Academic literature on the topic 'Rapid internationalisation'

AbstractRapid internationalisation is a very popular research theme internationally. Verifying the links between familiness of the investigated firms and the accelerated internationalisation among Polish family firms can be very promising. The objective of the paper is to identify the rapid internationalisation path of Polish family firms while going international from the comparative perspective of the familiness. The paper presents the research results of the survey conducted in the turn of 2013-2014 among 216 firms, including 88 family businesses. Based on the calculations we can assume that the average time of internationalisation measured from the establishment is the longer in case of family firms than non-family firms. It can be with the line to the statement that born globals are more frequently met among non-family firms.

This article integrates research on the internationalisation processes of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and export assistance services to investigate how such firms use support services drawing upon a large, qualitative study of 32 French traditional SMEs and international new ventures (INVs) that have entered Asia. Our key contribution is to consider the time to internationalisation (gradual or rapid) and the stage of internationalisation (entrance or intensification) rather than export intensity alone, and to examine how support services can help SMEs internationalise. The identification of different configurations of uses leads to the development of theoretical propositions that extend existing models pertaining to support services and firm internationalisation. These findings have several important managerial implications for support services to target their offer more precisely to two types of SMEs; they also provide useful guidance for SMEs to determine which tailor-made offerings from private and public actors are most applicable to their internationalisation efforts.

Purpose It has been claimed that Born Globals are incompatible with the Uppsala model, which is based on the firm having a maximum tolerable risk level. This assumption was used to explain observed incremental commitments, with further commitments being made as experiential learning reduces the level of risk faced. This study aims to show that adding a consideration of the role of expected value, including the effects of resource constraints, can reconcile the Born Global and internationalisation process literatures. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical arguments are supported by mathematical modelling of a firm pursuing expected value based on subjective beliefs. Findings While the effects of risk and expected value coincide when firms limit their downside risks by taking an incremental approach to commitments, other factors impacting on expected value can shift the balance of incentives towards earlier and more rapid internationalisation. For instance, some firms are specialised and have high costs of R&D, and so need to achieve early and rapid growth but face small home markets. While resource constraints can lead a firm to expand for some time in its home market before internationalising, the effect can be reversed in the case of the finance constraint for some firms. Originality/value The study shows how Born Global and internationalisation process literatures can be reconciled through a consideration of the effects of expected value on internationalisation decisions. It also provides a novel theoretical analysis of Born Globals.

Purpose – Uppsala internationalisation theory is highly utilised due to its simplicity and applicability. However, there are contrasting results on its assumption that firms follow a gradual internationalisation process. Literature shows that firm strategies (e.g. targeting a niche market) and firm resources (e.g. brand image and asset specificity) may decrease barriers of entry. Global fashion retailers possess these characteristics and may not follow a gradual internationalisation pattern. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether fashion retailers that target a niche market, have a strong brand image and asset specificity will follow a gradual internationalisation pattern suggested by Uppsala. Design/methodology/approach – Two aspects of internationalisation (speed of internationalisation and market selection) were analysed. Market selection was measured by three aspects of distance (geographic distance, economic distance, and culture distance). Data were collected utilising secondary sources and internationalisation patterns were calculated using existing formulas. Findings – Overall, results provided partial support for Uppsala model. After cautious expansion early in internationalisation, fashion retailers experience a period where rapid expansion exists. During initial internationalisation, geographically and economically close markets were chosen, which mirror the Uppsala model. However, no incremental patterns were observed thereafter. In addition, after initially moving to culturally close countries, firms moved to countries with close cultural proximity to each other rather than close to home market. Research limitations/implications – The findings are based on three cases of fast fashion retailers; thus, for further generalisation, if the findings will be applicable to other fashion firms which have different strategies and resources needs to be examined. Originality/value – This study is one of the first attempts to research the applicability of Uppsala model to fashion retailers. By investigating fashion retailers that target niche markets, have strong brand image and asset specificity; the paper adds additional empirical evidence of situations where internationalisation does not follow the linear pattern that Uppsala model argues.

