What do we know about capabilities and early internationalization? A review and synthesis

Purpose The purpose of this study is to organize and assess knowledge on the capabilities pertinent to the early internationalization of born globals (BGs) and international new ventures (INVs). Design/methodology/approach A systematic approach is used to search, code, organize and synthesize 155 peer-reviewed journal articles on capabilities and early internationalization. Findings The study delimits eight operational and five dynamic capabilities. The synthesis links capabilities to three antecedents (i.e. firm specific factors, managerial socio cognitive attributes and market factors) and three outcomes (i.e. precocity, survival and performance). While 7 of the 12 linkages identified are well-established, relationships involving market factors, survival and dynamic capabilities are sparsely researched. Research limitations/implications The authors know more about the effects of firm specific factors and managerial socio cognitive attributes on operational and dynamic capabilities than we do the influence of market factors on either group of capabilities. Likewise, the authors know more about the influence of operational and dynamic capabilities on performance than we do their impact on precocity or survival. Practical implications As the pandemic has shown, businesses with adaptable capabilities (e.g. shifting from a brick and mortar to an online/omnichannel approach or micro-breweries competent to switch from manufacturing beer to hand sanitizer) have increased their chance of survival while helping society cope. Originality/value This to the authors’ knowledge is the first study to provide a comprehensive review of literature on the nebulous concept of capabilities, in the context of the burgeoning research stream on early internationalization.

Internationalisation strategies of emerging market firms: evidence from Sarawak, Malaysia

Purpose This study aims to explore the internationalisation paths and strategies adopted by firms from an emerging market and serves as a step towards examining the suitability of prevailing internationalisation theories in the context of emerging market firms. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative methodology and gathered data through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 top managers of internationalised firms from the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. Data were analysed thematically. Findings The results revealed that the internationalisation strategies of firms from Sarawak can be classified under three main categories: motivations and markets, modes and measures. The constraints the firms faced were important determinants of their internationalisation strategies. The internationalisation paths and strategies of the firms were also found to exhibit both similarities to and deviations from the tenets of prevailing internationalisation theories. Originality/value The study contributes knowledge to the literature of both internationalisation theories and internationalisation strategies of emerging markets, in particular, it advances Fey et al.’s (2016) Five M Framework.

Analysing stimuli and barriers, failure and resilience in companies’ internationalization: a systematic and bibliometric review

Purpose This study aims to systematize and analyze the internationalization of companies in an attempt to identify the main themes explored in the literature – What does the current state of the art tell us about the stimuli and barriers, failures and resilience in the internationalization of companies is what the authors set out to answer with this research. Design/methodology/approach This study offers a systematic review based on the bibliometric mapping techniques of 218 articles collected from the Web of Science database between 1996 and 2021. Findings Furthermore, contributing to literature by the logic of stimuli, barriers failure in internationalization companies. The main conclusion is that, from the analysis, the authors can see that the scientific production in this field of knowledge has intensified in recent years, but the centrality and the search density undergo major changes. Originality/value The main research contributions enable a better understanding of the involvement of failure and resilience in companies re-internationalization and suggestions for future studies in this field.

Strategic responses to crisis: a review and synthesis of promising research directions

Purpose A strategic response to crisis research is a critical and growing area of study in management and business literature. Consequently, the sudden rise of COVID-19, that has a substantial adverse impact on the global economy in a relatively short period of time, brings into sharp focus on the possible and most effective types of strategic responses adopted by firms. In this context, this study aims to shed light on the types of strategic responses adopted by firms and the possible outcomes. Design/methodology/approach To contribute to the advancement of knowledge around strategic responses in general for business, this study conducted a keyword bibliometric analysis reviewing 66 articles from highly ranked journals according to ABS list of journals published between the period 2006–2020 and synthesize the existing research on strategic responses. Findings This research enabled the identification of the novel typology of strategic responses to the crisis, such as revived stakeholders’ relationships, revived pricing mechanisms and revived organizational compliance, and their outcomes. Additionally, the analysis established many research areas for scholars who will deal with this topic in the future. Originality/value The literature review contributes to the management and business literature by providing a novel and comprehensive classification of crisis responses and synthesizing all new knowledge gained within a new conceptual framework.

