR are crucial for assessing their impact on
the field and charting future research trajectories. Utilizing bibliometric
analysis proves indispensable in discerning significant themes that can
guide future researchers effectively. Thus, the study gives aspiring re-
searchers insightful information on journal growth. The research aims to
address the research questions, including:
R-Q1: What is the historical growth trend of research publications in
TNCR, and what is the impact of these publications on citations?
RO-1: This study aims to explore and analyze the historical trends in
research publications within the field of TNCR using citation analysis as a
critical methodology.
R-Q2: How do contributors to TNCR vary in terms of institutional affili-
ations and countries, and what methodologies are predominantly adopted in
the published research?
RO-2: To conduct a comprehensive review and thorough analysis of
published articles in TNCR, employing diverse review techniques to
explore contributors' distribution across institutions and countries
comprehensively. Additionally, the aim is to identify and discuss the
predominant methodologies utilized in the research within the TNCR
field.
R-Q3: What are the dominant theories and research themes in TNCR, their
evolvement, and discussion on thrust areas that contributors should focus on
for future research?
RO-3: The goal is to systematically investigate and delineate the
current theories and research themes in TNCR while also exploring the
historical evolution of these themes. Furthermore, the objective is to
pinpoint the pivotal areas that warrant emphasis for future research
within this domain.
The study uses various bibliometric tools to analyze the research
growth of TNCR across the last fifteen years. The disposition of the re-
view article is divided into six broader sections. Section two presents the
research methodology used in this study, and section three details bib-
liometric analysis. Section four presents the bibliographic coupling re-
sults. Meanwhile, in section five, the outcome of bibliometric analysis is
discussed. In section six, the study concludes with future research di-
rections in TNCR.
2. Methodology
Bibliometric analysis is an investigation process that aims to evaluate
the state of research in a discipline (Donthu et al., 2021a;Liu and Wang,
2021;Madkhali et al., 2023). Bibliometric analysis is applicable for
handling massive scientific data that produces high research impact
(Donthu et al., 2021a;Shah et al., 2023). It illustrates the evolution of the
research subject (Fang and Lee, 2021;Unhelkar et al., 2022). In the
recent past, various scholars have used bibliometric analysis due to its
many advantages, including revealing the upcoming and emerging
research trends, performance of the publication, patterns in research
collaboration, and identifying and exploring the intellectual structure of
particular domains in existing literature (Gupta et al., 2021;Joshi and
Sharma, 2024). Thus, the data qualified for trend analysis to be massive
and objective (e.g., number of citations and publications, keywords and
topics) through its analysis (to analyze the contributor's efforts in the
research field) and thematic analysis (through mapping and network
visualization).
2.1. Timeline and database section
The data derived for analysis is from the published documents in
TNCR between 2009 and 2023 (till 31 December 2023) obtained from
the Scopus database. Pech and Delgado (2021) suggested that secondary
data available in Scopus has high quality vis-
a-vis other sources,
Fig. 1. Review methodology (Source: Aria and Cuccurullo, 2017;Chatterjee and Dethlefs, 2021).
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
2
including Google Scholar. In addition, Scopus is the most extensive
database that covers more than 36,000 titles from 11,678 publishes and
more than 35,000 peer-reviewed journals in various fields, including life
science, social science, physical sciences and health sciences (Harzing
and Alakangas, 2016). In the recent past, Scopus has been frequently
used for past document review and analysis (Kipper et al., 2020;Zhu and
Liu, 2020;Martín-Martín et al., 2021). The Bibliometrics technique is
used for bibliometric analysis. According to Aria and Cuccurullo (2017),
the bibliometric analysis using Bibliometrix follows a five-stage process:
Data loading and converting, Bibliometric analysis, Matrix creation (Data
reduction, Network Matrix creation and Mapping), and analysis of data.
According to Chatterjee and Dethlefs (2021), various techniques are used
by the R-tool for the analysis, including bibliographic coupling,
co-citation, collaboration, co-occurrence, historiographic analysis,
factorial map, dendrogram, semantic map, network map, historiography.
The research methodology deployed in the paper is illustrated in Fig. 1.
2.2. Selection of research documents
As mentioned in Section 1, the research design focused on research
questions. The title field search “Transnational Corporations Review
(TNCR)”was entered, which resulted in a list of 503 documents. Out of
which, 478 were research articles, 11 were under the research notes
category, nine were editorial, 2 were conference papers, 2 were Erratum,
and 1 was a review paper. Editorial, prefaces, Erratum, and conference
papers are removed, and finally, 478 are considered qualified articles for
final analysis. The authors conducted a descriptive analysis to identify
publications and relevant citations. Journals' research potential and cred-
itability can be determined through their h-index, the author's contribu-
tion, and their affiliating institute and countries (Kipper et al., 2021).
Meanwhile, the scope of collaboration among TNCR contributors was
demonstrated using co-authorship citation analysis. In addition, various
other analyses to measure performance were conducted, including the
most cited articles and citations by other journals to evaluate the overall
research growth of the TNCR journal. The categories under which TNCR
articles are published include theory development, survey-based empirical
research, and evidence-based studies and conceptual discussions. The
work is broadly classified into qualitative, quantitative and mixed
methods. We analyzed the bibliometric coupling to evaluate and highlight
the key research themes covered in TNCR during its publication journey
(Baker et al., 2021a,2021b). The bibliometric coupling aims to determine
the level of similarity among documents citing the same reference (Mas--
Tur et al., 2021). VOSviewer and MS Excel are utilized for visualization
analysis. MS-Excel descriptive analysis was carried out on Scopus database
data after cleaning. Network analysis files have been generated using
VOSviewer, adopting Ni~
nerola et al. (2019) and Donthu et al. (2020)
recommendations. R Studio was utilized for the bibliometric analysis of
the articles after the study phase design. The subsequent sections describe
the analysis and subsequent processes.
3. Bibliometric analysis
The study used bibliometric analysis to investigate citation counts,
authorship patterns, and publication trends (Joshi et al., 2013;Joshi and
Table 1
Past literature reviews.