Purpose Relying on the theoretical lens of a knowledge-based view, the purpose of this study is to explore the sources and roles of experiential knowledge in the rapid internationalisation of an emerging market-based micro export firms (EMMFs). Design/methodology/approach This is an inductive theory building study, which attempts to understand the “how” and “why” questions. In so doing, the study used nine micro export firms operating in the handicrafts sector of Nepal. Findings The findings suggest that internationalisation of resource-poor EMMFs relies on the entrepreneurs’ experiential knowledge, which is mainly acquired through prior experience, social networks and participation in international trade-fairs. Research limitations/implications This study contributes by formulating a number of propositions on the sources and roles of experiential knowledge, which could be tested in pursuit of theory building on micro firms’ internationalisation based in emerging markets. Originality/value The paper advances an understanding on the patterns of firms’ internationalisation, and discusses EMMFs’ possibilities to emerge as a faster internationalising firm, so-called “born globals”.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study draws on the resource- and knowledge based views (RBV/KBV) of the firm to explain the internationalisation speed of retail firms. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a panel data set of 144 international retailers over a ten-year period and employ feasible generalised least squares analysis in order to assess the effect of intangible assets and international experience on internationalisation speed. Findings – The results support direct effects of intangible assets and international experience, while the latter effect is also moderated by firms’ home-region concentration. Research limitations/implications – The study investigates the determinants of retailers’ internationalisation speed. While research stresses the positive performance effects of rapid internationalisation, future research should investigate the role of internationalisation speed for the performance of retailers empirically. The findings support the usefulness of adopting a RBV/KBV for explaining internationalisation speed. Practical implications – The findings imply that firms need to have particular intangible resources before being able to internationalise rapidly. They also show that decision-makers need to be mindful of the effects of international experience in allowing them to expand overseas both within and outside their home region. Originality/value – There has been very little research into the speed with which firms in general and service sector firms in particular expand their operations internationally. Through a theory-based analysis of a newly created panel data set this study provides novel insights into the factors that lead retail firms to internationalise rapidly.

The traditional theories developed by Johanson and Vahlne (1977, 1990) and other researchers ofinternationalisation have long been questioned because of the fast-changing environment and deregulations. In particular, for Born Global firms, namely a company that has achieved a foreign sales volume of at least 25% within three years of its inception and that seeks to derive significant competitive advantage from the use of resources and the sales of outputs in multiple countries (Andersson and Wictor, 2003, p. 254), itis a question of surviving by establishing in many markets in a short period of time.This thesis summarises five papers. Paper 1 showed that the CEO´s perception and the fast changing environment push small firms to internationalise and that younger CEOs have an important role in expanding the firm. This is often because of their experiences accumulated inthe organisation over time or because the entrepreneur has been exposed to the international arena and information technologies, which can explain why some small firms continue to expandtheir international activities.The conceptual framework in paper 2 comprises four factors that influence Born Global firms:entrepreneurs, networks, industry and globalisation. To succeed in establishing a global firm it isimportant to have certain resources, such as an entrepreneur with international experience and strong networks. A Born Global entrepreneur is distinguished by his interest and motivation todo business abroad and his vision for the future.Paper 3 focuses on the importance of Born Globals’ foreign market channel strategies. The decision to establish a new market is of great importance for the long-term survival of the company. In this comparative case study, four companies that display different foreign entrymodes are compared. We found that these companies had very different market channel strategies even though they internationalised rapidly.Paper 4 is a study of four companies that indicates that their CEOs are active and involved in making strategic decisions in all parts of a Born Global firm’s value chain activities. Decisions on localisation and outsourcing are influenced by the entrepreneur’s definition of his firm’s core competencies. However, factors outside the firm are also an influence: potential suppliers,outsourcing of manufacturing and potential partners in distribution, especially relating to the riseof new emerging markets (e.g. China). The importance of coordinating value chain activities also influences the localisation of different activities. Entrepreneurs aim to arrange value-creating networks to secure their core manufacturing processes and close relations with local suppliers when they outsource products. In such a case, the entrepreneur can be seen as an orchestrator ina virtual organisation. The ‘global factory’ concept can be adjusted to fit locally for a Born Global company and its environment. Paper 5 focuses on a Born Global company’s way to grow and is a longitudinal study of acompany over 17 years (1990–2007) and its development in the different stages in the growth/life-cycle curve. From inception, the vision is already strong to go global. During thea bove period, the founder, external CEO I and CEO II were interviewed to assess whatcharacterises the different stages of growth over time compared with the growth/life-cycle model of Smallbone and Wyer (2006). The company is still growing and very entrepreneurial. The leadership has changed from a deciding style to a more coaching way of leading. Themanagement and organisation have changed to be more professionalised and team-oriented over8time. Entrepreneurial teams have also become more and more important for transferring knowledge to individuals in the organisation.The traditional models of Johanson and Vahlne (1977, 1990) point out that learning at an organisational level is a main factor in international development over time. However, a way to speed up the development of Born Global firms is entrepreneurial background with long experience and different knowledge serving his vision for the company. Nevertheless, theknowledge transfer from the entrepreneur and his team to the organisation is important. Knight and Cavusgil (2004, p. 137) find that “Born Globals pose an important new challenge to traditional views on the internationalization of the firm”.Johanson and Vahlne (2003) study what happens in companies because of rapid changes in the environment. They suggest that the Uppsala model is still valid, but that the early stage of a firm’sinternationalisation is important to study. Organisational learning is carried out at an individual and an entrepreneurial level. Johanson and Vahlne (1977) focus on the importance of the people working in a market and their learning. In their latest published article by Schweizer et al. (2010,pp. 368–369), they argue that “it is the liability of outsidership rather than the liability offoreignness that gives rise to internationalization difficulties. Outsidership implies that the firm isnot a member of relevant networks. Internationalization can be seen then as taking steps tobecome an insider in relevant networks in focal foreign markets … In their last study it emphasizes the entrepreneurial facets of a firm’s internationalization process”. The above defined background of the entrepreneur, his entrepreneurial way of working and his experience from former jobs also means that he already has the networks necessary for international expansion.The entrepreneur and his team in a Born Global company must from the beginning have the capability and knowledge of the environment and market in a country to establish in the new market as well as the understanding of how to manage the company and organisation. If they do not have this knowledge, they must have a network from which to extract this information. The entrepreneur has to be strongly involved in building and sustaining relationships with both customers and suppliers. In the organisation, he also has to build a powerful culture with decentralisation and empowered employees. The leadership in these companies is charismatic,employees are empowered in their jobs and the teams are entrepreneurial. Employees are therefore also allowed to make their own decisions within certain limits. Networks are important to overcome “perceived barriers on cultural and regulatory issues, those associated with locating partners, plus other matters deemed important to specific management teams” (Crick, 2009, p. 466). Coviello and Cox (2006) find that a company’s network is aresource when it is working with acquisitions and important recruitments. For companies growing over many years such as the Rubber Company studied herein, networks change and the chairman’s networks can be of great importance when core individuals should be recruited as an important part of the company’s strategies.

