A corpus-based approach to understanding market access in fisheries and aquaculture international business research: A systematic literature review

Abstract Although fisheries and aquaculture studies might seem marginal to international business (IB) studies in general, fisheries and aquaculture IB (FAIB) management is currently facing increasing pressure to meet global demand and consumption for fish in the next coming decades. In part address to this challenge, the purpose of this systematic review of literature (SLR) study is to investigate the use of the term ‘market access’ in its context of use in the generic literature and business sector discourse, in comparison to the more specific literature and discourse in fisheries, aquaculture and seafood. This SLR aims to uncover the knowledge/interest gaps between the academic subject discourses and business sector practices. Corpus driven in methodology and using a triangulation method of three different text analysis softwares including AntConc, VOSviewer and Web of Science (WoS) analytics, the SLR results indicate a gap in conceptual knowledge and business practices in how market access is conceived, studied and managed in the pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing industry in comparison to fisheries and aquaculture. FAIB's complexity is directly acknowledged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Zero Hunger. And while the product orientation of different business sectors might differ, this SLR study works with the assumption that both business sectors are international in orientation, and complex in their operations from product to market. To that extent, research scholars and practitioners in FAIB will need to broaden their efforts in understanding the multiplicity of forces that influences fisheries and aquaculture and its international orientation towards both emerging as well as mature markets. This SLR suggests a conceptual model in understanding the challenges, the potential barriers as well as avenues for solutions to developing market access for FAIB.