IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jrpoli/v79y2022ics030142072200527x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Junior Miner internationalisation in the globalising mining industry

Author

Listed:
  • Nunez-Picado, Adriana
  • Martinus, Kirsten
  • Sigler, Thomas

Abstract

Firm internationalisation is a key globalisation process. However, little is known about how ‘junior’ mining firms establish their operations overseas under industry-specific contexts. Here, we draw upon the economic geography and international business literatures to examine the case of Australian junior miners in the Latin American lithium and copper industries. Based on insights from 49 semi-structured interviews, findings show that the internationalisation of junior miners evolves through emergence, establishment, and maintenance stages in which the activities of firms, government and industry actors combine and are contingent upon external market conditions. As the objectives and internationalisation conditions of junior miners differ from those of larger firms, who expand seeking long-term establishment in developed markets, juniors' ephemeral timelines take divergent pathways. This study provides an alternative view on internationalisation, linking it to the emergence and growth of mining economic activities in regions with under-developed or developing market conditions. It also creates an understanding of the activities and external dynamics shaping junior internationalisation, informing investment attraction and regional development policy in mineral-rich nations where domestic capital for exploration is both scant and necessary for mining industry development.

Suggested Citation

  • Nunez-Picado, Adriana & Martinus, Kirsten & Sigler, Thomas, 2022. "Junior Miner internationalisation in the globalising mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:79:y:2022:i:c:s030142072200527x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.103084
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030142072200527X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.103084?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jérôme Vicente & Yan Dalla Pria & Raphaël Suire, 2007. "The Ambivalent Role of Mimetic Behavior in Proximity Dynamics: Evidence from the French ‘Silicon Sentier’," Chapters, in: Jordi Suriñach & Rosina Moreno & Esther Vayá (ed.), Knowledge Externalities, Innovation Clusters and Regional Development, chapter 3, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Zoltán J. Ács & Siri Terjesen, 2015. "Born local: toward a theory of new venture’s choice of internationalization," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 13, pages 242-256, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Haslam, Paul Alexander & Ary Tanimoune, Nasser, 2016. "The Determinants of Social Conflict in the Latin American Mining Sector: New Evidence with Quantitative Data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 401-419.
    4. Danny MacKinnon, 2012. "Beyond strategic coupling: reassessing the firm-region nexus in global production networks," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 12(1), pages 227-245, January.
    5. Vivoda, Vlado, 2011. "Determinants of foreign direct investment in the mining sector in Asia: A comparison between China and India," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 49-59, March.
    6. Oparaocha, Gospel Onyema, 2015. "SMEs and international entrepreneurship: An institutional network perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 861-873.
    7. Steve Wood & Neil M. Coe & Iain Watson & Christoph Teller, 2019. "Dynamic Processes of Territorial Embeddedness in International Online Fashion Retailing," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 95(5), pages 467-493, October.
    8. Paul D Ellis, 2011. "Social ties and international entrepreneurship: Opportunities and constraints affecting firm internationalization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(1), pages 99-127, January.
    9. Neil M. Coe & Yong-Sook Lee, 2006. "The Strategic Localization of Transnational Retailers: The Case of Samsung-Tesco in South Korea," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 82(1), pages 61-88, January.
    10. Henry Wai-chung Yeung, 2009. "Regional Development and the Competitive Dynamics of Global Production Networks: An East Asian Perspective," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(3), pages 325-351.
    11. Steve Burt & Ulf Johansson & John Dawson, 2017. "Dissecting embeddedness in international retailing," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(3), pages 685-707.
    12. Chris Wagner, 2020. "Deducing a state-of-the-art presentation of the Eclectic Paradigm from four decades of development: a systematic literature review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 70(1), pages 51-96, February.
    13. Nicole E Coviello, 2006. "The network dynamics of international new ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(5), pages 713-731, September.
    14. Neil M Coe, 2004. "The Internationalisation/Globalisation of Retailing: Towards an Economic – Geographical Research Agenda," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 36(9), pages 1571-1594, September.
    15. Peter Lamb & Jörgen Sandberg & Peter W Liesch, 2011. "Small firm internationalisation unveiled through phenomenography," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(5), pages 672-693, June.
    16. Philip McCann & Ram Mudambi, 2004. "The Location Behavior of the Multinational Enterprise: Some Analytical Issues," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(4), pages 491-524, September.
    17. Philip McCann, 2011. "International business and economic geography: knowledge, time and transactions costs," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(2), pages 309-317, March.
    18. Owen, John R. & Kemp, Deanna, 2013. "Social licence and mining: A critical perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 29-35.
    19. Tobias Olofsson, 2020. "Imagined futures in mineral exploration," Journal of Cultural Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(3), pages 265-277, May.
    20. Bruce Dwyer & Bernice Kotey, 2015. "Financing SME Growth: The Role of the National Stock Exchange of Australia and Business Advisors," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 25(2), pages 114-123, June.
    21. Ian R. Gordon & Philip McCann, 2000. "Industrial Clusters: Complexes, Agglomeration and/or Social Networks?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 37(3), pages 513-532, March.
    22. Neil M. Coe & Yong-Sook Lee, 2013. "'We've learnt how to be local': the deepening territorial embeddedness of Samsung--Tesco in South Korea," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 13(2), pages 327-356, March.
