JIM Workflow Router (jim-workflow)
Overview
Router skill for manuscripts aimed at the Journal of International Marketing (JIM) — the American Marketing Association's specialist top journal for international marketing, published quarterly by SAGE (ISSN 1069-031X print / 1547-7215 online; founded 1993 by S. Tamer Cavusgil). Editor-in-Chief: Ayşegül Özsomer (Koç University), in office since 2024 — re-check the masthead on ama.org before relying on it (checked 2026-07-16). Submission runs through ScholarOne (mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ama_jim), review is double-anonymized, the abstract cap is 200 words, and the whole manuscript — title through print appendices — must fit 50 formatted pages.
What makes JIM unlike its AMA siblings (JM, JMR, JPP&M) is a single gate every paper must clear: the international dimension has to be the theoretical engine, not the setting. Crossing a border must change the theory — through cultural, institutional, or economic variation across countries — and the empirics must earn cross-national comparison, usually via multi-country data with measurement invariance evidence. A solid domestic study relabeled "…in emerging markets" is the house desk-reject.
When to trigger
- A user asks "where do I start?" or "what's next?" on a JIM-bound project
- A draft is stuck and nobody can name the binding constraint
- The team is debating JIM vs. JIBS, International Marketing Review, or Journal of Marketing
- A decision letter from JIM has arrived and revision work needs sequencing
- Someone proposes adding a second country "for the reviewers" — a routing question in disguise
Routing table
| Symptom |
Route to |
| Unclear whether the question is genuinely international |
jim-topic-selection |
| Culture/institutions invoked but not theorized; mechanism vague |
jim-theory-development |
| Cannot state what the paper adds to the international marketing conversation |
jim-literature-positioning |
| Country sampling, translation, invariance plan, or design unsettled |
jim-methods |
| MGCFA, multilevel models, or multi-country panels need running/reporting |
jim-data-analysis |
| Contribution reads as "we replicated X abroad" |
jim-contribution-framing |
| Exhibits sprawl past the 50-page cap or hide the cross-national result |
jim-tables-figures |
| Prose is fine English but not JIM's voice; abstract over 200 words |
jim-writing-style |
| Ready to build the ScholarOne package |
jim-submission |
| Waiting on / anticipating the editorial process |
jim-review-process |
| Revising against a JIM decision letter |
jim-rebuttal |
Default order
jim-topic-selection — verify the border-crossing is doing theoretical workjim-theory-development — theorize the cross-national mechanism a priorijim-literature-positioning — stake the claim in the international marketing canonjim-methods — design the multi-country study: sampling, translation, invariance planjim-data-analysis — invariance tests, multilevel/SEM estimation, country effectsjim-contribution-framing — the theory payoff plus the cross-border managerial payoffjim-tables-figures — invariance table, country descriptives, model figure, page budgetjim-writing-style — 200-word abstract and intro written lastjim-submission — ScholarOne two-file preflightjim-review-process — calibrate expectations while under reviewjim-rebuttal — after the decision letter
Loop back freely: a failed scalar-invariance test at step 5 often forces a return to step 4 (or even step 2, if only partial invariance survives and the theory leaned on mean comparisons).
Entry point by archetype
| Archetype |
First hard question |
Enter at |
| Multi-country consumer survey |
will the scales pass invariance across these countries? |
jim-methods |
| Cross-cultural experiment |
is culture manipulated/measured, or just implied by location? |
jim-theory-development |
| Export / entry-mode secondary data |
does the panel identify anything beyond correlations? |
jim-methods |
| Global branding / GCC study |
globalness theorized or asserted? |
jim-theory-development |
| Meta-analysis of international effects |
country-level moderators coded a priori? |
jim-literature-positioning |
| Short Insight paper (<4,000 words) |
is one sharp finding enough to stand alone? |
jim-contribution-framing |
Minimal decision snippet
if decision_letter: -> jim-rebuttal
elif submitting_this_week: -> jim-submission
elif exhibits_or_page_budget: -> jim-tables-figures
elif estimation_or_invariance: -> jim-data-analysis
elif design_or_sampling: -> jim-methods
elif contribution_fuzzy: -> jim-contribution-framing / jim-literature-positioning
elif mechanism_untheorized: -> jim-theory-development
else: -> jim-topic-selection
Anti-patterns
- Sending a single-country paper to JIM because the sample "happens to be foreign" — the classic desk reject
- Treating culture as a post-hoc explanation for a surprise result instead of a hypothesized construct
- Polishing prose or exhibits while the invariance evidence is still unsettled
- Confusing JIM with JIBS (general international business) or IMR — the boundary is a positioning task, not a coin flip
- Citing the editor, portal, or page limits from memory instead of re-checking ama.org / the SAGE author page
Output format
【Target】Journal of International Marketing (JIM)
【Archetype】multi-country survey / cross-cultural experiment / export panel / global branding / meta / Insight
【International engine】what the border-crossing does for the theory (one line)
【Bottleneck】topic / theory / positioning / design / analysis / framing / exhibits / style / submission / revision
【Next skill】<one jim-* skill>
【Fact status】volatile facts (editor, limits, portal) verified 2026-07-16 or flagged re-check