Sno Authors Sub-Research Areas Methodology Techniques Keywords Covered
1Liu et al. (2012). Globalization Research BA Citation Analysis; Co-citation
Analysis
bibliometrics; globalization; research trends;
networks
2. Capobianco-Uriarte et al.
(2019)
International Competitiveness BA Bibliographic Coupling; Co-
Authorship Analysis
international competitiveness; national
competitiveness; export competitiveness;
Scopus
3Wu et al. (2022) Family businesses with
Globalisation
BA bibliographic coupling, co-
citation, and co-occurrence
analyses
family businesses, Globalization, Bibliometric
Analysis
4Penu et al. (2022) E-Commerce and Globalization BA Journal Impact Analysis; E-Commerce; Globalisation
5Deng (2012) management, international
business, cross-culture
SLR Citation Analysis; Co-citation
Analysis
Internationalization
6Chabowski et al. (2013) global branding BA International branding strategy,
brand positioning, brand/country
origin, brand concept-image, and
brand performance.
Global Branding
7Koberg, E., &Longoni, A.
(2019)
Sustainable supply chain
management in global supply
chains.
BA þSLR Citation Analysis; Co-citation
Analysis
Sustainability; global Supply Chain
Management
8Jia (2021) Globalization SLR Citation Analysis; Co-citation
Analysis using PRISM Framework
Food Sustainability; Glocal;
Internationalisation
9 Chodhary (2024) Globalization, Income Inequality SLR Citation Analysis; Co-citation
Analysis
Globalization, cross-border trade,
capital flows, and technological exchange
10 Guercini, S., &Milanesi,
M. (2020).
international business SLR co-citation, and co-occurrence
analyses
Uncertainty; Risk; international business
11 Lopez-Morales, J. S.
(2018)
International Business; Strategy SLR bibliographic coupling, co-
citation, and co-occurrence
analyses
Emerging multinationals
12 Castagnoli et al. (2022) Industry 4.0; International
Business
BA Scientometric Analysis using
Theory
Context
Characteristics
Method (TCCM) framework
Industry 4.0
International business
Fourth industrial revolution
Global value chains
13 Dobrucalı, B. (2020). international business SLR Citation Analysis; Co-citation
Analysis
International Marketing; Business Relationship;
China
14 Mohiuddin, M. (2011). international marketing
standardization/adaptation
SLR Content analysis; co-citation
analysis
Supply Chain Management
15 Aripin et al. (2023) Digital Innovation and Knowledge
Management
SLR Citation Analysis; Co-citation
Analysis
International Business
16 Bocconcelli et al. (2018) SMEs SLR co-citation, and co-occurrence
analyses
SMEs and Marketing
BA: Bibliometric Analysis; SLR: Systematic Literature Review.
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
3
Sharma, 2024). These indicators will assist researchers in evaluating the
impact of particular articles, authors, and journals in an area of study.
The bibliometric investigation additionally investigates authorship
collaboration, acquiring research themes, and institutional and
geographical contributions. This analytical method enables benchmark
research performance, evaluates journal impact, and predicts future
research routes. Bibliometric analysis provides an in-depth analysis of
educational interaction and improves research assessment and strategic
planning. Table 1 illustrates a comprehensive literature assessment on
globalization, corporate internationalization, global supply chains, and
institutional innovations, categorized by sub-research areas, methodol-
ogies, approaches, and keywords.
3.1. Descriptive analysis: R-Q1
Table 2 demonstrates the descriptive analysis of bibliometric infor-
mation. The first work, After TNCR, listed in Scopus, was by Xu and
Zhang (2009). The paper explores globalization issues related to research
and development across south-Asian countries, including India and
China. The earliest work by Ostrom (2010) has the highest citations and
marked the beginning of multiple-centric governance to manage complex
economic systems effectively. The average year of publication is 6.54,
with the average citation per document per year as one during its pub-
lication journey. Five hundred seventy-six authors contributed to TNCR.
Of these, 152 are donated as single-authored, and 424 are multi-authored
documents, with the co-authors per document being 1.84.
Table 2 additionally displays the Collaboration Index (CI), which is
1.94 for TNCR and the proportion of papers with multiple authors to the
total number of authors (Alhawari et al., 2021). It also indicates that most
articles in this field have three authors. It suggests an excellent collabo-
rative research network.
Table 3 indicates the top cited documents in TNCR. It can be observed
that the top cited author, Iqbal research, highlighted various research
themes broadly discussing technological and policy implications in BRIC
and FDI flows. Fig. 2-1 represents a list of annual scientific productions.
Fig. 2-2 demonstrate the average article citations per annum. The
average citation during the initial years of publication was low during
2012–2015. Meanwhile, the average value of citations increased in 2019
and 2020. A similar trend can be visualized in future publications as well.
3.2. Author statistics: R-Q2
Table 4 highlights articles published annually from 2009 to 2021. The
annual growth till 2020 is 33.30%. According to the Table, authors such
as BA. Iqbal, S. Rao, K.P. Savant, and J. Tang have contributed more than
five articles.
Fig. 3-1 demonstrates the most relevant affiliation of the authors. It
explains the top author's affiliations. Among the top contributors, Iqbal
has contributed 15 total publications (TP) with a total of 15 citations,
followed by Rao (TP:7), Sauvant (7), and Tang (7). Sauvant and Tang
have the highest TC of 24 each.
In addition, Fig. 3-2 also supplement the results by showing the
principal author's production over time. Since its inception, TNCR has
focused on themes of economic development such as foreign direct in-
vestment, transnational corporations, policy, international trade and
growth, etc.
Table 2
Data summary.
Description Outcomes
Key Information
Timeframe 2009–2023
Documents 478
Average years from Publications 6.54
Authors
Authors 576
Authors Collaboration
Single- Authored Documents 192
Documents per Author 0.712
Authors per Document 1.4
Co-Authors per Documents 1.84
Collaboration Index (CI) 1.94
Table 3
Top 10 cited authors in TNCR Journal.
