Expansion to foreign markets: Usaflex

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Paula Holanda Cavalcanti Sirimarco ◽  
Luiza Neves Marques da Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
International Market ◽  
Domestic Market ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
International Expansion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
The Impact

Learning outcomes The case seeks to meet the following educational objectives: provide an understanding of the problems and opportunities faced by a company doing business in a rapidly expanding emerging market. Understand how the foreign environment and industry practices impinge on the company’s strategic conduct. Develop the ability to evaluate strategic internationalization decisions in light of considerations related to uncertainty, risk and commitment. Provide for the application of internationalization theories to a real case involving an emerging country company. Discuss new strategies for international market expansion. Case overview/synopsis This case study is about the strategic change of the Usaflex brand and how it impacted its national and international expansion. Usaflex is a Brazilian footwear company founded in 1998 and acquired in 2016 by a group of partners. The new managers started an accelerated process of national and international expansion. In the domestic market, the company adopted the franchise system and in the international market used licensed stores. In addition, the new management implemented a series of modifications, changing the positioning, design and product variety, as well as the communication strategy. This process took place in a highly negative context, with the domestic market suffering the impact of a strong recession and Brazilian footwear exports losing competitiveness in the international market. Complexity academic level The targeted audience of this case is undergraduate and MBA students of Business Management courses, specifically on International Business courses. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 5: International Business.

Small and medium enterprises’ internationalisation and business strategy: some evidence from firms located in an emerging market

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Zamberi Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
International Expansion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the international business strategy, key driving factors and the major barriers that may hinder the internationalisation progress of Malaysian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach – Based on the aims of the study, the paper encompasses both quantitative and qualitative data. For quantitative data, structured questionnaires were used, and a total of 216 SMEs that engaged in international business participated using purposeful sampling, covering all the states in Peninsular Malaysia. For the collection of qualitative data, the study involved in-depth interviews with 25 owners/managers of SMEs. Findings – The findings indicate that the motives of SMEs for international expansion are varied, and that SMEs still face many institutional challenges, which have prevented them from making a greater contribution. Research limitations/implications – Due to lack of resources, firms from West Malaysia were included. West Malaysian firms may well possess characteristics concerning the challenges and issues to internationalisation that are unique to their region. Originality/value – The paper addresses a knowledge gap in respect of the internationalisation process of SMEs in the context of Southeast Asia. The findings of this paper will have relevance for policymaking and supportive measures at the government level to create an environment that will stimulate the competitiveness of SMEs in their attempts for internationalisation.

Strategic change: the impact of senior foreign managers, firm size and uncertainty avoidance

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiattichai Kalasin
Keyword(s):  
Firm Size ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Top Management Team ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Management Team ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Focal Firm ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine how senior foreign executives in a top management team catalyse strategic change in firms that originated from emerging markets (EMs). It further examines the moderating effects of organisational size and uncertainty avoidance (UA) on the positive relationship between senior foreign manager and strategic change in an organisation. Design/methodology/approach The panel data econometrics and multilevel analyses were adopted to run the model. The author tests hypotheses on 263 emerging market firms (EMFs), originating from nine EMs. Findings Empirical results reveal that senior foreign managers are active agents who can promote and implement strategic change in an organisation. They possess a different set of values, knowledge and experiences that can trigger strategic change. In addition, firm size and UA weaken the relationship between senior foreign manager ratio and strategic change of a firm.. Practical implications This study indicates that recruiting committees of EMFs should consider hiring senior foreign managers to foster a higher degree of strategic change. Nevertheless, firm size and UA may impose implementation difficulties for senior, foreign managers. As a result, the focal firm should be flexible and open to change. Originality/value This study aims to contribute to strategic change and top management team internationalisation literature by promoting the role of senior foreign managers and national culture on strategic change.

