Abstract
In this study, I try to survey different types of distances used in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and international business research. Distances are specially crucial in current times as the forces of globalisation and deglobalisation collide. In recent research, there does not exist a study that studies these variables in detail in the context of M&A and international business. The usage of different distance variables, the way they have been measured has evolved over the years. First, I look at the various distance measures used in strategy journals. I look at how some of these variables have evolved, have been criticized over time. Next, I check what distance variables have been used in the economics and finance, social sciences and psychology categories and if there are any variables that I could potentially utilize in strategy research. Finally, along with a few examples, I introduce a machine learning-based method of ‘cosine-distance’ that helps quantify distances between any two textual bodies. This method can be used to create novel constructs for future research.