A bibliometric analysis of family firm internationalization research: Current themes,theoretical roots,and ways forward

This paper presents a bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review of 161 core contributions concerning family firm internationalization. A bibliographic coupling analysis and a co-citation analysis reveal the richness of family firm internationalization research and help to organize this large body of work into five thematic clusters and seven theoretical roots. By examining the linkages between research themes and theoretical roots, we advance an integrative framework, clarifying the variety of research paths available regarding the internationalization of family firms, and identifying new and important research avenues for further developing the field.     

New directions for international retail joint venture research

Abstract

This paper contends that a range of questions arising from the geographical and organizational dynamics of international retail joint ventures have been bypassed by studies in the international retail field. It argues that, despite its importance as a corporate growth strategy, comparatively less is known about the way in which retailers have employed joint ventures in international markets. Based on a review of the literature and illustrated with examples of international retail joint venturing activity, this paper reveals several gaps in our understanding of the internationalization process of retail firms. Suggestions for further research are made throughout the paper on the basis of gaps in the retailer internationalization literature.     

基于全球价值链视角的地方产业集群国际化发展研究

在经济全球化时代,对于大部分地方产业集群而言,通过嵌入全球价值链实现国际化发展是一个必然过程。本文以价值链理论为基础,以是否嵌入全球价值链为标准,将地方产业集群发展分为内源式和国际化两个阶段,并对地方产业集群国际化发展的类型、方式和程度等进行研究。为了分析转型期发展起来的中国产业集群的国际化发展情况,本文以浙江温州鞋业集群为例,对其进行了实证研究。     

Internationalization of Clustered Companies and the Influence of Resources: A Case Study on Wine Clusters in Brazil and France

Although the importance of local/regional factors in firms' international competitiveness has been increasingly recognized, few studies have investigated the relationship between clusters and the internationalization process of clustered-firms. This theme assumes special relevance for industries that are predominantly organized in territorial agglomerations, or clusters, as is the case of the wine industry. The objective of this paper is to identify the resources generated by the cluster and analyze their influence in the internationalization process of clustered companies. A case study was carried out on two wine clusters: Provence, in Southern France, and Serra Gaúcha, in Southern Brazil. Resource-based theory provides the underlying analytical framework. Both theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.     

Riding the waves of family firm internationalization: A systematic literature review,integrative framework,and research agenda

Despite the proliferation in research efforts, family firm (FF) internationalization scholarship suffers from fragmentation, theoretical limitations, and empirical indeterminacy, leaving important facets unexplored. This article’s purpose is to unpack how this body of research has evolved over time and interfaces international business (IB) theory. We conduct a systematic literature review of relevant theoretical and empirical studies covering the last 30 years of research and comprising 134 articles. Our study contributes to this corpus of knowledge by identifying and discussing four evolutionary waves of FF internationalization research. We further advance an integrative framework that offers a comprehensive understanding of the state-of-the-art as well as promising avenues for future research at the intersection of IB and FFs.     

Reassessing Firm Size in International Marketing Research

This study investigates the relevance and importance of firm size as a current research variable in international marketing while being cognizant of the reasons behind previous researcher's focus on firm size. Utilizing two different databases and analyses, this study integrates existing research on the effects of firm size variables on decisions in international marketing and draws a general conclusion. The main research questions center on whether firm size matters in internationalization decisions and whether firm size is a meaningful proxy for specific firm resources. Our results suggest that the effect of size on internationalization becomes less significant over time and that the effect of firm size on choice of ownership is significantly less than that of other firm-specific variables such as R&D intensity and advertising intensity, suggesting that strategic international marketing decisions are more related to a firm's unique assets than to its size.     

