Editorial: Repurposing management knowledge production in the Global South context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1108/RAUSP-10-2023-276Abstract
Serving on editorial boards of management journals for almost a decade has taught us
valuable lessons about purposeful research. A key lesson includes the significance of
maintaining theoretical and methodological rigour and crafting engaging narratives that
effectively convey a study’s methodology and contributions to the management research
field. Another equally crucial lesson is recognising that getting management research wrong
in Global South [1] contexts may lead to missing significant opportunities to address
pressing problems such as increased inequality and unsustainable growth. Nevertheless,
much remains overlooked in the debate about the need for and the challenges of producing
purposeful context-oriented research in the Global South. Most studies have not sufficiently
tapped into the challenges faced by scholars from these developing economies, including the
trade-off between local relevance and international publication rigour. The growing
pressure to publish and the management education curricula, prioritise content, shape and
quantity of research production that aligns with mainstream Global North management
knowledge at the expense of local purpose (Trzesniak, Plata-Caviedes, & Cordoba-Salgado,
2012; Mattos, 2008; Mascarenhas, Zambaldi, & Moraes, 2011). So, how do we repurpose
management research for the local good?
This editorial endeavours to discuss some key challenges of developing and publishing
management studies about the Global South, proposing potential solutions. Our objective is
to invigorate local dialogues on the essence of quality and purpose within the realm of
management research in these contexts. To achieve this purpose, we use Brazil as an
illustrative case to help us discuss the challenges and the potential benefits of repurposing
Global South research. Such a discussion carries profound implications for developing
theories addressing global societal challenges that researchers aspire to tackle. At the same
time, it also offers the potential to bring about positive changes in developing economies.
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