In this talk, Prof. Jesper Edman (Waseda University) will present insights from a study on nationalism in global strategy and international business research. Reviewing 96 articles, the study finds that nationalism remains insufficiently conceptualized, with existing literature often lacking clarity and consistency. The analysis identifies three key dimensions of nationalism: its basis (the criteria that define a nation’s ingroup), its manifestation (the ways nationalist sentiment is expressed), and its target (the strategic domains in which dominance is pursued). By elucidating these dimensions, the study develops a framework that promotes greater conceptual consistency across research and highlights promising avenues for future work. By clarifying how nationalism can be more systematically examined, the talk contributes to broader debates on global strategy, international business, and the role of nationalism in shaping firms’ strategies and international competition.

Jesper Edman is a scholar of international business and organizational sociology whose research examines how firms’ strategies both shape and are shaped by their external environments. He focuses on how regulations, cultural norms, and media discourse influence market entry, innovation, and industry emergence, with particular emphasis on how Japanese firms respond to globalization and institutional change. His work has been published in leading journals including the Journal of International Business Studies and the Journal of Management Studies, and his dissertation on the Japanese banking industry received major awards from the European International Business Association and the Academy of International Business.