Author TP TCP TC TC/TP TC/TCP
Iqbal, B.A. 15 6 10 0.7 1.7
Rao, S. 7 3 13 1.9 4.3
Sauvant, K.P. 7 6 24 3.4 4.0
Tang. J. 7 6 24 3.4 4.0
Davies, K. 5 4 9 1.8 2.3
Bhasin, N. 4 3 15 3.8 5.0
Kalsie, A. 4 1 1 0.3 1.0
Kishor,N. 4 4 21 5.3 5.3
Mazumder, M.N.H 4 4 17 4.3 4.3
Mohiuddin, M. 4 3 14 3.5 4.7
TP: Total Publication; TCP: Total Cited Publications; TC: Total Citations; TC/TP:
Cites per publications; TC/TCP: Cited per cited publications.
Fig. 2-1. Annual scientific production.
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
4
3.3. The most cited TNCR articles: R-Q3
Table 5 demonstrates the list of most cited TNCR articles (RQ3) cited
in highly recognized databases, including Scopus. The most cited article
in the journal is by Ostrom (2010), which has 75 citations by 20 May
2021 and 2021. It proposed a polycentric governance of complex
economic systems. Next, with 31 citations, Chen (2016) discussed the
initiates and implications of Sino-African investment relations. With 18
citations, it was written by Dutot and Van Horne (2005), who analyzed
digital entrepreneurship intention in developed vs. emerging economies.
3.4. Co-authorship trends: R-Q2
Table 6 demonstrates that single-author articles plummeted signifi-
cantly. Over the first nine years, single authorship has declined by more
than 50%. Meanwhile, two and three authorships in a paper increase
throughout the periods. This indicates the authors have evolved working
in teams and co-authorships.
According to Fig. 3-3, the increasing co-authorship in TNCR indicates
that, with time, the culture of collaboration has become more
widespread.
According to Fig. 3-4, the authors are classified under four clusters.
The authors are grouped based on their co-citation clusters. In addition,
Table 7 illustrates authors across the four identified clusters based on
citations and total link strength.
Co-citation analysis involves examining the frequency with which two
or more items (in this case, authors or their works) are cited together in the
literature. It provides insights into the relationships and connections be-
tween entities in a particular field (Castanha et al., 2024;Rossini, 2024).
Based on Scopus data, the authors have conducted a co-citation analysis by
Fig. 2-2. Average article citation per year.
Table 4
Annual articles published (2009–2023).
Year Articles
2009 35
2010 45
2011 42
2012 35
2013 30
2014 29
2015 31
2016 25
2017 29
2018 31
2019 30
2020 32
2021 39
2022 60
2023 10
Fig. 3-1. Most relevant affiliation of the authors.
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
5
looking at how frequently these authors are cited in academic papers,
journals, or other scholarly publications. The authors are classified into
four clusters. VOSviewer is used for the co-citation network using tools
like network analysis software or visualization tools, the numbers in the
matrix with actual co-citation counts from the Scopus database. The
higher the count, the stronger the co-citation relationship between the two
authors. The minimum number of citations of an author is 20; of the 1994
authors, 65 meet the threshold. For each of the 65 authors, the total
strength of the co-citation links with the other authors is calculated. In the
co-citation network composed of all 65 authors cited with at least ten
analyzed articles, four clusters are observed, with three highlighting high
co-citation relationships among the authors: red, blue, and green.
3.5. Journal citation: R-Q2
Table 8 lists the journals where TNCR articles are the most cited,
along with the journals’ABDC ranking, h-index, SJR 2020 value and
Quartile index. According to the table, TNCR provided a maximum of 52
citations to the journal. This is followed by Sustainability (16), published
by MDPI, Switzerland., followed by Journal of Asian Economics (9),
Canadian Public Policy (8), China: An International Journal (6), Envi-
ronmental Science and Pollution Research (6), International Journal of
Finance and Economics (5), China Economic Review (4) and Cluster
Computing (4).
Fig. 3-2. Author's production over time.
Table 5
The most cited TNCR Articles (2009–2023).
TC Author Year C/Y
75 Ostrom,E. 2010 6.8
31 Chen, H. 2016 6.2
18 Dutot, V., Van Horne, C. 2015 3.0
17 Ehizuelen, M.M.O 2017 4.3
16 Sakyi,D., Egyir, J. 2017 4.0
14 Ndzendze, B., Monyae, D. 2019 7.0
14 Lopez-Iturriaga 2011 1.4
14 Sauvant, K.P. 2011 1.4
12 Testa, J. 2009 1.0
11 Rozen-Bakher, Z. 2017 2.8
11 Li,A. 2016 2.2
10 Meng, F., Riekmann, J.M.,Li.,C. 2016 2.0
Table 6
Authors pattern.
No. of Authors 2009–2012 2013–2016 2017–2020 2021–2023 TC
1 8844363 366
2 3636478 248
3 1319223 136
4298137
5034215
TC: Total Citations.
Fig. 3-3. Co-authorship analysis.
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
6
3.6. Methodological classification: R-Q3
According to Fig. 3-5, 79 % of the studies published in TNCR used
empirical research methods. Whereas 3% have conceptual research
types. However, 3% of the studies were review articles.
According to Fig. 3-6, 38% of the research published in TNCR used
qualitative analysis, 42% of the studies conducted has used quanti-
tative analysis, 14% of the research papers used mixed method.
Whereas 6% of the studies have not specified the data analysis tech-
nique used.
3.7. Keyword search: R-Q3
This subsection demonstrates the inter-linkage between the keywords,
such as ‘China’,‘Foreign Direct Investment’,‘India’,‘Development’,‘Af-
rica’,‘Economic Growth’,‘Policy’and various other keywords were
investigated. The aim of such analysis is to determine the existing trends,
gaps in knowledge and potential areas of investigation for the research
stakeholders. Table 9 presents the top 15 keywords used in thepublications
in TNCR. The ranking presented in Table 9 is based on the elements used in
the search string explained earlier.
Fig. 3-4. Co-citation clusters by authors.