Organization development and cultural values of trust in international contexts

Purpose The purpose of this study is to address the call for empirical research on trust and culture highlighted in the existing literature. This study empirically investigates the underlying cultural values of trust across multiple countries – the term used to describe specific cultural environments that have the potential to influence the way in which people demonstrate trust toward others – and then documents their subsequent influences on the success of organization development (OD) efforts in international contexts. Design/methodology/approach Using data from multiple sources, this study conducts a series of empirical tests to investigate the underlying cultural values of trust in a large sample of 42 countries over the past 20 years (2000–2020). Then, the study further extends the findings to propose an empirically developed framework, namely, a country classification, which can be used to assess whether cultural environments in a specific country appear to support or impede trust behavior and the likelihood of success in implementing OD initiatives and interventions in international contexts. Findings Trust is robustly related to cultural values. Specifically, people from countries with high power distance and uncertainty avoidance cultures tend to exhibit less trust in others, whereas those from countries with high individualistic and long-term oriented cultures are more likely to trust others. The country classification further demonstrates that Estonia, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands are the group of countries whose cultural values appear strongly consistent with the underlying cultural values of trust, implying a greater likelihood of success for OD efforts and interventions. On the other hand, Colombia, Egypt, Iraq, Libya and Mexico are the group of countries whose cultural values appear to differ significantly from the underlying cultural values of trust, suggesting potential obstacles for successful OD efforts and thus appropriate modifications of OD interventions are essentially needed. The results for other countries are also discussed. Practical implications The findings offer several practical implications for the community of OD consulting, especially those who work internationally in cross-national consulting projects or deal with culturally diverse organizations. These include a more sophisticated understanding of the cultural environments that support or impede the willingness to trust in a specific foreign country, an evidence-informed strategy to design or adopt appropriate OD interventions that align with the cultural environments of a foreign country and a framework to assess and improve the likelihood of successful OD interventions in international contexts. Originality/value To the author’s best knowledge, this is the first study to conduct an empirical examination of the influence of culture on trust in a comprehensive manner, subsequently providing a transitional bridge between two major strands of trust research in the current OD literature: trust serves as a necessary foundation for successful OD efforts and the willingness to trust can potentially be explained through cultural spheres. Second, this study explores trust behavior in international contexts and develops a country classification concerning the influence of culture on trust, both of which have never been accomplished in prior research.

Informal financing or debt traps: are the UN sustainable development goals being met in emerging economies?

Purpose This paper aims to provide new insights into the financing system used in emerging economies and how they related to UN Development Goals for sustainable development. The study focuses on small businesses’ informal financing options and whether these lead the borrower into a debt trap. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the example of small-medium fisheries in Indonesia to highlight the formal/informal financing options availed by the businesses and their relationship with the lender. The authors use the qualitative method with a phenomenology approach and interview key stakeholders in the sector. Findings The authors find that the set interest repayments and the checks and balances involved in judging the borrower’s creditworthiness make the formal due to the strict requirements. Instead, the fishermen rely on the informal financing system and borrow from the mapak – a person who lends money on the condition that the fishermen’s catch will be sold to the lender as repayment. Research limitations/implications This study focuses on the financing system in emerging economies. Using the coastal business areas in the Indonesian fishing sector, the authors highlight the informal financing system and the potential debt trap. Future research could extend and study this issue in other industries and geographic regions to test whether emerging economies meet their targets and commitments under the UN Sustainability Development Goals. Emerging markets like Indonesia have a unique model of financing system and their business structure. Three conditions are highlighted in the financing system of business in coastal areas, namely, informal financing, close market access and social capital. Originality/value This study addresses financial inclusion and whether the UN Sustainability Development Goal 8 is being met in emerging economies. The study is one of the few to address this issue and highlights that emerging economies are yet to take concrete steps to make the formal financing sector more inclusive to achieve poverty alleviation.

Conceptualizing international positioning strategies for Indian higher education institutions

