A “Necessary” Component in Advancing International Business Research

International business research must grapple with the interdependencies and context-specificity of phenomena. We propose necessity-based research as a complementary approach to enhancing the rigor and relevance of such scholarship. By focusing on necessary conditions, we offer guidance for how future research can develop actionable theories that account for the complexity of phenomena and better resonate with firms. We illustrate the potential of necessity-based thinking through the lens of multinational firms’ environmental performance, highlighting how conditions may vary in degree and in combination to achieve the outcome. Embracing necessity-driven research can generate new insights that provide clear explanations while avoiding oversimplification.