1---2name: jim-workflow3description: Use when starting or unblocking a Journal of International Marketing (JIM) manuscript and you need to pick the right jim-* sub-skill for the current stage, from first idea through the response letter. It routes to the specialist skills; it does not do their work.4---56# JIM Workflow Router (jim-workflow)78## Overview910Router skill for manuscripts aimed at the *Journal of International Marketing* (JIM) — the American Marketing Association's specialist top journal for **international marketing**, published quarterly by **SAGE** (ISSN 1069-031X print / 1547-7215 online; founded 1993 by S. Tamer Cavusgil). Editor-in-Chief: **Ayşegül Özsomer** (Koç University), in office since 2024 — re-check the masthead on ama.org before relying on it (checked 2026-07-16). Submission runs through **ScholarOne** (mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ama_jim), review is **double-anonymized**, the abstract cap is **200 words**, and the whole manuscript — title through print appendices — must fit **50 formatted pages**.1112What makes JIM unlike its AMA siblings (JM, JMR, JPP&M) is a single gate every paper must clear: the **international dimension has to be the theoretical engine**, not the setting. Crossing a border must change the theory — through cultural, institutional, or economic variation across countries — and the empirics must earn cross-national comparison, usually via multi-country data with **measurement invariance** evidence. A solid domestic study relabeled "…in emerging markets" is the house desk-reject.1314## When to trigger1516- A user asks "where do I start?" or "what's next?" on a JIM-bound project17- A draft is stuck and nobody can name the binding constraint18- The team is debating JIM vs. JIBS, International Marketing Review, or Journal of Marketing19- A decision letter from JIM has arrived and revision work needs sequencing20- Someone proposes adding a second country "for the reviewers" — a routing question in disguise2122## Routing table2324| Symptom | Route to |25|---------|----------|26| Unclear whether the question is genuinely international | `jim-topic-selection` |27| Culture/institutions invoked but not theorized; mechanism vague | `jim-theory-development` |28| Cannot state what the paper adds to the international marketing conversation | `jim-literature-positioning` |29| Country sampling, translation, invariance plan, or design unsettled | `jim-methods` |30| MGCFA, multilevel models, or multi-country panels need running/reporting | `jim-data-analysis` |31| Contribution reads as "we replicated X abroad" | `jim-contribution-framing` |32| Exhibits sprawl past the 50-page cap or hide the cross-national result | `jim-tables-figures` |33| Prose is fine English but not JIM's voice; abstract over 200 words | `jim-writing-style` |34| Ready to build the ScholarOne package | `jim-submission` |35| Waiting on / anticipating the editorial process | `jim-review-process` |36| Revising against a JIM decision letter | `jim-rebuttal` |3738## Default order39401. `jim-topic-selection` — verify the border-crossing is doing theoretical work412. `jim-theory-development` — theorize the cross-national mechanism a priori423. `jim-literature-positioning` — stake the claim in the international marketing canon434. `jim-methods` — design the multi-country study: sampling, translation, invariance plan445. `jim-data-analysis` — invariance tests, multilevel/SEM estimation, country effects456. `jim-contribution-framing` — the theory payoff plus the cross-border managerial payoff467. `jim-tables-figures` — invariance table, country descriptives, model figure, page budget478. `jim-writing-style` — 200-word abstract and intro written last489. `jim-submission` — ScholarOne two-file preflight4910. `jim-review-process` — calibrate expectations while under review5011. `jim-rebuttal` — after the decision letter5152Loop back freely: a failed scalar-invariance test at step 5 often forces a return to step 4 (or even step 2, if only partial invariance survives and the theory leaned on mean comparisons).5354## Entry point by archetype5556| Archetype | First hard question | Enter at |57|-----------|--------------------|----------|58| Multi-country consumer survey | will the scales pass invariance across these countries? | `jim-methods` |59| Cross-cultural experiment | is culture manipulated/measured, or just implied by location? | `jim-theory-development` |60| Export / entry-mode secondary data | does the panel identify anything beyond correlations? | `jim-methods` |61| Global branding / GCC study | globalness theorized or asserted? | `jim-theory-development` |62| Meta-analysis of international effects | country-level moderators coded a priori? | `jim-literature-positioning` |63| Short Insight paper (<4,000 words) | is one sharp finding enough to stand alone? | `jim-contribution-framing` |6465## Minimal decision snippet6667```68if decision_letter: -> jim-rebuttal69elif submitting_this_week: -> jim-submission70elif exhibits_or_page_budget: -> jim-tables-figures71elif estimation_or_invariance: -> jim-data-analysis72elif design_or_sampling: -> jim-methods73elif contribution_fuzzy: -> jim-contribution-framing / jim-literature-positioning74elif mechanism_untheorized: -> jim-theory-development75else: -> jim-topic-selection76```7778## Anti-patterns7980- Sending a single-country paper to JIM because the sample "happens to be foreign" — the classic desk reject81- Treating culture as a post-hoc explanation for a surprise result instead of a hypothesized construct82- Polishing prose or exhibits while the invariance evidence is still unsettled83- Confusing JIM with JIBS (general international business) or IMR — the boundary is a positioning task, not a coin flip84- Citing the editor, portal, or page limits from memory instead of re-checking ama.org / the SAGE author page8586## Output format8788```text89【Target】Journal of International Marketing (JIM)90【Archetype】multi-country survey / cross-cultural experiment / export panel / global branding / meta / Insight91【International engine】what the border-crossing does for the theory (one line)92【Bottleneck】topic / theory / positioning / design / analysis / framing / exhibits / style / submission / revision93【Next skill】<one jim-* skill>94【Fact status】volatile facts (editor, limits, portal) verified 2026-07-16 or flagged re-check95```
brycewang-stanford