Catherine Welch

Catherine Welch serves as Honorary Professor in the Discipline of International Business at the University of Sydney Business School, having previously held the position of Professor of International Business there. She earned her PhD in international business, with a focus on firm-government relations in international business networks. Welch's research specializations encompass qualitative research methodology and process approaches to studying firm internationalization, applicable to both small and medium-sized enterprises and multinational enterprises. She has pioneered discussions in international business on qualitative methodologies, process perspectives on firm internationalization, and contextual theorizing. Her contributions advocate for methodological and theoretical pluralism, influencing the field's research practices.

Welch's publications feature prominently in top-tier journals including the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS), Journal of World Business, and Organizational Research Methods. Notable works include 'Reconciling theory and context: How the case study can set a new agenda for international business research' (Journal of International Business Studies, 2022, with Paavilainen-Mäntymäki, Piekkari, Plakoyiannaki), 'Fifty years of methodological trends in JIBS: Why future IB research needs more triangulation' (Journal of International Business Studies, 2020, with Nielsen et al.), 'How should we (not) judge the "quality" of qualitative research? A re-assessment of current evaluative criteria in International Business' (Journal of World Business, 2017, with Piekkari), 'Theorising from case studies: Towards a pluralist future for international business research' (Journal of International Business Studies, 2011, with Piekkari, Plakoyiannaki, Paavilainen-Mäntymäki), and 'From Templates to Heuristics: How and Why to Move Beyond the Gioia Methodology' (Organizational Research Methods, 2022, with Mees-Buss, Piekkari). She was the first author on a paper awarded the 2021 JIBS Decade Award. In editorial capacities, Welch has served as Book Review Editor of JIBS and as a member of its Research Methods Advisory Committee. She is Vice-President, Communications, and Newsletter Editor for the Academy of International Business (AIB) Research Methods Shared Interest Group, which she helped found. Welch contributes to AIB's Buckley and Casson Dissertation Award Committee and leads paper development workshops and doctoral programs for AIB and JIBS. She delivers research methodology courses for CARMA, EDEN, and EIBA, and held a Distinguished Visiting Professorship at Aalto University.

Professional Email: catherine.welch@sydney.edu.au