Table 7
Co-citation Clusters by Authors published in TNCR.
Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3 Cluster 4
Cluster 1
(29 items)
Citations Total Link
Strength
Cluster 2
(19 items)
Citations Total
Link
Strength
Cluster 3
(13 items)
Citations Total Link
Strength
Cluster 4
(2 items)
Citations Total
Link
Strength
Buckley, P.J. 60 1127 Arellano,M. 32 321 Baldwin, J.R. 34 502 Aisedu.E. 32 432
Casanova, I. 56 1021 Asongu, S.A. 51 444 Blomstrom, M. 22 328 Vernon,R. 30 389
Cross, A.R. 25 524 Bond,S 23 167 Caves, R.E. 26 345 Sharma
et l
24 287
Cuervo-Carzurra, A. 31 735 Demirguc-Kunt, A 20 159 Globerman,S. 21 243
Dunning, J.H. 130 1937 Granger, C.W.J 23 130 Gu,W. 32 476
Eden,I. 22 408 Grossman G.M., 20 155 Head, K. 22 111
Hofstede,G. 21 46 Helpman, E. 44 326 Hejazi, W. 21 156
Johanson,J. 26 436 Krugman,P. 20 98 Lipsey, R.E. 24 448
Khanna, T. 21 342 Levine, R. 21 87 Markusen, J.R. 21 321
Kumar,V. 18 264 Li.,X. 24 143 Rao.S. 31 358
Lall,S. 23 300 Osabuohien., E.S. 21 180 Tang.,J. 40 367
Li, J 20 165 Persaran M.H 22 122 Wang.,W. 26 357
Liu,X. 49 676 Rodrik, D. 21 100 Wang, Y. 31 170
Luo, Y. 32 743 Sethi,N. 22 160 Pesaran, M.H 38 484
Mathews, J.A. 20 490 Shabbir, M.S. 43 114 Ostrom, E 96 416
Meyer, K.E. 23 292 Shin, Y. 36 316 Ostrom V 26 416
Mohihuddin,M. 23 27 Shleifer, A. 23 221
Narula, R 31 558 Wang, Z. 24 127
Peng, M.W 28 481 Zhang, H. 20 178
Porter, M. 21 115
Pradhan, J.P. 38 484
Ramamurti,R. 27 596
Rugman,A.M 26 385
Rugman, A.M. 20 185
Sauvant,K.P. 23 173
Varma,S. 25 543
Voss,H. 25 512
Wright, M. 21 212
Zhang, Y. 21 283
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
7
Table 8
Journal citations.
Source TC ABDC h-index SJR 2020 Quartile
Transnational
Corporations Review
52 C 10 0.36 Q2
Sustainability
(Switzerland)
16 –85 0.61 Q2
Journal of Asian
Economics
9 B 47 0.64 Q2
Canadian Public Policy 8 B 33 0.4 Q2
China: An International
Journal
6–15 0.18 Q3
Environmental Science
and Pollution Research
6–113 0.85 Q2
International Journal of
Finance and Economics
5 C 39 0.51 Q2
China Economic Review 4 A 76 1.36 Q1
Cluster Computing 4 –50 0.34 Q3
TC: Total Citations; ABDC: Australian Business Dean Council; SJR 2020: SCImago
Journal Rank in 2020; Quartile: Q(uartile) index of the Journal in specificfield.
Fig. 3-5. Research Methods adopted in TNCR publications.
Fig. 3-6. Data Analysis techniques used in TNCR publications.
Table 9
Top 15 keywords (most frequently used by author(s)).
Region Frequency
China 50
FDI 39
India 36
Development 24
Africa 15
Economic Growth 14
Transnational Corporations 14
Canada 13
Policy 12
WTO 11
BRICS 9
International Trade 9
Investment 9
Economic Development 8
Emerging Markets 4
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
8
Some very important issues related to transnational corporations such
as public policy, Institutional analysis, bilateral trades. Recent publica-
tions are increasingly discussing various innovative and emerging topics
like COVID-19, co-integration, corporate governance and global value
chains.
Fig. 3-7 demonstrate the word tree map. The word tree map reflects
the prominence of keywords in the searched area. The most occurring
keywords include: Investment (69), FDI (51), foreign (44), trade (38),
direct (36), China (35), economic (34), global (30), analysis (29), and
development (29) are among top 10 keywords.
Fig. 3-8 Word cloud explained the spectrum of keywords used in ar-
ticles published in TNCR. As exhibited, investment, FDI, trade, China,
India, and development are primary keywords, while perspective,
multinational, business, performance, social, etc, appear at the other end
of the spectrum.
Fig. 3-9 illustrates factorial analysis using a topic dendrogram, which
depicts the relationship among keywords. Dendrograms express the
proximity of underlying subject cluster classes defined under a research
area (Chaudhari and Pawar, 2021). In the international trade research
domain, the TNCR contribution can be visualized using three strands in
the dendrogram representation. The first strand collectively represents
‘acquisitions’and ‘direct investment’. In contrast, the second strand,
which is much broader, means the ‘development,’‘policy,’‘China,’and
‘International corporations’. The third strand has only two terms, ‘Can-
ada’and ‘Investment’. The fourth strand is the widest among all. It has a
variety of terms under it, including ‘International Corporation,’‘India,’
‘Globalisation,’and containing keywords like ‘BRICS,’‘Africa,’‘FDI,’
‘international trade’and ‘innovation.’Thus, transnational corporation
review is emerging as a publication platform for the researchers and
authors contributing to international trade and business, especially in
emerging economies like India, China and BRICS. From the dendrogram,
one can also find evidence of work in innovation for bilateral and
multilateral trading across the development blocks and countries.
Fig. 3-10 demonstrate the trend topic based on the keyword analysis. The
timeframe used for the study is the literature from a single source during
the time frame (2009–2021). In the top left of the figure, as depicted, the
keywords such as 'transnational corporations', 'WTO,' 'development,'
Fig. 3-7. Word tree map.
Fig. 3-8. Word cloud.