Internationalization pathways and the performance of SMEs

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 420-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Fernández Olmos ◽  
Isabel Díez-Vial
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
International Market ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Expansion Process ◽  
Export Intensity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Coordination Costs ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the chosen specific internationalization pathway on the relationship between internationalization and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyses the internationalization pathway among small- and medium-sized enterprises which internationalize through exporting and are more limited in terms of the resources they can leverage across markets. Findings – Empirical evidence obtained from a sample of wineries in La Rioja shows that the internationalization – export performance relationship is characterized by a U-shaped curve for firms with a gradual internationalization pathway, and an S-shaped curve for firms with an accelerated internationalization pathway. Research limitations/implications – This empirical study on the impact of export intensity on performance has acknowledged the importance of costs caused by the liability of foreignness and the transaction and coordination costs involved in each market expansion process. However, it has not examined the effect of differences in absorptive and coordination capabilities at the firm level. Practical implications – The findings about the role of the specific internationalization pathway in driving export intensity and performance appear to be relevant from a public-policy perspective. Local policies aimed at promoting exports have been widely based on the argument that firms can improve their performance through increasing their level of international sales. However, empirical evidence shows that these efforts may not work as well as was thought, unless combined with the right market expansion pathway and the optimal level of exports associated with this international market expansion. Social implications – Most studies on the effect of international market expansion on firm performance have not considered the influence of the specific market expansion pathway chosen. In taking this factor into account, this paper contributes to the existing body of work by developing an integrative theoretical framework that explores how the pathway of internationalization impacts on firms’ performance. Originality/value – Most studies on the effect of international market expansion on firm performance have not considered the influence of the specific market expansion process chosen. In taking this factor into account, this paper contributes to the existing body of work by developing an integrative theoretical framework that explores how the process of international market expansion impacts on firms’ performance.

scholarly journals Explaining the surge in M&A as an entry mode: home country and cultural influences

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agyenim Boateng ◽  
Min Du ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Chengqi Wang ◽  
Mohammad F. Ahammad
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Entry Mode ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
International Expansion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Expansion Behaviour

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the trends, patterns and the impact of cultural and home country macroeconomic influences on Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (CBM&A) as foreign entry strategy for the period of 1998-2011. Design/methodology/approach Using three regression models, namely, ordinary least squares, the random effects and fixed effects to examine the impact of home country macroeconomic and cultural factors on CBM&A outflows as an entry mode of Chinese firms. The authors check the robustness of the results using system GMM. Findings The findings suggest that CBM&A as a preferred mode of market entry provides a means for obtaining strategic resources to develop competitive advantages for the Chinese emerging market firms. The regression results indicate that home country macroeconomic and cultural variables, including gross domestic product (GDP), liquidity, interest rates, inflation, acquisitions in resource seeking sectors and cultural distance play an important role in explaining the trends of CBM&A outflows by the Chinese firms. Research limitations/implications The results imply that government support to emerging market multinational enterprises (EMEs) to acquire strategic assets and economic policies in the home country play an important role in shaping international expansion behaviour of EMEs through CBM&A. The study demonstrates that outward investments of EMEs are partly a function of the level of economic policies and government support at home. The limitation is that most of the Chinese CBM&A transactions took place in Asia/Pacific locations. Future studies appear warranted if new data become available. Originality/value The study demonstrates how the institutions, strategic asset seeking with government support and economic policies in the home country play important role in shaping international expansion behaviour of emerging market enterprises through CBM&A thereby contributing to the political economy literature and institutional theory. More importantly, the study shows that the level of economic policies and development such as GDP, money supply, interest rates, inflation of the home country are important for EME growth in the international market.

“Monica and Friends”: the challenge to internationalize

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Maria Luiza Carvalho de Aguillar Pinho ◽  
Angela Maria Cavalcanti da Rocha ◽  
Celso Roberto de Aguillar Pinho ◽  
Cristiane Junqueira Giovannini
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
International Marketing ◽  
Comic Book ◽  
Entry Mode ◽  
International Market ◽  
Decision Processes ◽  
Market Selection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Animation Industry

Subject area International business or International marketing. Study level/applicability The case is recommended for undergraduate and graduate courses in the fields of international business and international marketing. The aim is to show students the problems that a family business in the animation industry faces while growing and internationalizing. Specifically, the case discusses the entry mode selection and market selection challenges faced by an emerging market company in the comic book and animation industry to operate overseas and compete with entertainment giants such as Disney and DC Comics. The case enables the instructor to discuss international market selection theories and evaluate entry modes. For graduate students, the international market selection can be further developed by using more robust concepts such as psychic and cultural distance. Case overview This case examines the trajectory of a pioneering company in the comic book and animation industries, and in the licensing of trademarks in Brazil. Mauricio de Sousa Productions was founded in 1959 and is considered to be one of the most successful cultural producers in the country. According to a leading Brazilian public opinion research agency, 97 per cent of Brazilian children and 96 per cent of their parents are familiar with the Monica and Friends characters. As one of the main players in the publishing market, with 86 per cent of market share, Mauricio de Sousa Productions has a product portfolio that goes beyond Monica and Friends comic strips: the company’s show on the Cartoon Network ranks third in audience viewing in the country and the company has produced animated movies, books, shows and games. However, despite its experience in publishing comic books in several countries, Mauricio de Sousa Productions (MSP)’s worldwide operations have not been as profitable and sustainable as expected. Aiming at expanding its global presence, MSP’s top management decided in 2014 to review the company’s internationalization strategy and operations to enhance the firm’s performance. Expected learning outcomes The case highlights the key factors facing firms when expanding from an emerging markets. Students are expected to discuss and evaluate options, thus developing their knowledge and decision processes related to family-owned business challenges and opportunities, international market selection theories and international market entry mode. Developing strategies to face challenges as those presented by competitors such as Disney should bring opportunities to students to think outside models and weigh risks. Finally, the case gives students opportunity to base their decision processes and evaluations on logistics problems as well as psychic and cultural distances. It also compels the students to appreciate the various challenges involved in exploiting international market with animation content and intellectual properties as a service. Supplementary materials Company presentation to use in the discussion introduction can be found in: www.monicaandfriends.com/content/video.php Subject code CSS 5: International business.

