A quarter century of management research in South Asia – I: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka

Research from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka has received relatively less attention of management scholars. To date, there has been no major review of the content of management research in these rapidly growing economies. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by reviewing management research in these six countries over a 25-year period from 1990 to 2014.

An electronic search of 11 databases was carried out using 53 search terms pertaining to the field of management. Only articles in journals rated A*, A, or B by the Australian Business Deans Council and either Q1 or Q2 in the Scopus/Imago ratings were included in the study. The articles were then classified as belonging to one of the divisions of the Academy of Management. Results are presented in thematic clusters, highlighting the major focus of management research in these countries.

A total of 211 articles were identified as a result of the search process. The highest number of articles (n=54) were classified under the “Public & Non-Profit.” This was the only area common to research in all six countries as represented by the selected articles. The results are reviewed from an ecological and institutional theory perspective which suggests that the various dimensions of the local environment are reflected in the type of management research emerging from these countries. The paper concludes that these countries represent “greenfield sites” in terms of research opportunities for management scholars from all over the world.

This review approach adopted in this paper is unique and represents an attempt to be as inclusive as possible without sacrificing quality. This is the first comprehensive and systematic review of management research in these six countries.