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
9
'India,' 'Foreign Direct Investment,' 'China,' and 'FDI.' However, the au-
thors' writings significantly present various terms, including 'developing
countries', 'merger and acquisitions,' ‘economic growth,' and 'Africa.'
Thus, Fig. 3-9 provide a broad explanation of identifying upcoming
research trends and possible evolution of scholarship in transnational
corporation management. As illustrated, the advent of multinational
corporations is the foundation of the research in TNCR.
3.8. Country search
Table 10 highlights the geographic dispersion of research in the area
of transnational corporations in TNCR. It covers top 10 published articles
in various world regions, the total number of citations, and the collabo-
ration network concerning areas and researchers.
The leading country in the TNCR is India with 80 articles published.
Country like United States and Canada stood second and third with 78
and 72 articles as publication contribution, respectively. Broadly,
emerging economies like China, Brazil has also contributed significantly.
Fig. 3-11 depict the country's scientific production, which indicates
the country of affiliation of the first author of each paper. It suggests the
research is prevalent (shown in deep blue color) in countries like India,
China, Pakistan, the United States, Canada, and some parts of Africa and
Europe. This pattern indicates the higher involvement of south-Asian
countries in research on contemporary issues of transnational manage-
ment. Whereas the portion highlighted in grey exhibits no research at all,
the portion demarcated in light blue indicates the emerging frequency of
scholarly works.
Fig. 3-9. Topic dendrogram.
Fig. 3-10. Keywords analysis.
Table 10
Top 15 countries w.r.t total number of articles
published.
Countries Occurrence
India 80
United States 78
Canada 72
China 47
Brazil 13
Australia 13
Switzerland 13
Nigeria 12
Pakistan 12
United Kingdom 10
Bangladesh 7
Finance 7
Malaysia 7
South Africa 6
Turkey 6
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
10
Top cited countries are displayed in Fig. 3-12. This number indicates a
nation's pioneering achievements. India leads in citations with 80 arti-
cles. This is different from Table 9, where India had more research
articles published. The US has a far higher average article citation (78).
The findings for developing nations like China, Brazil, and Pakistan are
shallow, indicating poor research growth. In most research domains,
Fig. 3-11. Country scientific production.
Fig. 3-12. Most cited countries.
Fig. 3-13. Corresponding Author's country.
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
11
developing countries generate greater numbers of papers than developed
countries.
Fig. 3-13 indicate literature statistics for the author's nation. A review
is only complete if the subject is studied and a solution is proposed. Thus,
the next section synthesizes word tree map, dendrogram, and keyword
analysis data to suggest TNCR journal study goals. A three-field map in
Fig. 3-14 illustrates the top ten effective countries, authors, and key-
words. This figure gives us the idea of country, authors, and keyword
used relative contribution to a country's overall research output. Canada
is the leading country that contributed the most to the country's
comprehensive scientific production; India and the USA make notable
contributions. From the authors' perspective, Iqbal, Tang, Davies, Sau-
vant, and Rao. Publications by other authors are distributed randomly
among different countries across various keywords.
3.9. Cluster Analysis
3.9.1. Keywords analysis
Cluster analysis is a statistical technique that involves grouping data
points or observations based on similarities among them. The objective is
to identify patterns in a dataset and group it into beneficial categories.
Data science, marketing, biology, and social sciences utilize this
approach to illuminate hidden structures and relationships in complex
datasets. Cluster analysis helps academics and business analysts find
homogeneous subgroups that reveal patterns, trends, and common
characteristics. This approach to analysis assists in identifying hidden
connections and trends by grouping comparable data fragments. Cluster
analysis enables segmentation, classification, and decision-making in
multiple industries generate more informed strategies and specialize
approaches. Cluster analysis enables researchers and analysts find
important insights, simplify complex information, and enhance under-
standing across disciplines. A comprehensive set of five clusters con-
taining 183 keywords was established, as shown in Table 11 and as
illustrated in Fig. 3-14.Fig. 3-14 demonstrate three-field plot of country,
authors and keywords and its analysis using 183 keywords.
Cluster 1, demonstrated in bold black, encapsulates the vast and
intricate dynamics of the global economy. At its core is an array of 54
items representing a comprehensive exploration of global economic
force. The cluster navigates through contemporary challenges and op-
portunities, ranging from the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic to the evolving landscape of emerging economies. Employ-
ment, trade, and productivity serve as critical indicators reflecting the
pulse of global economic activity. In contrast, discussions on acquisitions,
Fig. 3-14. Three-field plot of country, authors and keywords.
Table 11
Clusters and keywords.
