Center for Research and Innovation in Business Sciences and Information Systems

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Publications

Exploring Drivers and Barriers, Failure and Resilience, Success Factors and Strategies in Firms’ Internationalisation: Literature Review and Research Agenda

Publication . Galvão, Anderson; Mendes, Telma; Mascarenhas, Carla; Marques, Carla

The literature that studies firms’ internationalisation has become very extensive and fragmented, taking different approaches and contributing across diverse facets of internationalisation. Therefore, there is a need to analyse and systematise those issues that received increasing attention in the international business field. Accordingly, this study aims to develop a systematic literature review on the internalisation process. We correspondingly make resources to the Web of Science database and analyse a total of 270 articles, spanning the period from 1996 to 2022, to identify the core issues and contributions made by the existing literature. The results enable the categorisation of the extant research into five main areas: (i) successful internationalisation, (ii) internationalisation strategies, (iii) failure and resilience, (iv) drivers and stimuli, and (v) barriers and obstacles. This structuring then established the grounds for grasping the gaps existing in the literature and to propose future research agenda.

2023-09-22Journal article

Open access

Looking back and looking forward: A multidisciplinary review of the speed of internationalization and future research directions

Publication . Mendes, Telma; González-Loureiro, Miguel; Braga, Vítor; Silva, Carina

Objectives: An increasing amount of research on the speed of internationalization has shown that this concept has found application across multiple contexts. However, this straddling of multidisciplinary domains fragments the academic understanding on the topic. Considering the growing interest in the speed of internationalization, this study seeks to provide an overview of the trajectory and evolution of the research field. Theoretical Framework: Building upon the review of 200 articles published in Web of Science and Scopus indexed journals, this article develops a context-specific research agenda, whereas discloses the main theoretical approaches used so far. Method: We combined a Correspondence Analysis (CA) along with a Delphi study of prolific authors and practitioners working on the speed of internationalization, we provide a multidisciplinary academic literature. Results/Implications: Our findings offer a holistic picture of the current scholarly research, outlining its key theoretical approaches, research themes, levels of research, and potential areas for future development on this topic.

2023-06-27Conference object

Open access

On causality between sucessful internationalization and profitability: The case of the moderating effect of earliness in new ventures

Publication . Mendes, Telma; González-Loureiro, Miguel; Silva, Carina

Objectives: We aim to explore whether the earliness of internationalization can change the direction of causality in the binomial internationalization-profitability. Theoretical Framework: The main theoretical explanation lies at the speed of the learning advantages of newness to address the contingent uncertainty of the (lack) of knowledge of the new international market, combining the Uppsala-Model and the International Entrepreneurship theories. Method: We performed a multigroup analysis using the most up-to-date technique among the available structural equation cross-lagged models for testing causality under the impulse-response approach. This enables the investigation of the long-term rather than the short-term Granger- Sims’ causal effects in a longitudinal data set of 1,258 new ventures over five years after the first international market entry. Results/Implications: Earliness of internationalization can be a key to understand both the sign and the direction of causality and its persistence over time. We augment the Uppsala Model with the causality of these relationships. For practitioners, they should know that the organizational time to go international can be a source of only temporary but not persistent advantages for early entrants.

2023-06-26Conference object

Open access

How do managers behave? An analysis toward the cognitive configurations affecting Industry 4.0 adoption in international SMEs

Publication . Mendes, Telma; González-Loureiro, Miguel; Braga, Vítor

Objectives: The adoption of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often rests on its positive evaluation from managers, decision-makers, and entrepreneurs. Because of the mixed outcomes attainable through the SMEs’ openness to disruptive changes, managers must weigh the beneficial aspects of I4.0 adoption against the complexities, challenges, and drawbacks coming from its implementation. This study aims to shed light on the multifaceted nature of decision-making processes related to willingness or reluctance toward I4.0 adoption in international SMEs. Theoretical Framework: Our theorizing includes the dual-process theory (DPT) and complexity theory to explain the patterns of factors stimulating or constraining I4.0 implementation. Method: To test our propositions, we employ fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) on a sample of 157 managers and entrepreneurs working in international SMEs. Results/Implications: The results outline that decisional recipes associated with willingness to adopt I4.0 for internationalization are different than those associated with reluctance. This empirical evidence contributes to the “human side of I4.0” by providing reporting the specific combinations of cognitive and contextual factors of decision-makers in international SMEs concerning I4.0 practices.

2023-06-26Conference object

Open access

A bibliometric review of the barriers hindering or delaying the internationalization process: State of the art and future directions

Publication . Galvão, Anderson; Marques, Carla; Mendes, Telma; Mascarenhas, Carla

In an increasingly global world, the internationalization process plays an essential role in the company's growth, becoming more important when the domestic market is smaller. This study's main objective is to identify and map studies on barriers to internationalization in order to identify current and future trends that allow inducing new forms and perspectives in the field of research, filling the existing gaps. For the development of this study, we used the collection of articles published in the Web of Science database due to its wide coverage in internationally indexed articles of recognized quality by the scientific community. The results of this study make it possible to identify and map the main obstacles that companies in the textile sector face at the time of internationalization. These results can lead to new ways and perspectives in the field of research and new policies that help companies to overcome these barriers and fill the existing gaps.

2022-11Working paper

Open access