This thesis investigates the internationalisation of South African Early Rapidly Internationalising Small Firms (ERISFs). Although there has been a shift towards incorporating young small firms from knowledge intensive industries within International Business studies, research on such firms from emerging economies is lacking. There is limited empirical evidence on ERISFs from Sub-Saharan African emerging economies, and the applicability of concepts and theoretical models underpinning the internationalisation of such firms. The potential of ERISFs from emerging economies in enriching and extending the theoretical developments within International Business has largely been ignored. As a result, this research seeks to fill this gap by using the resource based view to link the relevant key concepts which underpin the internationalisation of South African ERISFs.

The aim of this thesis is to understand the phenomena of the high growth and rapid internationalisation of firms from emerging markets. It explores the applicability of international entrepreneurship theory to the context of the emerging market enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It integrates the literature of strategic entrepreneurship and that of portfolio entrepreneurship with the literature of international entrepreneurship to provide a closer fit of applicability in that context. The main research questions of this thesis focus on: why, where, and how do some emerging market enterprises grow fast and internationalise early and rapidly? Particular attention is paid to entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial teams and the entrepreneurial process in the discovery, evaluation, and exploitation of new business opportunities. Despite the strength of the international entrepreneurship theory in identifying the sources of rapid internationalisation for small and medium enterprises from developed markets, it has been criticized for failing to address the same phenomena for firms from emerging markets. This thesis explores why, where, and how the MENA region emerging market firms have attained their spectacular performance over the last few years up to 2008, and contributes to filling the theoretical gap in the literature. This exploratory study suggests that the entrepreneurial and management processes of international business opportunities play an important role in achieving the high growth and rapid internationalisation of firms from emerging markets. A multiple case study strategy was adopted, and qualitative data was collected through interviews with entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial team members in the research site of the emerging markets of the MENA region. Other interviews with financial experts, staff of international financial institutions, and international analysts in specialized publications were conducted in order to achieve triangulation and bias minimization. Guided by a newly formulated conceptual theoretical framework, data was explored and thematically analysed by coding into different categories to enhance the understanding of the processes that underlined the entrepreneurial strategies associated with the rapid internationalisation and high growth of the theoretically sampled case companies. Resource orchestration, innovativeness, entrepreneurial leadership and international diversification were found to be crucial elements employed by lead entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial team members through utilising human and social capital of networks and knowledge throughout the internationalisation process. The findings revealed that integrating the concepts of strategic entrepreneurship and portfolio entrepreneurship with international entrepreneurship produced a coherent approach to the application of those theories to understanding the behaviour of multinational enterprises from the MENA region. However, other valuable themes emerged from the findings. Chief among those are: strategically targeting hostile markets with inefficient institutional competencies and insufficient infrastructure, thus benefiting from a no competition status. Networking internally with entrepreneurial team members and international churning were other key elements revealed by the findings that explained the interactions and processes which enhanced the companies’ rapid internal growth, A recommendation for management practice is made for firms to encourage internal networking with entrepreneurial teams’ members thus enhancing trust and supporting intrapreneurs’ initiatives in identifying and exploiting new international opportunities. A mainstream policy recommendation for emerging markets is to strengthen the private sector performance with government incentives of a financial (tax reductions, banking facilities) and non-financial (political reform, education and health services) nature to encourage such entrepreneurial activities. In addition to its contribution to the theoretical understanding of high growth and rapid internationalisation from emerging markets, the findings of this thesis accentuate the impact of the pattern of internationalisation into antagonistic environments with scarce infrastructure as a strategic entrepreneurship process of deployment of dynamic capabilities to craft unique competitive advantages thus achieving and sustaining high growth and performance in new international markets. This thesis is also unique in compiling the first dataset for MENA region enterprises with similar attributes of high growth and rapid internationalisation.