Cluster 1 [In Black Color] (54 items)
Global Economic Dynamics
Acquisitions; COVID-19 Pandemic;
Emerging Economies; Employment;
F15; F23; Foreign Direct Investment;
Global Value Chains; Globalization;
Government Policy; International
Investment; International Trade;
Japan; Offshoring; Productivity; South
Africa; Trade; brics; Exchange rate;
Global Financial Crisis; Globalisation;
Gravity Model; MNEs, Multinational
Corporations; Panel Data; Principal
Component Analysis; vecm; WTO; Bits;
China; Protectionism; trade war;
United States; US; Exports; India;
Outward FDI; South Asia; Africa; Asia;
COVID-19; Governance; Stock Market;
Tourism; Volatility
Cluster 2 [ In Blue Color] (23 items)
Development Strategies across
global business landscape
Corporate Governance; Corporate
Social Responsibility; Development;
Financial Development; Innovation;
Multinational Enterprises; Policy;
R&D; Research and Development;
Russia; Sustainability; UAE;
Agriculture; Brazil; CSR; Economic
development; Emerging Markets;
Entrepreneurship; Institutional
Environment; Internationalization;
Market Orientation; Performance;
Strategy; Trust; Uncertainty
Cluster 3 [in Pink Color] (17 items)
Global Agricultural and Economic
Dynamics: Policies, Investments,
and Regulations in Developed and
Developing Countries
Agriculture; Brazil; Developed
Countries; Developed Countries;
developing countries; emerging
multinational; foreign aid; foreign
direct investment; mergers and
acquisition; outward foreign direct
investments; regulations; transnational
corporations; Canada; Global
Economy; Infrastructure; Investment;
Law; Regulation
Cluster 4 [in Brown Color] (16 items)
Drivers to Global Economic Growth:
Competitiveness, Diversification,
and Financial Inclusion Strategies
Competitiveness; Diversification;
Financial Inclusion; Firm Performance;
Growth; internationalization;
Investment Policy; Inward FDI; Latin
America; Multinationals; SMEs; Digital
Economy; Financial Crisis; Ghana;
Trade Liberalisation; West Africa
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
12
foreign direct investment (FDI), and global value chains underscore the
interconnectedness of economies worldwide. The inclusion of Japan,
South Africa, BRICS nations, China, the United States, and India show-
cases the geographical diversity of economic players and the complex-
ities they introduce. Exchange rates, the gravity model, and WTO
agreements illuminate the intricacies of international trade, emphasizing
the role of government policies and the challenges posed by protection-
ism and trade wars. The cluster also delves into the evolving nature of
multinational corporations (MNEs), utilizing advanced statistical tech-
niques such as panel data, principal component analysis, and vector error
correction models (VECM) for a nuanced understanding. Bits and the
digital economy highlight the increasing importance of technology in
shaping economic interactions. As the global economy grapples with
volatility, governance, stock market dynamics, and tourism, this cluster is
a comprehensive guide to understanding the multifaceted forces influ-
encing the contemporary economic landscape. Whether analyzing the
impacts of the Global Financial Crisis or adapting to the complexities of
COVID-19, Cluster 1 captures the essence of the intricate web of global
economic dynamics and provides valuable insights for scholars,
policymakers, and stakeholders navigating the complexities of the 21st-
century economy. Cluster 2, a vibrant blue color, weaves global busi-
ness development plans. CSR, financial development, and corporate
governance promote ethical and sustainable company practices. Tech-
nology drives globally economic expansion, reflected by innovation and
R&D. Global multinationals shape economic growth in challenging
markets. The worldwide impact of these approaches is demonstrated in
Russia and the UAE, which have different economic profiles. Agriculture
and sustainability enhance the cluster's focus on economic growth's social
and ecological concerns. The cluster's emphasis on CSR, economic
growth, and entrepreneurship promotes holistic business procedures and
social contributions. Institutional environment and internationalization
place growth techniques in context worldwide. Market orientation, per-
formance, and strategy impact global business decisions. Trust and un-
certainty emphasize the intangible but crucial elements of successful
development programs. Cluster 2 demonstrates how multinational
companies combine economic growth with environmental and social
obligations. Cluster 3, in pink, addresses policies, investments, and reg-
ulations in developed and developing nations and the complex global
agricultural and economic dynamics. It focuses on Brazil and Canada to
show their influence on world agriculture. Including created and rising
countries highlights the cluster's comprehensive approach to the many
challenges and opportunities nations face at different economic devel-
opment stages. The term “emerging multinational”reflects international
a commercial and economic participant dynamics. Foreign aid, FDI,
mergers and acquisitions, and outward FDI illustrate that international
economic activity is interconnected. Regulations and transnational cor-
porations show how legislation affect finance. Global infrastructure, in-
vestment, law, and regulation are the cluster's focus. This comprehensive
look at the complex relationship among agricultural practices, economic
policies, and regulatory frameworks demonstrates how these factors
affect global dynamics of became industrialized and emerging countries.
Cluster 4, concentrating on global economic growth drivers, includes
numerous significant national economic development variables. Begin-
ning with competitiveness, diversification, and financial inclusion, the
cluster acknowledges their importance in building the economy. It ana-
lyzes firm performance and growth, internationalization, and investment
policies. FDI and multinationals emphasize global economic connections
and their impact on regional development. The inclusion of SMEs high-
lights their importance to economic life. In modern times, the cluster
emphasizes the digital economy and its ability to change global industry.
Critically discussing financial crises acknowledges economic challenges
and disruptions. Regional observations on Ghana and West Africa illu-
minate trade liberalization and economic strategies. This thorough
cluster helps explain global economic growth's many factors. It shows
how Latin American and West African nations deal with the current
economic climate.
4. Bibliographic coupling
Bibliographic coupling combines documents with theme. Table 12
represents the three clusters of the TNCR journal, including themes such
as global economy, Internationalization, and emerging economies. We
have used the authors’keywords to conduct the Multiple Correspon-
dence Analysis (MCA). Fig. 3-15 illustrates the two-dimensional inves-
tigation cluster plot. The graph demonstrates that scientific outputs are
split into three main clusters, indicating the intellectual structure of
research concerns addressed by authors who focus on comparable fields.
According to Fig. 3-16,thefirst cluster (red) contains ten keywords
associated with articles emphasizing the ‘global economy.’The global
economy includes exchange rates, BRICs, policy, and TNCS. The second
cluster (blue) contains eight keywords associated with ‘Internationaliza-
tion.’Various aspects of internationalization include direct investment,
multinationals, emerging multinationals, diversification, and emerging
multinationals. Thethird cluster (green)contains keywordsincluding panel
data, f23 and emerging economies.
Table 12
Cluster table of TNCR Journal.
