--- name: jibs-workflow description: Use when deciding which jibs-* sub-skill to invoke next, or when sequencing manuscript work from topic selection through rebuttal for a Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) manuscript. Routes — it does not replace — the specialized skills. --- # Journal of International Business Studies Workflow (jibs-workflow) ## Overview This is the router. It does not replace any specialized skill; it tells you **which jibs-* skill to use right now** for your JIBS manuscript. Default assumption: unless the user says otherwise, treat the target as JIBS — the flagship, top-ranked *international-business* journal, established 1970, published by Palgrave Macmillan (Springer Nature) on behalf of the **Academy of International Business (AIB)**, of which it is the official journal. JIBS studies cross-border, multi-country, and **multilevel** phenomena: MNEs, internationalization, cross-cultural management, international strategy/finance/economics, and global political economy, with **country and culture treated as explicit levels of analysis**. The non-negotiable bar: a manuscript must address a real-world international-business **phenomenon, problem, or puzzle** and state explicitly what it contributes to **IB theory** — incremental single-country extensions are discouraged. JIBS is paradigmatically and methodologically **pluralistic** (quantitative, qualitative, mixed, theory); rigor and a clear IB theoretical contribution are the gatekeepers, not any one method. > Editorial team changes: Rosalie L. Tung (Simon Fraser University) is the Editor-in-Chief (appointment framed as a 2023–2025 term; whether renewed or succeeded for 2026+ is 待核实 — treat as Tung pending confirmation, and verify the masthead on the JIBS site). The submission platform name and the optional open-access APC amount are also 待核实. ## When to trigger - "What should I do next?" with a half-built JIBS manuscript - You have cross-country data and a result but no clear IB theoretical story - A reviewer/editor pushes on "phenomenon" or "contribution to IB theory" - You received a JIBS decision letter (R&R or reject) and need to switch into response mode - You keep bouncing between theory, cross-national measurement, and writing without a plan ## Routing table | Current symptom | Next skill | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------| | Idea is vague; not sure it is a real IB phenomenon or JIBS-fit | `jibs-topic-selection` | | Hypotheses ignore country/culture levels or lack an IB mechanism | `jibs-theory-development` | | Front end reads as gap-spotting; the IB conversation is not engaged | `jibs-literature-positioning`| | Design may not match a cross-country/multilevel claim | `jibs-methods` | | Have data; unsure about measurement equivalence, CMV, endogeneity, models | `jibs-data-analysis` | | Results exist but the "so what for IB theory" is thin | `jibs-contribution-framing` | | Exhibits not self-explanatory or off the JIBS Style Guide | `jibs-tables-figures` | | Prose buries the phenomenon or the contribution | `jibs-writing-style` | | Ready to submit; need the Springer Nature / DART preflight | `jibs-submission` | | Want to understand JIBS double-blind review/decisions before/after submit | `jibs-review-process` | | Received an R&R; need to plan and draft the response | `jibs-rebuttal` | ## Default order 1. `jibs-topic-selection` — lock a phenomenon-driven, JIBS-fit question 2. `jibs-theory-development` — build the cross-level IB mechanism and derive hypotheses 3. `jibs-literature-positioning` — engage the IB conversation; state what you join 4. `jibs-methods` — match a cross-country/multilevel design to the question 5. `jibs-data-analysis` — measurement equivalence, CMV, endogeneity, the right estimator 6. `jibs-contribution-framing` — turn results into an explicit IB theoretical contribution 7. `jibs-tables-figures` — finalize main exhibits per the JIBS Style Guide 8. `jibs-writing-style` — full-manuscript prose polish (phenomenon-forward, author-date) 9. `jibs-submission` — Springer Nature preflight (anonymization, DART/DAS, format, files) 10. `jibs-review-process` — set expectations for the double-blind, multi-round process 11. `jibs-rebuttal` — after an R&R, plan revisions then draft the response letter > `jibs-tables-figures` and `jibs-writing-style` are **late-stage polish**. Do not invoke them while the phenomenon, IB contribution, or identification is still unsettled. ## Decision shortcuts - "I have a finding but no IB theory story" → `jibs-topic-selection` then `jibs-theory-development` - "My intro says 'no one has studied X in country Y'" (gap-spotting) → `jibs-literature-positioning` - "Single-country sample" → `jibs-topic-selection` (is this really IB?) then `jibs-methods` - "Same-respondent survey across countries" → `jibs-data-analysis` (CMV + measurement equivalence) - "Internationalization-as-process, regressor may be endogenous" → `jibs-methods` then `jibs-data-analysis` - "Reviewer cites a 'From the Editors' methods editorial" → `jibs-data-analysis` - "Submitting this week" → `jibs-submission` - "Got an R&R with area editor + reviewers" → `jibs-review-process` then `jibs-rebuttal` ## Difference vs. AMJ / SMJ / IB-adjacent stacks - **JIBS**: international business — the contribution must be to *IB* theory and engage cross-border/multilevel phenomena; AIB's official journal; methodologically pluralistic; DART transparency regime. - **AMJ**: general empirical management (often single-country); empirical *and* theoretical contribution; AOM journal. - **SMJ**: strategy/performance questions; not specifically cross-border or culture-as-level. - **JWB / Management International Review / GSJ**: IB-adjacent, but JIBS sets the field's bar for phenomenon-based rigor and cross-national validity. If your study has no genuine cross-border, multi-country, or culture/country-as-level dimension, JIBS is likely the wrong venue. ## Anti-patterns - **Do not** skip `jibs-theory-development` and jump to analysis — JIBS rejects atheoretical, phenomenon-free work. - **Do not** treat a single-country convenience sample as "international" without theorizing country/culture. - **Do not** let `jibs-tables-figures` beautify exhibits before the model and contribution are settled. - **Do not** let `jibs-rebuttal` draft a response letter before you have actually revised the manuscript.