Au cours des dernières décennies, le nombre d’entreprises s’internationalisant dés leur création, ou très peu de temps après, a connu une croissance significative. Cette tendance a donné naissance à un objet de recherche, que nous appelons Entreprises à Internationalisation Précoce et Rapide (EIPR). D’autres termes sont utilisés dans la littérature pour faire référence à ces entreprises, les plus courants sont Born Global et International New Ventures (INV). L’objet de cette recherche qualitative est de comprendre et expliquer pourquoi et comment le processus de création des EIPR est accompagné d’une internationalisation précoce et rapide à travers une lecture par le Business Model. A cet effet, nous mobilisons le modèle G. R. P. (Verstraete et Jouison-Laffitte, 2009) pour étudier six cas d’EIPR originaires de la région Bordelaise. Ce modèle sert de guide à la collecte de données, à la restitution des cas et à l’analyse thématique inter-cas. La thèse aboutit alors à la formulation de huit propositions dont l’articulation donne lieu à la schématisation d’un modèle explicatif de l’internationalisation précoce et rapide
Since the beginning of the nineties, there has been a significant increase in the number of companies that internationalize very early in their existence with a rapid acceleration process. This trend has given to a new object of investigation, that we call Early and Rapidly Internationalizing Firms (ERIF). Other terms to refer to these firms appear in the literature, the most famous are Born Global and International New Ventures (INV). The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand and to explain why and how the creation process of the ERIF goes through an early and rapid internationalization process. The analysis is made through the Business Model perspective. We mobilise the G. R. P. Model (Verstraete end Jouison-Laffitte, 2009) in order to study six ERIF cases from the Bordeaux region (France). This model served as a guide for data collection, cases restitution and inter-cases thematic analysis. The thesis concludes with eight theoretical propositions and the schematization of an explicative model of early and rapid internationalization

Avec la participation accrue des économies émergentes dans l’économie mondiale, les Born Globals de ces pays deviennent des acteurs significatifs. L’objectif de notre recherche est d’étudier le processus d’internationalisation des Born Globals chinoises, ainsi que d’explorer les facteurs clés expliquant ce processus d’internationalisation précoce et rapide. Pour répondre à notre questionnement, une double méthodologie a été employée : une approche quantitative par une étude exploratoire suivie d’une approche qualitative par une étude de cas multiples. Nous avons choisi la province du Zhejiang comme terrain de recherche, car la plupart des PME de cette région s’orientent dès leur création vers l’international. A partir d’une analyse des littératures relatives à l’internationalisation des PME et des Born Globals, nous avons identifié sept facteurs principaux dans le processus d’internationalisation des Born Globals et nous les avons examinés dans le contexte chinois par une étude exploratoire. Suite à cette étude qui nous a permis d’identifier les dirigeants et les réseaux comme facteurs clés expliquant l’internationalisation rapide des Born Globals chinoises, nous avons réalisé une analyse inter-cas auprès de sept Born Globals chinoises. Cette étude nous a permis de comprendre l’action de ces deux facteurs clés dans l’internationalisation rapide des Born Globals ainsi que leur impact sur ce processus
With the increased participation of emerging countries in the global economy, the Born Globals in these countries become significant players. The aim of our research is to study the internationalization process of Chinese Born Globals and to explore the key factors explaining their early and rapid process of internationalization.To answer our questions, a double methodology was used: a quantitative approach of an exploratory study followed by a qualitative approach of a multiple case study. We choose the Zhejiang province as our research field because most SMEs in this region start to internationalize soon after their creation.From a literature review of the internationalization of SMEs and Born Globals, we have identified seven key factors in the internationalization process of Born Globals and we have examined them in the Chinese context through an exploratory study. Following this exploratory study, which allowed us to identify the leaders and the networks as two key factors explaining the rapid internationalization of Chinese Born Globals, we conducted a cross-case analysis within seven Chinese Born Globals. This study allowed us to understand the functions of these two key factors in the rapid internationalization of Born Globals as well as their impact on this process