Word Dim.1 Dim.2 Cluster
china 0.57 0.22 1
fdi 1.08 0.19 1
foreign.direct.investment 0.64 0.47 1
india 0.19 0.83 1
development 0.97 1.09 1
africa 0.09 0.21 1
economic.growth 1.93 0.2 1
transnational.corporations 1.17 0.37 1
canada 0.33 1.72 1
policy 1.42 1.61 1
brics 2.12 0.61 1
wto 0.07 0.61 1
international.trade 0.05 1.36 1
investment 0.79 1.61 1
economic.development 0.23 0.49 1
globalization 0.02 0.7 1
multinational.corporations 0.14 0.01 1
trade 0.58 0.31 1
developing.countries 0.07 0.28 1
globalisation 0.62 0.24 1
innovation 0.08 0.19 1
mergers.and.acquisitions 1.3 0.81 1
competitiveness 0.05 0.43 1
internationalisation 0.24 0.55 1
ofdi 1.76 1.92 1
outward.fdi 0.01 0.43 1
performance 0.12 0.56 1
tncs 1.83 0.16 1
csr 0.07 0.04 1
financial.crisis 0.53 0.03 1
governance 0.17 0.32 1
institutions 0.57 0.34 1
productivity 0.3 0.51 1
r.d 0.28 0.01 1
regulation 0.13 1.43 1
trade.openness 1.79 0.55 1
corporate.social.responsibility 0.43 0.03 1
elinor.ostrom 0.08 0.26 1
emerging.markets 0.38 1.02 1
entrepreneurship 0.02 0.35 1
exchange.rate 1.64 1.25 1
exports 1.24 0.05 1
investment.policy 1.01 0.85 1
inward.fdi 1.31 0.37 1
outward.foreign.direct.investment 1.48 1.96 2
brazil 0.79 1.74 2
diversification 0.74 3.34 2
growth 0.9 3.02 2
internationalization 0.53 1.6 2
f23 3.7 0.79 3
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
13
4.1. Dominant theories covered under TNCR publications (RQ-3)
Table 13 presents a comprehensive exploration of theories about in-
ternational trade and transnational corporations, as discussed in the TNCR
(Transnational Corporations Review) journal. For scholars, academics, and
professionals seeking an in-depth knowledge of international trade pat-
terns and transnational firms, the table is beneficial. Utilizing an extensive
review of the TNCR journal, Table 13 highlights multiple perspectives to
help comprehend the intricacies of nation-multinational interactions in the
constantly shifting global economic circumstances.
Fig. 3-15. Cluster Analysis using keywords.
Fig. 3-16. Conceptual Structure Map method using Multiple Correspondence Analysis.
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
14
5. Discussion
As the TNCR evolves, this retrospective evaluation provides valuable
insights for potential contributors, editors, and stakeholders, paving the
way for advanced research in the field. The review study crucially
addressed readers' understanding towards the significance and practical
applications of the published research in TNCR. Based on the RQ- 1 that
focused on Research trend and impact the authors evaluated that The
TNCR journal, with a distinguished history and consistent academic
research rigor across a global network of journals, was reviewed. The
analysis covered 411 documents published from 2009 to 2021, exam-
ining the growth trend and impact of the journal in terms of authorship,
co-authorship mapping, citations, and trend analysis. The RQ-2
addressed by the authors through contribution and methodology
analysis, The study delved into the journal's performance from the
viewpoint of authorship, revealing significant potential with 75 publi-
cations. The citation analysis highlighted an intriguing pattern where
TNCR itself was the primary source of articles cited, indicating a unique
citation dynamic within the journal. TNCR contributors are showing
upward trends in collaborative research. Table 14 highlights the Coun-
tries and regions that cite articles published in TNCR.
Of the 2216 documents referencing articles published by TNCR, the
widespread geographical distribution of citations underscores the jour-
nal's substantial impact on a global scale. China dominates Asia with 524
citations, demonstrating its interest in TNCR's research. India trails
closely with 283 citations, indicating a vibrant academic community.
Malaysia and Pakistan contribute 97 and 151 citations, respectively,
demonstrating scholarly connection. TNCR's work has been referenced
Table 13
International trade and transnational corporation theories.
Theories Scope Related work published in TNR Key research aims, implications and
Applications
Comparative Advantage Theory David Ricardo (1817) suggested that
countries should specialize in industrial
comparative advantage, or could produce
more effectively. Countries gain from
mutually beneficial trade (Costinot and
Donaldson, 2012;Ruffin, 2002).
Doucour
e and Diagne, 2022; Fazal et al.,
2023; Akabari et al., 2022; Webster et al.,
2022; Xue et al., 2022; Arora and Siddiqui,
2022; Ed-Dafali and Bouzahir, 2022; Wall,
2021;
Alvarez and Torrecillas, 2020
Critical research emphasizes new concepts,
both addressing gaps in the literature or
rethinking established subjects. These
goals enhance academic understanding and
spur additional research. The research
benefits practitioners, policymakers, and
industry professionals beyond academic
debate. TNCR research can enrich real-
world decision-making, inspire innovation,
and promote good social change by
connecting theory and application. The
published report can also guide industry
best practices and impact policy decisions
with far-reaching repercussions. Impactful
research with broad ramifications and
practical applications is provided by TNCR.
Heckscher-Ohlin Theory Proposed by Eli Heckscher and Bertil Ohlin
(1919), This idea utilizes factor
proportions to build on comparative
advantage. It argues that countries will
export commodities made with abundant
components like capital and manpower and
import goods made using scarce factors.
Jadhav et al., 2015 The work implies that Heckscher-Ohlin
Theory is being argued or utilized in a
specific research setting, that could offer
additional insights or applications.
Product Life Cycle Theory This 1979 Raymond Vernon theory
emphasizes product life cycle. It signifies
product innovation, maturation, and
standardization. Early items are usually
made in the country of innovation, but as
they grow, they may be produced
elsewhere.
Oyewo et al., 2022; Tahir et al., 2022; Wall,
2021; Sousa et al., 2019; Bhatia and
Thakur, 2016; Rao and Mahale, 2011;
Sharma et al., 2020
TNCR examines Raymond Vernon, 1979
Product Life Cycle Theory. The study could
examine product dynamics during
innovation, maturation, and
standardization. Internationally, the thesis
states that innovation countries make early
objects. Through the life cycle, production
may migrate elsewhere. Critical study
examines this idea in many industries and
settings, according to Oyewo et al. (2022),
Tahir et al. (2022), Wall (2021), Sousa
et al. (2019), Bhatia and Thakur (2016),
and Rao and Mahale (2011) Policymakers
and firms may learn about global
production patterns, innovation, and
manufacturing strategy from such research.
Table 14
Countries and regions that cite articles published in TNCR.