SME internationalization research: Mapping the state of the art

This paper offers a review of published conceptual and empirical studies indexed in the main academic search databases, covering literature on the internationalization of small and medium‐sized firms. We analyzed a total of 554 papers covering the period between 1977 and 2014, and found the following general trends: empirical research focuses mainly on Europe and is characterized by a diversity that identifies 74 different topics. This study provides academics and practitioners with a clear perspective on future directions of SME internationalization and contributes to our understanding of the relevant research to date. Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Managing cross-border knowledge transfer for innovation: An introduction to the special issue

This introduction to the special issue maps the extant research on managing crossborder knowledge for innovation and classifies it into four clusters: knowledge spillovers and location, international alliances and R&D networks, knowledge transfer and absorptive capacity, and learning organization and capabilities. The eleven articles that compose the special issue are introduced, and a future agenda for international business research is proposed.     

Mergers & acquisitions research: A bibliometric study of top strategy and international business journals, 1980–2010

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are important modes through which firms carry out their domestic and international strategies and have been noted as the CEOs favorite strategy. As a significant field of study, M&A-research has accumulated substantial knowledge. This bibliometric study examines the extant strategy and international business literature on M&As. Methodologically, we examined a sample of 334 articles published in sixteen leading management/business journals, during a 31 year period — from 1980 to 2010. The results provide a global perspective of the field, identifying the works that have had the greater impact, the intellectual interconnections among authors and works, the main research traditions, or themes, delved upon on M&A-related research. Structural and longitudinal analyses reveal the changes in the intellectual structure of the field over time. A discussion on the accumulated knowledge and future research avenues concludes this paper.     

The Internationalization of Small and Medium-Sized Firms

This paper contributes to the existing research by integrating the notions of organizational learning and entrepreneurial orientation into the body of international entrepreneurship. Our primary framework combines learning theory and the new venture theory of internationalization to study the extent to which small and medium-sized companies engage in international activities. We found that the firms’ international learning effort and entrepreneurial orientation are positively associated with internationalization intent whereas domestic learning effort is negatively related with internationalization intent. Overall, our results suggest (1) that intensive knowledge renewal and exploitation regarding foreign markets and the internationalization process itself may increase internationalization by affecting the perceptions of opportunities offered by further international expansion, and (2) that firms with an entrepreneurial mindset may be more likely to develop a long-term, substantial presence in the international arena, compared to firms that are more reactive or conservative.     

市场邻近性模型:国际零售商海外扩张市场选择的一种理论解释

零售商海外扩张的区域选择问题是零售国际化研究的一个重点。本文在综合了大量的国外相关研究的基础之上 ,通过实证分析 ,构建出国际零售商海外扩张市场选择的一种理论框架 :市场邻近性模型。并由地理、经济、文化这三个基本要素组成的市场邻近三角形扩展成由文化、经济、社会、公共政策以及零售结构组成的市场邻近五角模型 ,为国际零售商海外扩张的市场选择 ,尤其是国际化初期阶段的市场选择提供了理论依据。     

Human capital and SME internationalization: a structural equation modeling study

This study uses a structural equation modeling technique to predict the internationalization of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) from the entrepreneur's human capital (dimensions: international business skills, international orientation, environmental perception, and management know‐how). While international orientation and environmental risk perception predicted internationalization, international business skills and management know‐how did not. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed. Copyright © 2007 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Learning and knowledge in early internationalization research: Past accomplishments and future directions

This article provides an evaluative overview of international entrepreneurship literature, in which the issues of learning and knowledge feature as central components underlying the causes, processes, and outcomes of early internationalization. We rely on Huber's (1991) categorization of five knowledge acquisition types - experiential learning, vicarious learning, searching, grafting, and congenital learning - to organize our review and to guide our examination of the literature. We discuss convergent findings in terms of conceptual and empirical issues and set forth areas for future research.     

Retail internationalization: A review and directions for future research

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a review of scholarly articles that have examined retail internationalization issues. We identify three core areas within RI research: (1) RI drivers and impediments, (2) RI strategy, and (3) RI performance. We also discuss four RI strategy issues that have been examined: (1) RI speed, (2) Foreign market selection, (3) Foreign entry mode, and (4) Strategy employed. Based on the review, we point to multiple areas where RI research is lacking and can contribute to the advancement of the field as well as offer insightful implications for international retail managers.     

