A Systematic Literature Review about the Speed of Internationalization

The speed of internationalization or rapid internationalization is one of the most fascinating and researched topics in international business due to its practical importance for the international competitiveness of international firms. This paper aims to identify the determiners of internationalization speed using a systematic literature review of more than 50 current, peer-reviewed articles as research method. Based on an analysis of the topical evolution of the main internationalization theories, the main determiners of internationalization speed are categorized in environmental framing conditions, business resources, and business activities. To advance research about the determiners of internationalization speed, this paper suggests a conceptual framework of three research propositions about the impact of internationalization speed and its variations over time and in different industries and markets using sophisticated research methods to establish causal relationships.

Up-Fuse: International growth of an Egyptian eco-friendly social enterprise

Learning outcomes The case is meant as a way for students to develop ideas related to the challenges facing environmental eco-friendly social enterprises that sell their products in a country like Egypt where consumers are way behind considering the value of their products. In response to these challenges, students learn to evaluate the company status quo by analyzing its weaknesses, strengths and opportunities to grow and expand geographically to a new market. Students also learn about the growth expansion strategies and internationalization modes, options and associated barriers. Accordingly, they can plan the marketing strategies associated with entering this new market for up-cycled products. Objective 1: Analyze the international geographical growth alternative for an enterprise that improves its scalability applying weaknesses, strengths, threats and opportunities analysis. Objective 2: Propose a strategic plan for growth and scalability. Objective 3: Discuss the various modes of doing business in foreign countries. Recommend an internationalization mode for a social enterprise to explore in a new market. Objective 4: Assess the possible barriers associated with internationalization modes and how to overcome them. Objective 5: Propose marketing strategies for an eco-friendly enterprise to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness in the international host market. Other topics that might be discussed in this case include consumer behavior toward environmentally friendly products. Pricing challenges faced by ecologically friendly firms in developing countries. Case overview/synopsis Rania and Yara were inspired by Germany’s approach to waste reduction, particularly plastic bags. In 2017, after winning several competitions and awards, Up-Fuse was officially established as a social enterprise. The entrepreneurs faced great challenges selling sustainable products made of plastic waste to Egyptian consumers. Egyptian consumers were not fully aware of the value of eco-friendly products which presented a great challenge for Up-Fuse to grow and sell their products in Egypt. After shifting its pricing strategy and expanding beyond the local recycled product markets, Up-Fuse further faced fierce competition from well-established local and international brands with larger market shares. Thus, most of Up-Fuse’s sales were generated from expats and foreigners. In response to local obstacles and limitations, Rania began to consider targeting international markets. Rania thought it was the opportune time to drive growth through geographic expansion. After all, in 2020, Up-Fuse had some minor success when the co-founders experimented with exporting their products to the US market. Rania’s co-founder Yara, on the other hand, felt that the enterprise was not yet ready to enter a new market and it would be wiser to emphasize growth in the local Egyptian market. The co-founders were torn between two growth strategies. On one hand, they faced intense local competition for their products. On the other, expanding by entering a new market came with many challenges. Which growth strategy should Up-Fuse adopt? How could Up-Fuse determine which market to penetrate? What were the possible scalability challenges they faced by entering a new market? How could Up-Fuse reach and increase their international customer base abroad? What was the best marketing strategy for their products? Complexity academic level This case would be appropriate for graduate students enrolled in marketing, consumer behavior, international marketing, international business and social entrepreneurship courses. This case is written at a graduate level and would also be appropriate for use in customized or short programs. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CCS 5: International Business.

Tradition or innovation? Cafe Galavis, a brand with an international vision

Research methodology An interview was conducted with the general manager and semi-structured interviews with Likert scale to the main clients, collaborators and suppliers to establish the key competencies of the firm. Secondary information was collected through the organization’s historical and strategic documents. Learning outcomes At the end of the case study, students will be able to learn international marketing, innovation, strategic management, international business strategy; analyze the brand equity construct through the associative neural network model for decision-making; determine the internationalization strategy using the dual pressures model and sources of competitive advantage for international marketing management; and propose the innovation of a product by applying creativity techniques or innovation models to enter international markets. Case overview/synopsis Café Galavis is a family business leader in the production and commercialization of roasted and ground coffee for 103 years in Colombia. The new chief executive officer recovered the financial stability during his management during the period from 2015 to 2019, implementing internationalization processes. However, the sanitary crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in Colombia, generated an economic recession, which led to a decrease in coffee consumption. How to innovate in the development of a product or service in times of pandemic? What internationalization strategy implement? These are the challenges that the new management and its collaborators will confront. Complexity academic level The teaching case is aimed at students of postgraduate academic programs in areas Management or MBA. In the modules of Marketing the case allows the orientation of the concepts of brand equity or branding. Likewise, in the modules of International Management, the definition of the internationalization strategy through the analysis of dual pressures and sources of competitive advantage. Finally, in the modules of Innovation different methodologies or techniques for innovation can be applied such as: SCAMPER, Design thinking or the Stage Gate Model. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 5: International Business

The Importance of Digital Transformation in International Business

This study was developed under the scope of a Portuguese project focused on the entrepreneur’s perspective and perception on the internationalization process of his company: more specifically, about the factors that enhanced the company entry into foreign markets as well as the constraints found in this process. This work focuses on the importance of using digital transformation to integrate technological tools in international business practice and strategy and the obstacles encountered with introducing these new technologies. This study aims to determine the relationships between technology categories and obstacles. The final goal is to assess the impact of these characteristics of the companies by the sector of economic activity, size, and percentage of profits resulting from international expansion. A questionnaire was designed and sent by email to 8183 companies from the AICEP database, distributed by three main activity sectors. A total of 310 valid answers were gathered from the Portuguese internationalized companies. The research limitations are related to the reduced number of interviews. These interviews showed that managers were not aware of the concept of digital transformation and misunderstood the use of digital technologies in the internationalization process of the business. This limitation can add some bias to the qualitative results. In addition to these limitations, the number of responses per sector was also not homogeneous. The practical implications of this study are that managers and top-level executives can use that to better understand how companies could use digital tools and what obstacles they should avoid when they want to internationalize their business. This paper is one of the first research contributions to analyze the impact of digital transformation in the internalization of Portuguese companies.

Impact of organizational dynamic capability on international expansion and the moderating role of environmental dynamism

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of dynamic capability (DC) of organizations on international expansion and further investigate the moderating role of environmental dynamism in the same context. Design/methodology/approach Based on the dynamic capability view (DCV) theory and related literature on international business strategy, a theoretical model is developed. This model is subsequently validated with the structural equation modelling technique through a survey of 324 respondents from Indian organizations. The study also examines the moderating impacts using the multigroup analysis method. Findings The study finds that organizations’ sensing, seizing and transformational capabilities impact positively and significantly on international marketing capability, as well as on technological innovation capability, which positively and significantly impacts organizations’ international expansion ability. The study also finds that there is a significant moderating impact of environmental dynamism on organizations’ international expansion. Research limitations/implications This study has provided a unique theoretical model which can explain the factors impacting organizations’ ability toward international expansion. The study also provides vital insights and directions to practitioners, researchers and academicians on the international business strategy for the expansion of organizations. The theoretical model, however, cannot be generalized, as data was taken only from Indian firms. Originality/value The study adds to the body of knowledge of international business strategy, international marketing strategy and technological innovation, adding to the scant research on the relationship between organizations’ DC and the international expansion strategy through a unique and tested model with an explanative power of 73%.