Region Country Citations
Asia China 524
India 283
Malaysia 97
Pakistan 151
North America United States 192
Canada 108
Europe Germany 73
United Kingdom 170
Africa South Africa 120
Nigeria 84
Table 15
Research Institutions/Universities/Corporations that cited TNCR articles.
Research Institutions/Universities/Corporations Citations
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China 42
University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan 30
University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Kingsway, Johannesburg 29
University of Delhi, Delhi, India 29
School of Economics, Zhejiang University, China 28
Jilin University, Jilin, China 27
Wuhan University, Hubei, China 20
University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa. 19
University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China 18
Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria 18
V. Kumar et al. Transnational Corporations Review 16 (2024) 200075
15
192 times in the US and 108 times in Canada. The UK tops Europe with
170 citations, demonstrating TNCR's academic prominence. Germany
adds 73 citations, highlighting TNCR's continental importance. TNCR has
120 and 84 citations in South Africa and Nigeria, respectively. This
citation pattern highlights TNCR's function as a global hub for knowledge
transmission and collaboration, supporting a diversified and lively in-
tellectual discussion across borders. A study addressed RQ-3, which ex-
amines thematic concentration and future directions. TNCR articles were
bibliographically coupled to identify three groups reflecting journal
themes. Based on these facts, the study suggests ways to boost the jour-
nal's global standing. These include review article calls and special issues
on emerging subjects to strategically boost the journal's impact. The re-
view highlights TNCR publication and citation dynamics, collaborative
patterns, and core subject clusters. Future efforts are intended to boost
the journal's global influence. Table 15 lists research institutions, uni-
versities, and corporations that cited TNCR articles.
The citation trends of TNCR's is effective demonstrate global recog-
nition and influence across academic fields. Zhejiang University in
Hangzhou, China, has 42 citations, indicating its contribution in TNCR's
research. The University of Lahore in Pakistan and the University of
Johannesburg in South Africa had 30 and 29 citations, respectively,
highlighting TNCR's relevance in Asia and Africa. With 29 and 27 cita-
tions, respectively, the University of Delhi in India and Jilin University in
China demonstrate TNCR's multidisciplinary appeal. With 28 citations,
Zhejiang University's School of Economics specialises in economic
research. Wuhan, South Africa, and Covenant Universities' contributions
show TNCR's broad intellectual involvement and promote international
academic exchange. These citation statistics demonstrate TNCR's vital
role in spreading knowledge and collaboration among top educational
and research institutions worldwide. TNCR may study international
business and trade developments and problems. Understanding whether
AI and blockchain affect global value chains and trade patterns could be
promising. Studies on environmental sustainability and climate change
might grow more important for international trade and multinational
firms. E-commerce and digitalization's impact on cross-border trans-
actions and market access could be informative. Further research might
investigate whether global events like pandemics and geopolitical shifts
influence international corporate practices socioeconomically. Another
potential the subject is the interplay of trade policies, innovation, and
economic development in nations that are developing. Future study
could expand on TNCR's solid roots in the Eclectic Paradigm, Gravity
Model, and Global Value Chain Theory to better understand global
business dynamics. TNCR's international business research could profit
both various methods and current difficulties. The Transnational Cor-
porations Review (TNCR) covers the newest international trade and
transnational corporation problems. Future research problems for TNCR
studies can be based on publication trends or thrust areas such as:
a. TNCR could address themes such as integrating cutting-edge tech-
nologies like AI and blockchain into global value chains. Recent ar-
ticles may discuss how AI affects transnational supply chain
management or how blockchain technology improves global com-
merce transparency and traceability.
b. To address the increasing significance of sustainability and corporate
social responsibility (CSR) in business, TNCR can investigate how
large companies address environmental and social concerns. Recent
research could examine multinational firms' sustainable supply chain
practises or the way corporate sustainability initiatives influence in-
ternational trade.
c. The TNCR is anticipated to address geopolitical upheavals and their
effects on global trade patterns. Recent articles may analyze whether
trade disputes between major economies affect multinational corpo-
rations' methods or how geopolitical developments like Brexit or the
US-China trade war affect business internationally.
d. Digitalization and E-commerce: As digitalization and e-commerce
grow increasingly significant in global trade, TNCR could publish
articles on how multinational corporations use digital technology to
increase market share and efficiency. Potential researchers may study
how e-commerce platforms enable cross-border transactions or the
way digitalization affects supply chain management.
e. Pandemics and Global Business Resilience: Transnational businesses
could profit from TNCR during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent articles may discuss how multinational firms use digital tech-
nology to allow remote labor and sustain operations amid pandemics.
Researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders
appreciate TNCR's timely reporting of international trade and trans-
national companies' latest problems and trends.
6. Conclusion
A review of the Transnational Corporations Review (TNCR)'s 15 vol-
umes from 2009 to 2023 will likely appeal to researchers, academics,
students, policymakers, librarians, and information specialists. The review
targets academics, researchers, practitioners, and others with an interest in
global business affairs who are interested in multinational firms and
associated themes. The Transnational Corporations Review (TNCR)'s 15-
volume retrospective from 2009 to 2023 examines the journal's produc-
tivity and themes. This study detected trends and insights from 503 aca-
demic papers using advanced bibliometric tools like VOSviewer and R
Studio. Transnational Corporations Review (TNCR) has been a key plat-
form for emerging market scholarship on globalization, company inter-
nationalization, global supply chains, and institutional innovations for 14
years. These themes show transnational corporations' changing dynamics.
The journal uses surveys, time series, quantitative, and regression studies
to advance the field. Interdisciplinary collaboration is highlighted by the
change from single-authorship to collaborative research. Bibliometric
analysis has shown TNCR's academic influence by identifying top-cited
authors, study coverage, and topic advancement, providing significant
insights for future research and assuring its continuous relevance in
developing multinational corporate and emerging market expertise.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Vinod Kumar: Conceptualization, Data curation. Sudhanshu Joshi:
Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation. Manu
Sharma: Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization,
Writing –original draft, Writing –review &editing.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
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