From Asia to Africa: the international expansion of Hon Chuan enterprise

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Caleb Huanyong Chen ◽  
Allan KK Chan
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
International Business ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
International Expansion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Customer ◽  
Beverage Packaging

Subject area International Expansion; Emerging Markets; Corporate Strategy; Strategic Management. Study level/applicability Senior undergraduate; MBA; EMBA. Case overview This case focuses on the international expansion of Hon Chuan Enterprise, a beverage packaging and filling company headquartered in Taiwan. The company has set foot in Africa after its development in mainland China and Southeast Asia. Its 41st factory has just started production in Mozambique, Africa. The African base may help the company reach the turnover milestone of NT$20bn (approximately US$640m) in the next year. This NT$20bn turnover has been a target every year since 2013, but they have so far failed to reach it. As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in beverage packaging and filling, Hon Chuan to some extent relies on customers that own brands. After losing a key customer in mainland China, the company has experienced a three-year slump that forced the company’s president, Hish-Chung Tsao, to modify his strategy. Africa was the new battlefield bearing his ambition. His intention was not just to add another manufacturing base, but to develop its own beverage brands as an OBM. Yet, how could this be achieved in Africa? It would be a new journey full of challenges. Africa was more complex than other markets. The company’s first factory there had just been established, and its future was still unknown. Expected learning outcomes This case is appropriate for courses in international business, emerging markets, corporate strategy and marketing management. After studying the case, students should be able to understand international expansion of a manufacturing company in emerging markets; understand several key emerging markets of the world and learn what CAGE distances are; identify Hon Chuan’s success factors, challenges and necessary capabilities for future development and then comprehend why it is important to upgrade from OEM to OBM; and learn how to develop beverage brands in emerging markets. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 5: International Business.

scholarly journals The drivers of economic growth in China and India: globalization or financial development?

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda Kandil ◽  
Muhammad Shahbaz ◽  
Mantu Kumar Mahalik ◽  
Duc Khuong Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Financial Development ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Causality Test ◽  
Content Type ◽  
China And India ◽  
Integration Test ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Using annual data from 1970 to 2013 for China and India, this paper aims to examine the impact of globalization and financial development on economic growth by endogenizing capital and inflation and drawing comparisons between the two fastest growing emerging market economies. Design/methodology/approach In the long run, co-integration test results indicate that financial development increases economic growth in China and India. Findings The results also reveal that globalization accelerates economic growth in India but, surprisingly, impairs economic growth in China, as it increases competition for exports. The results furthermore disclose that acceleration in capitalization and inflation, as a proxy for aggregate demand, are positively linked to economic growth in China and India. Originality/value Causality test results indicate that both financial development and economic growth are interdependent. In contrast, causality runs from higher economic growth to increased globalization in India, while the results do not support long-term causality between globalization and economic growth in China.

Overcoming economic liminality: internationalization of B2B SME’s from a small emerging economy

