Reading as a method of inquiry in IB: representations of the 'born global'

There exists a tension between the texture and complexity of what we investigate in IB and how we often convey to others our interpretations through research representations. * Constructing rich, meaning-laden representations of IB research demands greater attention to not only how we write, but also how we read. For illustration, three different 'readings' of a Born Global narrative are offered. Key Results * Through the act of interpretation, reading becomes a qualitative method of inquiry. Diverse readings challenge conventions, prompting new questions and alternative ways of describing and explaining IB. So - what do you think of the comic strip? Surely you didn't skip straight to this written text? Maybe you enjoyed the comic, but quickly moved on? Or did you study it intently? Why did you approach the comic as you did, and what meanings did you discern? I hope you do not mind me engaging in conversation with you. Prior experience with readings of this introduction by colleagues suggests some will find the comic strip and such conversation inappropriate in a 'scientific paper'. (That this is a scientific paper is, of course, an assumption brought to bear in that particular reading). Others engage more fully with the cartoon and conversation, but when realizing its early positioning in the paper, one colleague exclaimed, "Oh, you are very brave". Different readings of qualitative studies in international business (IB), and particularly the literature on the Born Global, are the central theme of this paper.