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Learning, unlearning and internationalisation: Evidence from the pre-export phase

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  • Casillas, José C.
  • Acedo, Francisco J.
  • Barbero, José L.

Abstract

The internationalisation process has been described as a process of learning under which a business increases its commitment abroad as the company acquires knowledge on new markets and on the nature of the process itself. The present work proposes a model that relates the possession of a base of knowledge originated in supra-organisational, organisational and individual sources, as the actively new decision of seeking knowledge related to the start of the exporting activity. Integrating the literature on the pre-export behaviour of the business and the theory of organisational learning, we propose that such relationship is influenced by two dimensions: the export intention and the context of unlearning. The sample included 103 SMEs in the pre-exporting phase. Results support the conception of the process of internationalisation as a process of learning under which a prior base of knowledge is combined with periods of unlearning and a search for new knowledge.

Suggested Citation

  • Casillas, José C. & Acedo, Francisco J. & Barbero, José L., 2010. "Learning, unlearning and internationalisation: Evidence from the pre-export phase," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 162-173.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ininma:v:30:y:2010:i:2:p:162-173
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2009.07.005
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