Changing barriers to the internationalization of franchising operations: Perceptions of domestic and international franchisors

This study examines factors that inhibit the internationalization of franchising operations. The factors are classified along the dimensions of importance and difficulty. The perceptions of domestic franchisors and international franchisors are compared. The results indicate that different factors inhibit internationalization of franchising efforts depending upon the stage of the franchising process. Comparisons of the results with previous studies indicate that significant changes have occurred in the perceived importance, changes which are understandable in light of changes in franchising practices as well as changes in the international environment. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Export barriers and path to internationalization: A comparison of conventional enterprises and international new ventures

Twenty years after the seminal work on rapid and early internationalization, export barrier research remains detached from this path of internationalization. Thus far, export research has largely disregarded the relationship between path to internationalization and the influence of export constraints. This paper opens a new thoroughfare of inquiry by distinguishing international new ventures from conventional enterprises on the basis of the export barrier construct. Using a sample of 129 small multinational enterprises, our logistic regression model separates international new ventures from conventional enterprises, with accuracy approaching 80 % on the basis of eight underlying export barrier factors. Our results convey two dynamic implications: In the realm of export research, we demonstrate that export barriers can indeed predict the path to internationalization. Thus, gradual internationalization is induced by skill and knowledge shortages, while rapid internationalization ensues from positive managerial orientation and lack of confidence in the host market. From a policymaking perspective, this study provides a basis for predicting the international new venture-to-conventional enterprise ratio within the population as well as an instructive basis for needs-based targeting of incentives.     

Five decades of research on export barriers: Review and future directions

Although research on export barriers spans five decades, no single prior study has systematically reviewed findings in this field. This study enriches the discourse on internationalization through a systematic review of the factors associated with export barriers, the theories underpinning this, and the exact nature of the relationships. Findings indicate the bulk of empirical studies focus on drivers of export barriers. The study identifies thirty-six such variables, falling in the categories of firm demographics, export venture characteristics, managerial factors, environmental and operational factors, and international trading environment. Smaller sub-streams of research investigate export barriers as predictors, mediators, and moderators. A vote counting approach dissects the associations (i.e. positive, negative, and weak) between the various factors and export barriers. Moreover, the study identifies four explicit (i.e. resource-based view, incremental internationalization, network, and institutional theories) and two implicit (i.e. attribution and rationalization) theories underlying the associations. Concerning research design and methodology, the study highlights the underrepresentation of emerging markets, longitudinal studies, cross-national comparisons, and advanced multivariate analytical tools. Finally, the study draws key implications for managers, policymakers, and educators, before setting an agenda for future research.     

The rapid internationalization of high technology firms created through the commercialization of academic research

This article uses the international entrepreneurship framework developed by Jones, M. V., & Coviello, N. E. (2005). Internationalization: Conceptualizing an entrepreneurial process of behavior in time. Journal of International Business Studies, 36(3): 284–303, to explore the internationalization of high technology firms created through the commercialization of academic research. In particular, the effect of networks and entrepreneurial orientation is explored. Theoretical sampling resulted in four cases being studied. The data suggests that the “fundamental” networks of the academics involved in the firms assisted in the identification and exploitation of initial opportunities to internationalize. The research also suggests that only certain dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation impacted the internationalization of firms. Specifically, risk taking, technological innovativeness, and autonomy in certain parts of the organization assist in the entrepreneurial stages, while proactiveness and product–market innovativeness assist the success of firms internationally.     

The CAGE around cyberspace? How digital innovations internationalize in a virtual world

This paper analyzes some salient factors affecting the internationalization speed of digital innovations by tracking international penetrations of 127 apps at Apple's app store. Although apps are globally available via online platforms, their international penetration is still subject to cultural, administrative, geographic, and economic (CAGE) distances that act as user adoption barriers to impede app internationalization. App developers may overcome these barriers by employing the demand-side strategies of engaging users in value co-creation. We contribute to an improved understanding of internationalization process in a digital context and also extend demand-side perspective to inform international entrepreneurship research.