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barney G. Pacheco ◽  
Syed Akhter
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Market ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Emerging Economy ◽  
Foreign Market Entry ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Internationalization Strategies ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Current research on small to medium enterprise (SME) internationalization has generated valuable insight but continues to overlook the activities of business-to-business (B2B) SMEs located in small emerging economies. This study aims to fill this gap by testing the applicability of the ownership, location and internalization (OLI) framework to understand the internationalization strategies of small B2B firms in Trinidad and Tobago, a small emerging Caribbean economy. Design/methodology/approach The study used a qualitative research design, which involved in-depth interviews with senior executives of three firms in the B2B sector who were knowledgeable about their firm’s internationalization process. Thematic analysis was then used to understand the motivations and strategies underpinning the internationalization approach adopted by each firm. Findings Contrary to the stereotype of SMEs in emerging markets as fragile enterprises, there is evidence that firms exploited the development of innovative products and processes to facilitate foreign market entry and expansion. Additionally, firms overcame resource limitations by relying on governmental ties and leveraging networking opportunities. The findings also call attention to the impact of organizational learning and the role of knowledge as a dynamic capability. Originality/value Both the context of the study and the application of the OLI framework contributes to the extant literature by yielding substantive insights into the internationalization strategies of B2B firms in a small emerging economy. The findings further highlight how the OLI framework can be supplemented by other theoretical perspectives to better understand internationalization by emerging market SMEs.

Does investment in innovation impact firm performance in emerging economies? An empirical investigation of the Indian food and agricultural manufacturing industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-248
Author(s):  
Manogna R.L. ◽  
Aswini Kumar Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Emerging Economy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agricultural Industry ◽  
Indian Food ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The study aims to analyze the impact of Research & Development (R&D) intensity on the firm’s performance, measured by growth of sales in the emerging market like India. Innovation strategy and its outcomes for firms may be different in developing countries as compared to developed countries. Thus, a study that focuses on the emerging economy like India, with a majority of the population dependent on agriculture, is of prime importance to the firm performance in the food and agricultural manufacturing industry. For this study, the broader focus will be on one widely recognised factor which may influence the growth rate of firms, i.e. investment in innovations which is in terms of R&D expenditure. Design/methodology/approach The paper investigates the relationship between the R&D efforts and growth of firms in the Indian food and agricultural manufacturing industry during 2001–2019. To empirically test the relationship between firm’s growth (FG) and R&D investments, system generalised method of moments technique has been used, hence enabling to avoid problems related to endogeneity and simultaneity. Findings The findings reveal that investments in innovations have a positive effect on the growth of firms in the Indian food and agricultural manufacturing industry. Investment in R&D also enables the firms to reap benefits from externalities present in the industry. Further analysis reveals that younger firms grow faster when they invest in R&D. More specifically, this paper finds evidence in the case of the food and agricultural industry that import of raw materials negatively affects the FG and export intensity positively affects the growth in the case of R&D firms. Research limitations/implications This study suggests that the government should encourage the industries to invest optimally in R&D projects by providing favourable fiscal treatments and R&D subsidies which are observed to have positive effects in various developed countries. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, the current paper is the first to analyse the impact of innovation in food and agricultural industry on firm’s performance in an emerging economy context with the latest data. This paper agrees that a government initiative to increase private R&D expenditure would have favourable effects on FG as growing investments in R&D lead to further growth of the firms.

Earnings management and audit quality at Damascus securities exchange: Does managerial ownership matter?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zukaa Mardnly ◽  
Zinab Badran ◽  
Sulaiman Mouselli
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Managerial Ownership ◽  
External Audit ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the individual and combined effect of managerial ownership and external audit quality, as two control mechanisms, on earnings management. Design/methodology/approach This study applies ordinary least squares estimates on fixed-time effects panel regression model to test the impact of the investigated variables on earnings management for the whole population of banks and insurance companies listed at Damascus Securities Exchange (DSE) during the period from 2011 to 2018. Findings The empirical evidence suggests a negative non-linear relationship between managerial ownership (as proxied by board of directors’ ownership) on earnings management. However, neither audit quality nor the simultaneous effect of the managerial ownership and audit quality (Big 4) affects earnings management. Research limitations/implications DSE is dominated by the financial sector and the number of observations is constrained by the recent establishment of DSE and the small number of firms listed at DSE. In addition, the non-availability of data on executive directors’ and foreign ownerships restrict our ability to uncover the impact of different dimensions of ownership structure on earnings management. Practical implications First, it stimulates investors to purchase stocks in financial firms that enjoy both high managerial ownership, as they seem enjoying higher earnings quality. Second, the findings encourage external auditors to consider the ownership structure when choosing their clients as the financial statements’ quality is affected by this structure. Third, researchers may need to consider the role of managerial ownership when analyzing the determinants of earnings management. Originality/value It fills the gap in the literature, as it investigates the impact of both managerial ownership and audit quality on earnings management in a special conflict context and in an unexplored emerging market of DSE. It suggests that managerial ownership exerts a significant role in controlling earnings management practices when loose regulatory environment combines conflict conditions. However, external audit quality fails to counter earnings management practices when conditions are fierce.

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