Hormis l'intérêt croissant que suscitent l'entrepreneuriat international et l'entrepreneuriat organisationnel comme nouvelles voies de réflexion, la recherche académique dans les deux champs ne semble pas suffisamment insister sur les processus et les dynamiques sous- jacentes de l'internationalisation rapide des PME et de la formation de leurs orientations entrepreneuriales (OE). La présente recherche se donne comme objectif de proposer une compréhension systémique des processus entrepreneuriaux de la PME à internationalisation rapide en plaçant la logique de identification des opportunités d'exportation au cœur de notre réflexion. Le travail s'achèvera par une modélisation qualitative expliquant le phénomène en question.La première partie de cette thèse est consacrée aux fondements théoriques de la recherche, abordant les concepts clés de notre cadre conceptuel. La deuxième partie aborde empiriquement la problématique de la recherche. Après une première analyse de contextualisation, sont présentés et analysés les résultats d'une étude de cas multiples, réalisées au sein de six jeunes PME exportatrices marocaines du secteur agro-industriel.La recherche met en évidence des vecteurs internes (connaissances, expériences et capital social) et des contraintes externes (nature de l'activité et caractéristiques du marché local) comme déterminants de l'internationalisation rapide des PME étudiées. Plus important encore, deux configurations différentes de l'OE sont décrites en relation avec deux logiques distinctes de identification des opportunités d'exportation (une logique de type causale et une autre de type effectuale)
Despite the growing interest in international entrepreneurship and organizational entrepreneurship as new ways of thinking, academic research in both fields does not seem sufficiently emphasize the underlying processes and dynamics of the accelerated internationalization of SMEs and the formation of their entrepreneurial orientation (EO). This research aims to provide a systemic understanding of entrepreneurial processes of the SMEs by placing the logic of determining export opportunities at the heart of our thinking. The work will conclude by a qualitative model explaining the phenomenon in question.The first part of this thesis is devoted to the theoretical foundations of research, addressing key concepts of our conceptual framework. The second part addresses the problem of empirical research. After an initial work of contextualization, are presented and analyzed the results of a multiple case study, conducted in six young Moroccan exporting SMEs in the agro-industrial sector.The research highlights the internal vectors (knowledge, experience and social capital) and external constraints (nature of the activity and the local market characteristics) as determinants of the accelerated internationalization of young SMEs studied. More importantly, two different configurations of the EO dimensions are described in relation with two distinct logics of determining export opportunities (causal logic vs effectuale logic)

Born global firms challenge the traditionally established view on firms’ internationalisation, as they manage to reach international markets rapidly and keep their competitive position despite significant resource limitations and early stage of development. The aim of the thesis is to enhance understanding of the specifics of born global firms by investigating entrepreneur-level determinants of the rapid internationalisation of these firms. The study allowed to set a theoretical framework showing influence of entrepreneur-level determinants of born global firms on their rapid internationalisation. The framework illustrates two groups of entrepreneur-related constructs in an internationalisation literature – those which constitute the potential of an entrepreneur before starting a born global firm, and those which reflect the logic of an entrepreneur, his decision-making schemes throughout the internationalisation process. Study shows how the individual-level determinants influence rapid internationalisation of born global firms. The constructs described are often overlapping, what causes difficulties in interpretation in the international entrepreneurship literature. The thesis highlights the suitability of the integrated approach to the entrepreneur-related constructs which appear in born global literature. The topic of born global firms performance is still relatively new. Taking into consideration constant technological advances in communication and logistics and decline in trade barriers, the born global business model will become more popular worldwide. The field of born global firms research is dynamic and presents an interesting research area for academics and business practitioners.

This chapter considers the effect of globalisation and internationalisation on the Japanese shipping industry from the 1960s onwards. It discusses how the shipping industry was affected by the rapid economic growth of Japan during the 1960s; the slower growth of the late 1970s and early 1980s; the impact of the 1985 Plaza Accord on the yen; and the growth of international competition as a result of globalisation.