    23. Obaya, Martín & López, Andrés & Pascuini, Paulo, 2021. "Curb your enthusiasm. Challenges to the development of lithium-based linkages in Argentina," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    24. Nicole Coviello & Martin Cox, 2006. "The resource dynamics of international new venture networks," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 113-132, September.
    25. Peter Dicken & Anders Malmberg, 2001. "Firms in Territories: A Relational Perspective," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 77(4), pages 345-363, October.
    26. Stuart Dawley & Danny MacKinnon & Robert Pollock, 2019. "Creating strategic couplings in global production networks: regional institutions and lead firm investment in the Humber region, UK," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(4), pages 853-872.
    27. Philip Mccann & Stephen Sheppard, 2003. "The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of Industrial Location Theory," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(6-7), pages 649-663.
    28. John H Dunning, 1988. "The Eclectic Paradigm of International Production: A Restatement and Some Possible Extensions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(1), pages 1-31, March.
    29. Maponga, Oliver & Maxwell, Philip, 2000. "The internationalisation of the Australian mineral industry in the 1990s," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 199-210, December.
    30. Rory Horner, 2014. "Strategic decoupling, recoupling and global production networks: India’s pharmaceutical industry," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 14(6), pages 1117-1140.
    31. Henry Wai‐Chung Yeung, 1999. "The internationalization of ethnic Chinese business firms from Southeast Asia: strategies, processes and competitive advantage," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 88-102, March.
    32. Alexander Tabares & Yanto Chandra & Claudia Alvarez & Manuela Escobar-Sierra, 2021. "Opportunity-related behaviors in international entrepreneurship research: a multilevel analysis of antecedents, processes, and outcomes," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 321-368, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gavin Bridge & Alexander Dodge, 2022. "Regional assets and network switching: shifting geographies of ownership, control and capital in UK offshore oil [Temporality and the evolution of GPNs: remaking BHP’s Pilbara iron ore network]," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 15(2), pages 367-388.
    2. Huiwen Gong & Robert Hassink & Cassandra Wang, 2021. "Strategic coupling and regional resilience in times of uncertainty: the industrial chain chief model in Zhejiang, China," PEGIS geo-disc-2021_06, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    3. Sahar Ahmadian & Somayeh Abdolmaleki, 2018. "Network typology and international opportunity recognition: moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, December.
    4. Bembom, Michael & Schwens, Christian, 2018. "The role of networks in early internationalizing firms: A systematic review and future research agenda," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 679-694.
    5. Goxe, François & Mayrhofer, Ulrike & Kuivalainen, Olli, 2022. "Argonauts and Icaruses: Social networks and dynamics of nascent international entrepreneurs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1).
    6. Huiwen Gong & Robert Hassink & Cassandra C Wang, 2022. "Strategic coupling and institutional innovation in times of upheavals: the industrial chain chief model in Zhejiang, China [Institutional change in economic geography]," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 15(2), pages 279-303.
    7. Rimante Sedziniauskiene & Jurgita Sekliuckiene & Antonella Zucchella, 2019. "Networks’ Impact on the Entrepreneurial Internationalization: A Literature Review and Research Agenda," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(5), pages 779-823, October.
    8. Nataliya Galan & Ellinor Torsein, 2021. "Identification of international opportunities: A study of mature firms in mature industries," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 53-103, March.
    9. Manning, Stephan, 2022. "From mainstream to niche: How value regimes shift in emerging economy upgrading," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(6).
    10. Paul, Justin & Parthasarathy, Sundar & Gupta, Parul, 2017. "Exporting challenges of SMEs: A review and future research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 327-342.
    11. Riviere, Monica & Romero-Martínez, Ana M., 2021. "Network embeddedness, headquarters entrepreneurial orientation, and MNE international performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    12. Lindstrand, Angelika & Hånell, Sara Melén, 2017. "International and market-specific social capital effects on international opportunity exploitation in the internationalization process," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 653-663.
    13. Frasquet, Marta & Dawson, John & Calderón, Haydeé & Fayos, Teresa, 2018. "Integrating embeddedness with dynamic capabilities in the internationalisation of fashion retailers," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 904-914.
    14. Bianchi, Constanza & Abu Saleh, Md., 2020. "Investigating SME importer–foreign supplier relationship trust and commitment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 572-584.
    15. Ilya R. P. Cuypers & Gokhan Ertug & John Cantwell & Akbar Zaheer & Martin Kilduff, 2020. "Making connections: Social networks in international business," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(5), pages 714-736, July.
    16. Henry Wai-chung Yeung & Neil M. Coe, 2015. "Toward a Dynamic Theory of Global Production Networks," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 91(1), pages 29-58, January.
    17. McWilliam, Sarah E. & Kim, Jung Kwan & Mudambi, Ram & Nielsen, Bo Bernhard, 2020. "Global value chain governance: Intersections with international business," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(4).
    18. Chidlow, Agnieszka & Holmström-Lind, Christine & Holm, Ulf & Tallman, Steve, 2015. "Do I stay or do I go? Sub-national drivers for post-entry subsidiary development," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 266-275.
    19. Stephanie E. Mansion & Andreas Bausch, 2020. "Intangible assets and SMEs’ export behavior: a meta-analytical perspective," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 727-760, October.
    20. Shayegheh Ashourizadeh & Mehrzad Saeedikiya, 2022. "Immigrant and native export benefiting from business collaborations: a global study," Papers 2205.13171, arXiv.org.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:79:y:2022:i:c:s030142072200527x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/30467 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.