Purpose The manuscript reflects on the future of higher education from an emerging country perspective. The authors specifically answer how new education policies, ranking and accreditation are impacting the current state of Indian higher education institutions (IHEIs) and how IHEIs can cultivate their path towards positioning themselves internationally. This study aims to bring together existing scenarios and to serve as a springboard for future research and applications. Design/methodology/approach The manuscript is designed and executed as a conceptual study exploring the current state and prospects for IHEIs. The study synthesizes the concepts of positioning strategies in context to IHEIs. A conceptual diagram integrating existing concepts from marketing, total quality management and business education is created to understand the phenomenon among the IHEIs stakeholders. Findings The authors found that IHEIs started showing their international presence yet they are facing various challenges (government bureaucracy; international salary standards; global student population; and cultural sensitivity). The authors also found that the positioning problem is not a one-time attempt; the complexity of higher education is a “wicked problem” and, hence needs to be evaluated, changed and executed continuously. The manuscript offers relevant information to IHEIs leaders and stakeholders to improve on their international positioning strategies and proposes avenues for future research. Originality/value The study outlines future development and positioning strategic plans that IHEIs may consider and reflect in their strategic plan. The conceptual diagram on achieving successful international positioning and problem areas is expected to act as a guidebook for the key decision-makers. The focus is on distinguishing the imperatives, creating a key guide for meeting immediate requirements, allotting assets prudently to update their international presence. The study will provide IHEIs with a new lease of life in the future.

Toward epistemological identification of the four major mindscapes

Purpose Japanese American philosopher Magoroh Maruyama (1969) proposed the Mindscape theory, a macro model of cultural differences identification. The theory suggests inter-and intra-cultural heterogeneity and four major Mindscapes of H, I, S and G. He and his colleagues designed 64 graphic geometric patterns based on redundant and non-redundant complexity to recognize the Mindscapes in cultures. However, there is no method of identifying each Mindscape individually/separately. In other words, specificity is missing in this theory. Without such identification, the applicability of the Mindscape theory in international business is limited. This study aims to provide the needed specificity. Design/methodology/approach The present study applies Harvey’s (1966) four epistemological systems to identify each of the four Mindscapes. According to Maruyama and Harvey, three of Harvey’s four systems are identical to the three Mindscapes of H, I and G. If the authors can match the three Mindscapes with the three Harvey’s systems, what remains the authors assume to be the fourth Mindscape. Findings The current study determined various graphic and geometric patterns associated with each of the four Mindscapes. In doing so, the study expanded the applicability of the theory in international business. Research limitations/implications Harvey (1966) administered nine psychological tests (instruments) to many subjects over nearly two decades to determine the four systems. Using nine major instruments is very challenging, demanding and time-consuming. For ease of application and saving time, the authors used one of these instruments as an example. Ideally, the authors should use all. Originality/value Mindscape theory suggests that each of the four salient Mindscapes is more relevant to a specific situation, such as human resource management, motivation, leadership, conflict resolution and others. By identifying each Mindscape, this study expands the use of Mindscape theory.

Airline effective operations strategy during COVID-19 pandemic: across regional worldwide survey

Purpose This study aims to identify the effective operational strategies for airlines in a pandemic that allow them to recover and bounce back smoothly. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted quantitative methodology based on secondary data published by the airlines related to operational and performance indicators. The total number of airlines surveyed was 145. The sample of study covers all the following regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. The data analysis of this research passed through several phases to compare the situation before and during pandemic period. Findings The effective operational strategy patterns during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic comprise three hybrid strategies and one scheduling strategy. It appears from these strategy models that four strategic alternatives are available for international airlines to adopt, while two strategic alternatives are available for regional airlines. The strategy alternatives for regional and international airlines are all effective, but those of the international airlines are the more effective ones. Originality/value Previous studies rarely adopted the theory of operations strategy configuration (emphasizing taxonomies-based perspective) and the organizational resilience theory (emphasizing capability-based perspective) to identify the effective airlines operations strategy patterns in a pandemic, that allow airlines to recover and bounce back smoothly by analyzing the practices of airlines from different geographic regions worldwide.

Goal orientation and negotiation strategies: an empirical analysis

Purpose This study aims to examine how negotiators’ goal orientations may affect their negotiation strategy and consequently the negotiation outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Using cross-sectional data collected from a Fortune 500 Global firm based in France, this study empirically examines how goal orientations of negotiators may affect their value creation (win-win) and value-claiming (win-lose) negotiation behavior reflecting their desired outcome in a given sales negotiation. In so doing, this study proposes a conceptual model and tests a number of hypotheses using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings This study shows that learning and performance goal orientations (PGO) are indeed related with two commonly used negotiation strategies: win-win (integrative) and win-lose strategies (distributive) strategies, respectively. The results indicate that while the learning orientation has a positive relationship with a win-win strategy and a negative relationship with a win-lose negotiation strategy, just the opposite is true with the PGO, which is positively related to win-lose strategy and negatively related to win-win strategy. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research represents one of the first attempts to connect goal orientations with negotiations strategies to achieve desired negotiation outcome using data from salespeople with negotiation experience.